Last week my friend’s two year old came home from play group and asked his parents, much to their surprise, if they could go to church on Sunday.
Since he hasn’t been to a church since his baptism he has no way of knowing what it is all about.
Another friend in our antenatal class WhatsApp group (this group of women have been a huge support since the birth of Daniël two years ago) said perhaps he thought church was like a fun fair that he was missing out on.
Everyone laughed, the implication being that if only he knew what it was really like then he would not want to go.
But funnily enough I look forward to church just like a kid would a fun fair.
Only instead of looking forward to rides and candy floss my heart holds an expectation of what could happen when God shows up.
When we worship Jesus together, it’s not about singing a few songs before the sermon, its an opportunity to connect with the God of the universe.
It’s an invitation to meet with him and his presence is tangible.
When was the last time you received an invitation to an event: a braai, a birthday party, a date?
As Emily Vermilya says so succinctly in her blog, by definition an invitation is the expressed desire of another person to be with you, get to know you and share themselves with you. Invitations are powerful things. They make us feel wanted, included, important, even loved.
‘Going to church’ is not a religious box to tick as we try to impress God, it’s a beautiful coming together of people in all states of imperfect brokenness accepting his invitation to meet with him and receive freedom and healing.
It’s a supernatural fun fair where you never know what’s going to happen next!
Chains of bondage fall as people are set free from depression and healed from sickness.
The possibilities are endless.
Not to say that this cannot happen at any time outside of church, because it does, only that there is something about accepting this invitation that unlocks something magical (like Harry Potter receiving his acceptance letter to Hogwarts).
Still so many people have a negative connotation to the idea of ‘church’.
Perhaps you were dragged there when you were little or attended a ‘Christian’ school run by teachers who were mean and sour (who would want to have anything to do with church if it made you like that?).
This is one of the things I love about Linc Church in Foxhill/ Salt Rock.
If you visit you will be shocked at how genuinely happy people are to be there.
The kids all want to go to kids’ church.
I practically have to drag Daniël out when the service is over and then it’s straight to the top of the enormous jungle gym while I get an excellent cup of coffee (definitely some of the best you’ll find on the Dolphin Coast).
Linc was started out of a desire to reinvent the ‘church experience’ so that people who don’t feel comfortable in a traditional setup (or with men in dresses) would actually enjoy church.
‘Church is meant to be enjoyed and not endured,’ is one of the popular phrases.
So let me extend the invitation: come and see for yourself.
