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How real is our welcome?
1 John Chapter 1 verses 7-10
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
And again at verses 15-17
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world passes away and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
I attended a baptism recently at a different Church from our own. On the few occasions I get a chance to attend worship at another Kirk, I find it quite interesting to see the differences in the approach to worship and also the approach to strangers joining a new congregation for possibly only one day by the regular members.
For a start, there were Bibles in every pew, two members of the congregation did the readings from Scripture and their Session Clerk gave out the intimations. The intimations included an announcement of the amount collected in the previous week's offering and an appeal for donations for much needed building work. When entering the Church, I was handed an order of service detailing the hymns, readings and the topic of the sermon. Hymnbooks were in every pew and they were of a more modern version than the one we use. In saying that, the baptismal hymn was 'By cool Siloam's shady rill' which wasn't in the hymnbook but had been typed and pasted to the inside of the back cover. Another of the intimations was that tea and coffee would be served in the hall after the service.
The Church in question was smaller than this Church but with approximately 80 baptismal guests, it was almost full. There was quite a big Sunday School who joined with the congregation for the first part of the Service and after the Sacrament had been administered, one of the children from the Sunday School came up beside the Minister and said a short prayer. Overall it was a nice Service and I felt privileged to be in attendance.
After the Service, I went into the hall for a cup of tea while the rest of the Baptismal guests had either remained in the Church to have photographs taken or had begun to make their way to the venue where drinks and a finger buffet had been laid on. While waiting in the "tea queue', the lady in front of me had been the one that had read out the intimations and before long we were discussing aspects of each of our Churches and generally enjoying a little bit of fellowship. After getting my tea (and leaving a donation), I sat down on one of the seats around the edge of the hall. From that time on, not one person came over to say hello.
I'm not advocating for a moment that the way that the format of the service was any better or any worse than our own - just a different way of worshipping the same God that we worship. One area where I would like us to be different is in the manner we welcome strangers/visitors/infrequent attenders to this Church. This is something that we can all do and not leave it to the Minister or office bearers.
Since our linkage with Wrangholm, there have been more and more opportunities for fellowship between the two congregations and I'm sure that everyone attending on these occasions has noticed the level of fellowship building as people get to know each other and are becoming able to put names to faces. It made me think that circumstances outwith our control have presented us with this opportunity, circumstances that we initially regarded as a threat that has subsequently turned out to be a blessing 'if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another'.
Over the 'finger buffet' later, I was talking to the father of the baby that had been baptised thanking him for inviting me along when he told me that if it had been up to him, he wouldn't have bothered 'getting the wean done'. He reckoned that the expense (there were two sets of Godparents and he had hired outfits for both sets and also footed the food and drinks bill for all the guests) was a bit excessive. This was one of the parents that an hour previously had stood up in front of a congregation and taken a vow to bring up his child in the nurture and admonition of God's Church.
'He who does the will of God abides for ever' - Here's a man that will provide his child with the best clothes and toys that money can buy and yet is missing out on providing the best gift that a parent can provide. - How sad and shortsighted.
During recent meetings with Wrangholm, both congregations have expressed the wish to see more young folk joining in worship and desiring to walk in the light. Let us all ask God for this in our prayers and ask the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of parents like the one I have described to prepare themselves and their children for eternity.
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