What if They Didn’t Come?

The first person my family sees when we walk in the doors of our church is Elly. Far from his home in Kenya, Elly is every pastor’s dream. Although he is a college student working full time, he faithfully unlocks the church each Sunday, makes sure the temperature is adjusted correctly (like one could ever please everyone in that area!), and does whatever is needed to clean and maintain the church.

Next we run into some of our youth, forfeiting those extra hours of sleep to hang out with God and each other. Of course the Sunday school teachers are there to make sure their students have a proper understanding of God’s Word. We will get hugs from each of these people.

What would we do if they didn’t show up? It’s obvious how uncomfortable we would all be without Elly. And who but the young people would challenge us to remember the joy and idealism of youth? Without teachers who would help these youth find the right answers to their questions? (Plenty of people want to lead them astray.) There are others I would miss: Roger, with whom we have prayed for months so he can be united with his wife and small son still in Africa; and Queen, for whom the whole church prayed that she would conceive and who is now happily expecting her first child.

I would miss our worship team a ton. There is something incredible about worshiping God with people you trust, people who are also passionate about connecting with their Creator.

In addition, nothing could replace the feeling of belonging to a church family. When my mom passed away, several church members, including our pastor, drove three hours to the funeral. I don’t remember anything they said verbally, but their presence told us they were committed to us. The church our family attended for years and in which our older children grew up is still an integral part of our lives as well. When our family is going through tough times they pray for us. When their families are, we pray for them. We “root” for their children and they “root” for ours.

There has been a lot of talk about computers replacing print. Indeed, I would be lost without my computer. Yet for me, staring at page after page of words on a screen could never replace the delight of curling up in a chair by the fireplace and getting lost in a good book or magazine. I even love the feel of the paper and the smell of the ink. In the same way, watching a television “preacher” or participating in an interactive chat room could never measure up to the tangible experience of meeting face to face with those you care about, those with whom you have worked side by side, those who have walked the “extra mile” with you, for whom you would do anything.

Is it always easy? Of course not. All relationships take work. Is it worth it? You bet.

Andrea Johnson,
Managing Editor
Message@openbible.org