I think everyone on God’s green earth knows the Burger King slogan. “Have it your way,” right? How many people feel the same way when they walk into church? Be honest with yourself when you answer that question.
Last summer when I was searching for a new church home I think I had that misconception stuck in my head. I walk into Burger King knowing what I want–a Whopper with cheese, no lettuce, tomato or onions. When I walked into those churches I knew what I wanted–to be greeted, depth and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Not bad considering what I was looking for. Who doesn’t want to be greeted in church? Who doesn’t want depth? And doesn’t want to be overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit? The only problem is that they are expectations.
So my wife and I were discussing church last night and expectations were a huge part of it. After our conversation I sat in prayer for a while and started reading a book called Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I am one of those people who believe God speaks to us on a daily basis but you need to use some discernment with it, not everything is a sign.
The book is about the classic exploration of Christian community and after reading for a few minutes I came across this line: “The man who fashions a visionary ideal of community demands that it be realized by God, by others, and himself. He enters the community of Christians with his demands, sets up his own law, and judges the brethren and God Himself accordingly.” This spoke to me on so many levels.
But as that was all marinating last night, I woke up this morning thinking how many of us still walk into church every Sunday with this attitude? Burger King is setup for you and your way while church is about worship. You just need to answer for yourself what you think worship is.
Be First to Comment