The Main Game

Every Sunday when I trundle off to church I notice how much work some people have put into making it a good event. The singers and musicians have been there for 90 minutes practicing, the prayer team have been there praying over the building, the 'decorators' have been there doing the flowers, etc, etc, etc. It is good that people do the work to prepare for the Sunday service otherwise it will be an absolute shambles. That said, I worry that people put so much emphasis on the Sunday morning service that they come to think of it as the main event.

The Sunday service is not the main event. It is not the real game. It is a training session. The main game is what people do during the week when they are out amongst all their friends, colleagues, and family. We, as Christians go to church so we can prepared and equip to live out our faith before people so they can see our lives and give glory to our Father in Heaven.

So, our Sunday morning services need to be well organised and prepared, like any training session. But it is just that – a time for training, not the main game. If we get this wrong, then we become nothing more than a nice insular Christian club, and our services a fun time for club members, largely disconnected from the rest of our lives beyond the church walls.

And who trains and then never gets out and plays the game? Unfortunately I think that there are many Christians who do that just, and this is a big reason why the Western church is shrinking in size and influence.

Train hard and regularly, so you can play the game well, and press on to the reward that is for those who give it their best shot IN THE FIELD OF PLAY.