God Moving At Maranatha

THIS SEVEN-YEAR-OLD THINKS OUR CHURCH IS COOL

 My children and grandchildren attended church with us recently. I experienced a delightful moment with my seven-year-old grandson, Adam, before the church service began. I think you will be encouraged to hear about it.

I was giving Adam and two of my other grandchildren a tour of the church building prior to the service. I promised the three that I would show them “cool places and cool people.”

Among the cool places we visited were the foyer with its imposing “tongues of fire” art piece descending from the ceiling and the production suite with its high-tech gadgetry. I opened the door to the catwalks high above the sanctuary to audible gasps, and when we visited the Intergenerational Hub, the children were excited to learn that they could play all the games they saw there after the service.

Along our way we met several people: the greeters who welcomed the children and took the time to learn their names, a grandmotherly figure who gave the kids high-fives, and a leader in the deaf church, who spoke to the kids in sign language.

When I was bringing the three children to see my office, my grandson said, “Grandpa, are you going to show us more cool ____?” Anticipating his question I mentally filled in the blank: “…places.” To my surprise he didn’t say “places.” He said, “people.” “Grandpa, are you gong to show us more cool people?” Despite all the impressive places I had shown him, it was the people who had touched him the most.

This experience showed me, once again, that the church is not a building but people. It is a powerful thing when we, as God’s people, reach out with God’s welcome to others. And when you think about it, isn’t that what Christmas is all about? God sent His Son at Christmas to welcome us into His heart, so we, in turn, could welcome others into ours.

Let’s give a warm welcome to people who visit the church. Let’s open our hearts in welcome to others we meet who may need to experience the warmth of our love.

- Pastor Tom