Little Church

Today has been an intriguing sort of day.  Historically, we have a snow in Roanoke about once every 3-4 years that is large enough to have a significant impact on church.  There is only one chance in seven that when it does happen, that it will happen on Saturday, the day before Sunday services.  This has already happened once this winter, and caused us to have to cancel services [which we almost never do].  What are the chances it would happen again?  Turns out, the chances are pretty good at this point.

So as I vacillated today between the scheduled message for this week's "Family Sunday," and preparing what I had intended to speak on next week; I also thought about "little church."  Quite a few members of the New Hope family have not yet experienced little church.  As a congregation who typically has three services, church seldom seems "little."  But since we have services in all kinds of weather, we've had some Sundays in the past when we gathered in the fellowship hall for a small, informal service.  In fact, my daughter Jordan was baptized on one such Sunday.

As I was explaining this phenomenon to our youth minister Jason, I realized how much I enjoy "little church."  There is a warmth and an intimacy there that feels quite different from the typical church experience.  I don't think this is only true at New Hope either.  It just feels much warmer, more relaxed.  We all fought the elements to get there, so there is an unspoken agreement among those there that we really want to be there.  As I was explaining all this to Jason, I couldn't help but wonder aloud whether that doesn't say something about the way we typically do church.

Shouldn't the worshiping body experience at least that measure of community when they gather in The Name?  And yet so often we shuffle in and out, too busy to really stop and engage anyone else, and too preoccupied to really notice anyone else's problems.  I'm pretty confident that's not how Jesus would want it to be.