Reading a great book called mudhouse sabbath by Lauren Winner. She grew up in the Jewish faith but converted to Christianity as a young adult. This book is her reflections on how Jewish traditions can bring so much meaning to the way we live our Christian faith.
Says Winner:
few situations maek me as uncomfortable as being a newcomer in a church...Everyone else knows when to stand and sit and bow and smile, and everyone else has someone to talk to during coffee horu, and there i stand, awkward and ill at ease, my inner introvert yelling at me to go home and curl up with a novel.
She goes on to tell about her second visit at the church she ended up joining. A couple she met for the first time on the spot invited her to join their family for a 4th of July party. At this same church, a friend of Winner's found herself "between leases" for a few days and in 2 days time, she had 3 different offers for a place to stay.
This kind of hospitality, unfortunately rare even in churches, is woven into the very fiber of the Jewish story and subsequently the Jewish way of life. As Abraham gives food to 3 strangers who turn out to be angels; Jethro welcomed Moses, Rahab sheltered Joshua's spies; an unnamed woman welcomes Elisha; Hospitality is a bedrock of Jewish life. Winner quotes Rabbi Yochanan who insists that hsopitality was even more important than praying.
"To invite people into our homes...is to respond with gratitude to the God who made a home for us."
So reading all that got me thinking: how do we show hospitality on Sunday mornings - especially when first time visitors feel like they are in the most uncomfortable place in the world?
That desire to live in the value of hospitality, paired with the awareness of how visitors probably feel: Well it's those things that we are thinking about when we plan our worship service, lay out our physical space, pass (or don't pass) the offering bowls, print up our bulletins, and ask for volunteers to serve as greeters.
What a challenging concept: That maybe the way we treat our guests may be more important than the prayers we offer God during our worship services.
This is such an important issue. When I was around 15, long after my family had quit attending church, I went back on my own. Nervous about it, and not knowing, as Lauren Winner writes,where to sit, when to stand, etc, I was mortified when a women informed me that I was siting on the right side of the Church and "we only sit on the left side at the early service". I didnt feel welcome, and I didnt go back. In fact, with rare exception, I didnt go back until two years ago, and I am now 42 years old. When I came to First Church, it was a very different experience and before I made it through Westminster Hall on my way to the sanctuary, I had met several people who were incredibly welcoming and friendly.
ReplyDeleteMaking visitors feel welcome, and new members feel a part of the church family, is really important. But I also worry about the folks who dont get up the courage to come that first time. I wish everyone could know how welcoming that first day was for me and my family. And, I wish I was better at telling that story.
Great comments Scott. Thanks so much. You always have very keen observations and insights.
ReplyDeleteI love your statement, "I worry about the folks who don't get up the courage to come that first time."
Me too! Truthfully, it's those people that I keep in mind as I think about everything we do out at Barkstall.
I read a blog yesterday by a guy named Alan Hirsch. He said our ecclesiology (the way we do church) grows out of our mission (make disciples). It must always be so. Otherwise the way we do church becomes the mission. And that is a recipe for a dying church.
Hey man, Yeah I read Mudhouse Sabbath a while back and thought she had much to offer us about how we do church. I love your points about hospitality
ReplyDeleteScott, you mentioned too that you have been visiting Alan Hirsh's blog.. theres a book of his that is priceless.. it is called, "the shape of things to come." I highly recommend it!
ReplyDeleteHey KJ,
ReplyDeleteI've had "The Shaping of Things to Come" on my shelf for a year or so. Haven't cracked it.
I will now.