What if church was canceled becasue the carpet was torn?
I am a big football fan. I can't get enough. I played it, I watch it, I play Fantasy Football, I talk about it and I even read about it. I have to admit I was looking forward to coming home after church last Sunday and watching the first preseason game of the year. I knew the starters may be done playing by the time I got home to watch and the guys playing I may never have heard of and may never see again but I didn't care. It was football. I was shocked when I turned it on and found out the game had been cancelled. Football never gets canceled. It doesn't matter how hot, how cold, how much rain or how much snow is on the field the NFL plays. I couldn't imagine what happened that would cause the game to be cancelled. I caught something scrolling at the bottom of the TV screen about the field. I figured for a game to be cancelled because of the field it must have caught on fire or a meteorite landed in the middle of it or something. Then as I watch and listen I find out the paint
on the field was two slick and hard. What???
So apparently there was a concert and some other events on the field the whole weekend which didn't give the grounds crew enough time to properly put the logos on the field. They were several hours late getting the tarp off the field that day. Add to that the fact that field has been in bad shape from over use for years made the NFL call the game. They were afraid players would slip and injure themselves. The NFL has now come out to say the field was already under renovation but was not complete yet. I may just be a fan but wouldn't you schedule the renovation so that it would be completed before the biggest event of the year is scheduled? Just wondering.
The cancelation of the game has set off a wave of emotions from everyone involved. Although
most understand the hazard of playing the game the thought of not having the field ready in time has baffled almost all. Fans who paid to watch the game are upset. They will be refunded for the game ticket but not for their travel expenses. Some players needed that game to make an impression on the coach's to possible make the team. The NFL is embarrassed and so is the people who manage the stadium. All the things I have read has done a good job at telling what caused the cancelation but nobody is telling why it happened. There are a lot of upset people.
This whole situation got me wondering. What would happen if church goers got to their church one Sunday morning and there was a sign on the door that read, "Church canceled: There is a tear in the carpet creating a fall hazard for our members." Many would turn around smiling that they had the day off. Others would be angered that "the preacher didn't fix the carpet" even though they saw the carpet tearing weeks earlier. Some would walk away upset they got up and got dressed for nothing. They would be several that would be upset that church was canceled over a little thing like a carpet tear. But my question is, how many would be upset they missed worshipping? Some may would
hurry over to the next closest church but most would not.
I think this situation proves something we have all known for years but most didn't want to admit it. That is the fact that most church goers are not going to worship. They may worship while they are there but they definitely didn't go prepared to or with a desire to worship. People go to church out of habit or because they feel it is expected of them. Some go to gather or spread the latest gossip. Others go to find something to complain about and somebody to complain to about it. Others go to get a power fix or to make business connections. There are some there looking to see what the church can do for them. Many go because they think God will give them a big blessing the next week because they showed up at church and threw a dollar in the offering plate. We all know who these people are but they are not the only ones who don't go to church to worship.
Not everybody who goes to church to do something besides worship is there for a bad reason. Some go because they teach, love to teach and need to teach. They have worked hard on their lesson and are ready to share it. They just forgot to get ready to worship. There are those with a heart of missions who show up with an arm load of can food, school supplies, special offering envelopes and a cake for someone. They were busy all week gather their things to bring but didn't take the time to gather themselves for worship. Then there are the notebook people. You know the ones that are on so many committees it looks like they always have a notebook with them for a meeting they have organized. They just don't organize themselves for worship.
It is not that these people do not love God and don't want to worship Him. It is not that their priorities are out of order. They love God and have Him first in their life. They want to serve Him with all of their hearts. If is just they lost focus on what the main reason for going to church is, to worship God. The teaching, missions, and serving should come out of our worship not replace our worship. Sometimes we just get busy doing God's work and we forget to prepare for worship. This is how church burn out develops.
So what is the solution? Don't do these things? Definitely not. The solution is to prepare your heart for worship before doing these things. Then they become a part of your worship and not a "chore". It doesn't matter if it is mowing the grass at the church, teaching SS, singing in the choir, keeping up with the church's financial records, taking up offering, collecting can food or any other work in the church it has to begin with worship. If it doesn't it becomes work and you become the person who reads the sign and turns around smiling that you have a day off. So let us be glad when they say it is time to enter the House of the Lord because we are going to worship and while we are there we can serve God.
Parting Thought: White boards are remarkable.
So apparently there was a concert and some other events on the field the whole weekend which didn't give the grounds crew enough time to properly put the logos on the field. They were several hours late getting the tarp off the field that day. Add to that the fact that field has been in bad shape from over use for years made the NFL call the game. They were afraid players would slip and injure themselves. The NFL has now come out to say the field was already under renovation but was not complete yet. I may just be a fan but wouldn't you schedule the renovation so that it would be completed before the biggest event of the year is scheduled? Just wondering.
The cancelation of the game has set off a wave of emotions from everyone involved. Although
This whole situation got me wondering. What would happen if church goers got to their church one Sunday morning and there was a sign on the door that read, "Church canceled: There is a tear in the carpet creating a fall hazard for our members." Many would turn around smiling that they had the day off. Others would be angered that "the preacher didn't fix the carpet" even though they saw the carpet tearing weeks earlier. Some would walk away upset they got up and got dressed for nothing. They would be several that would be upset that church was canceled over a little thing like a carpet tear. But my question is, how many would be upset they missed worshipping? Some may would
I think this situation proves something we have all known for years but most didn't want to admit it. That is the fact that most church goers are not going to worship. They may worship while they are there but they definitely didn't go prepared to or with a desire to worship. People go to church out of habit or because they feel it is expected of them. Some go to gather or spread the latest gossip. Others go to find something to complain about and somebody to complain to about it. Others go to get a power fix or to make business connections. There are some there looking to see what the church can do for them. Many go because they think God will give them a big blessing the next week because they showed up at church and threw a dollar in the offering plate. We all know who these people are but they are not the only ones who don't go to church to worship.
Not everybody who goes to church to do something besides worship is there for a bad reason. Some go because they teach, love to teach and need to teach. They have worked hard on their lesson and are ready to share it. They just forgot to get ready to worship. There are those with a heart of missions who show up with an arm load of can food, school supplies, special offering envelopes and a cake for someone. They were busy all week gather their things to bring but didn't take the time to gather themselves for worship. Then there are the notebook people. You know the ones that are on so many committees it looks like they always have a notebook with them for a meeting they have organized. They just don't organize themselves for worship.
It is not that these people do not love God and don't want to worship Him. It is not that their priorities are out of order. They love God and have Him first in their life. They want to serve Him with all of their hearts. If is just they lost focus on what the main reason for going to church is, to worship God. The teaching, missions, and serving should come out of our worship not replace our worship. Sometimes we just get busy doing God's work and we forget to prepare for worship. This is how church burn out develops.
So what is the solution? Don't do these things? Definitely not. The solution is to prepare your heart for worship before doing these things. Then they become a part of your worship and not a "chore". It doesn't matter if it is mowing the grass at the church, teaching SS, singing in the choir, keeping up with the church's financial records, taking up offering, collecting can food or any other work in the church it has to begin with worship. If it doesn't it becomes work and you become the person who reads the sign and turns around smiling that you have a day off. So let us be glad when they say it is time to enter the House of the Lord because we are going to worship and while we are there we can serve God.
Parting Thought: White boards are remarkable.
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