I walk into church, head toward the camera position and I am greeted by the smiling older man who says, “Welcome to church! Is this your first time with us?” I shake my head in frustration. The problem is that I have consistently taken my post at the same time every Sunday for the a few years now and this guy has been greeting me like a newcomer almost every week. (OK. By now, some of you are smiling because this has happened to you too.) No, this man does not have memory problems. Together we both have a family problem.
For those of us who serve in the “unseen ranks” of the tech army, we often feel separated from the rest of church. It's hard to connect with the rest of the congregation because we're busy when everyone else is fellowshipping. We only seem to connect with others who do what we do and, depending on the size of your operation, that might only be 3 or 4 people. Church certainly doesn't feel like that early church that we read about in the book of Acts:
“Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.” - Acts 4:32-33
If you read that verse and long for that kind of thing, or think that this is a flat out impossibility in modern churches, I would suggest that it may be time to address some family problems. Now before you go stomping into the pastor's office, I will tell you that, like most family issues, the problem is two-way.
On the one hand, we have a group of people who are part of the family but don't know us. On the other hand, we often don't have the time to get to know the family. But let's think about that, what would it be like to live with your family and never speak to them? What if I, as a man who has been married for 32 years, came into the house, went straight into my tech room and, and never communicated with my wife? For one thing, I would not have been married for 32 years. You can be certain of that!
This means that we need to spend a little time with the family if we want to see a change. I will admit that I have been as guilty as anyone. I don't like to get to church early and talk to people. I should have made some time to meet and greet my brother. I should have learned his name and something about him.
It is so important for every member of the family to be more connected. Consider the words of the writer of Hebrews:
“But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” - Hebrews 3:13
It seems like we need to exhort one another every day. We need this to keep us from being deceived by sin. That word to exhort means to invite someone to come along side you. It means to comfort and encourage. Think of you and your brother or sister walking along with an arm around the others shoulder. We need that. That is true if we're serving in the booth, serving as a greeter, or just sitting in the pew. If we begin to open up to this kind of family thinking, this will happen.
Trust me, I am an introvert and this may seem really awkward. I actually thought that serving in the booth would keep me out of that kind of interaction. But the more I study scripture, the more I understand that God has designed us for fellowship. He has designed us for family interaction. The church is supposed to be more family than organization.
Let me challenge you this week to get more involved with “exhorting”. Come along side someone new. Start in the booth and learn more about your co-laborers. Do you really know them as family? Next, take a step out of your booth and your comfort zone. Learn the names of those greeters and ushers. Find out more about them. After all, we are all in the family – The family of God.
