Is Sunday Enough?

 Is Sunday Enough?

In the UK we are not short of church buildings.  They are everywhere!  Take Market Harborough for example.  In a town of 28,000 there are eight church buildings, with two being shared, and another three or four churches meeting in hired premises.  In the surrounding villages, historic buildings point their spires upwards while a smattering of chapels nestle between the housing.  Of all these, most only have church services on Sundays, while many rural Parish Churches in England now only have a service once a month. 

Imagine what it would be like if the same level of activity was found on our buses and trains. You have a journey that is important to you.  Perhaps you need to visit a sick relative, or attend a job interview, or even do your shopping.  But when you arrive at the bus stop or station you find a sign that says buses (or trains) only run for one hour on Sundays.  Of course, that would be ridiculous, but is the point I am trying to make any less ridiculous?

I don’t want to argue for more activities through the week, though in some situations, that might be a good idea.  Rather I want us to think about church as the people.  There is nothing new in that.  For me, the tragedy is that many who would describe themselves as Christians are only active for one hour on one day a week.

So, getting back to my bus analogy, what is the point of a bus service?  Clearly, it is to help people make a journey from one place to another at times that are likely to be convenient to them.  And what is the point of church?  Is it not to help people to make a journey from one situation to another?  That might be from life without Christ to glorious daily living with Jesus.  Or it might be from a life dominated by sinful or bad habits, to holiness.  Or it might be from being pretty ignorant about the Bible to discovering what an exciting collection of books it contains.  You might think of other spiritual journeys people need to take, but is the one hour on one day a week the service we should be offering?

Of course, when the buses aren’t running, people could use a taxi, a private car or even a bicycle. But we would want normal service to be resumed.  If people have the inclination, there are library books and religious meetings on TV and the internet.  They could get themselves there!  But then why has God given all his people gifts to be used in service?

My Bible tells me that God gives various gifts to his people for the fulfilling of his purposes.  Do we think that God’s purposes are only relevant for one hour on one day a week?  Of course not.  So, who has what gifts in your church?  Who are those with pastoral caring ministries (I don’t mean the official ones)?  Who are those who are natural evangelists, prepared to share faith with others?  Who are those with sufficient spiritual maturity who can teach others and nurture new believers?

Do they (or perhaps we) have a vision for being available to serve the Lord with their gifts at any time on any day?  What would the leaders in your church need to do to encourage these ministries?  Imagine a church where people leave after the Sunday service, ready to engage in the work God wants us to do.  Now imagine the meeting the following Sunday, where stories are shared about their exciting experiences through the week, and where new people are introduced and matters for prayer are shared.  
Is it not tragic, that instead of that, we will turn up for the same old one hour Sunday service of collective worship, sing hymns and songs, say prayers and listen to a sermon?

Is Sunday enough?  In the immediately previous issue of Praise & Prayer News I raised the question, “Is God Interested in Your Church?”. In it, I suggested that, often, the preservation and care of inherited buildings was not on God’s list of things that are important.  Yet it is something that absorbs huge amounts of time, money and energy.  I wondered if I might have been too outspoken and might have offended some who love their buildings.  I nearly sent out a follow up apologising to any I might have offended.  The point I was trying to make was that what God is concerned about, as illustrated in the life of Jesus Christ, is people.

If you believe that God cares about those people next door, if he longs that they would come to experience his love and forgiveness, if he longs that people in your church would know him better, then is one hour on one day a week sufficient?  If WE are the church rather than the building, can we be open 24/7?  Perhaps we should stop thinking about the Minister, and release and encourage the ministers.
  
Barry Osborne 18th March 2022