All the Bells and Whistles

I've always heard people say that church doesn't need all the bells and whistles, that church shouldn't "entertain" you, and because I've always heard this I've always assumed it was true. That there was nothing more in line with what God wanted for the church than the starkness of a Quaker meetinghouse.

But recently the church we frequent has opened another campus (I think this makes four campuses total), where we've visited the past two Sundays. And I'm beginning to see the bells and whistles in new light.

This week, as I was sitting in an Adirondack chair in "Central Park", enjoying the breakfast I had brought with me (even though they have a full cafe on site) before the first crashing of drums and wailing of guitars signaled that worship was beginning, I became grateful for the "world" that the church had created inside this old furniture warehouse.

Around me people were in conversation, seated in chairs, at cafe tables, or on the "grass". Kids were crawling and climbing on the play set. People were in long lines for coffee and the bathroom. And I thought:

What a beautiful reminder that church isn't confined to the one hour on Sunday that you sit in an uncomfortable chair and listen to someone tell you about Jesus.    

Church is that hour, but it is also the other 167 hours of the week.

It is how you act when you are waiting in line, be it for coffee or the bathroom or to buy a packet of gum in the one line at Walmart that is open and you are stuck standing behind someone who clearly thinks the apocalypse (or the Super Bowl, 4th of July, first of the month, family reunion, etc.) is happening today.

It's how you treat your loved ones behind closed doors.

It is how you act, and how your kids act, when they are at the playground.

It is in your willingness to serve others and how you treat those who serve you.

It is how you behave at work and on your lunch break and while stuck in rush hour traffic on the way home (which is pretty equivalent to trying to get out of a parking lot when church lets out).

I love the church that we attend. I love the Bible-based teaching. I love the rock and roll worship. I love that the building is open all week, so people can play and eat and worship and experience more of Jesus daily. I love that the atmosphere reminds me that "service" is not limited to one hour on Sunday morning.