Its midnight, and i cant sleep because something has been on my mind all day, so im hoping that writting it down will allow me some much needed sleep.
The thing is this - what would happen if we got rid of seats in church?
Not one of lifes questions maybe, so why is it bugging me so much? Theres something about seats that restricts me, it makes things formal, when you sing you hide behind your chair and you dont really move because the rows of seating restrict you, nobody sits on the front row of seats because there is nothing between you and the preacher, theres not that safety barrier. Which made me think of how it would have been, when Jesus was alive and teaching, when he fed all those people with fish and bread and taught them stuff i take it it wasnt in some big hall or church or massive arena designed for the occassion, im thinking it was out in the open? So the people were probably sitting on the ground? At the feet of Jesus? ... So less restrictions, just the crowd around you to get in your way? Which lead me on to this,
why do we try to sell religion/our church to people at the freshers fair? surely this is a terrible way to go about things?
I wonder if this is the reason everyone avoids the christian section of the freshers fair tents - they all seem like religious nuts who are trying to sell you something. Which doesnt quite fit with my thinking. Heres how freshers fairs work - freshers (first years students - newbies) come looking to join something - they are lonely, they want to make friends - joining a club or society will lead them to people with similar interests, second / third year students go for the free stuff, they're most likely not lonely at all but they are extremely poor - hence wanting the free stuff, these people risk the dangerous tables with a quick in and out approach - nick a pen, duck and walk away, if someone collars you into talking to them they most likely give a false name and get away sharpish. Getting second or third years to be interested is less likely. However freshers are what reaching out to people is all about, they WANT new friends, but they dont want to feel like they are being forced to do something, or that you have an agenda, when the people selling them religion talk to them (as is my experience of 4 years of freshers fairs) they are old people who start condemning them/asking them if they are christians/ what they believe/why/take this Bible - take it!!! read and repent!, which is all quite overwhelming, Why dont we let Jesus shine through us, why dont we give up the agenda, if the person finds Christ - wonderful - if they start coming to my church - great, but im just as pleased if they start going to another church - its not mine vs yours, its not about that. Why dont we have a stall at the freshers fair with people there but dont feel the need to have free stuff (its not a selling point anyway - no one remembers who gave them free sweets and who didnt), Salvation is the greatest freebie anyone could recieve, why dont we have people manning the stall but have young people, people who go to the uni, who know what being a fresher is all about out in the mix of people, why dont they just start talking to people, without an agenda, just in the hope that they make a friend, im not saying they should hide that they are a christian - far from it, it should shine through you, but dont go in the hope of converting them, thats Gods work, go in the hope of helping a lonely person have a geniuhe friend, chat with them for a while, invite them out somewhere with a group of you, maybe God will reveal stuff to them through you, but barging into a situation demanding someones views on God, existence and the universe makes people put up barriers against it, starting to go to church is a lot easier to do if you have a friend who goes already taking you along, going by yourself (even if youve been to church before) is incredibly hard, everybody already knows each other, where do you fit in there? Why dont people go out and say "hey, is there anything i can pray with you about?" maybe because everyone would think you're a wierdo and mumble "no thanks" but who knows, have you given it a try?
Okay - bed!
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