Why bother with church?
That’s our question for this morning.
I meet people from time to time who tell me that they are keen Christian people, they just don’t go to church much.
Nationally, church attendance is declining.
Anyone who’s ever applied for a job knows all about making a CV. Curriculum Vitae. The story of my life. You set out your credentials. Why should this employer like you? Birth. Education. Work history. Other interests. Sell yourself.
What would you put on your spiritual CV? If you had two sides of A4 to list your spiritual credentials, what goes on? Imagine they’re handing out the accommodation and the jobs in glory – as you’re waiting in the queue, what would go on your papers?
“The real benefit comes as you stick with it.”
That’s true in so many walks of life. It’s true in marathon running – at least, so I’m told. Keep going, and you get the satisfaction of finishing the race. If you get a stitch, run it out. It’s true in any friendship, and it’s true in a marriage – as you stick with it over many years, the friendship becomes a greater and greater blessing. It’s true for being a vicar – the longer you’ve been around, the more you’ve got to know people, the more use you can be.
And it’s true of being a Christian.
This morning’s sermon is about prayer.
And the chances are that makes your heart sink.
If you’re anything like me, you already know that Christians are supposed to pray. You don’t need a Bible passage that commands us to pray. You don’t need a sermon that tells you to pray. You know that. We know that prayer is important. And yet there’s this gulf between what we know and what we do, so Bible passages and sermons on prayer just make us feel guilty.
There is no greater privilege in the world than being a Christian.
That is no over-statement.
Many people think that you are best off if you manage to own you own home, or if you have a good job, or if you have a good family. The reality is that none of those things comes a patch on being a follower of Jesus Christ.
Last week, a friend of mine who lives in central London posted some advice on his Twitter account: If you see someone in London looking confused at a map, offer to help them. It is, he suggested, not rocket science, but basic etiquette with being a host city for the Olympics.
Not rocket science. It seems so obvious. And yet it needs to be said, because it’s not a very London way to live. London is very much a city in which it’s each man and woman for himself. Sadly, such basic etiquette does need to be said.
What is the most precious thing that you would give up for someone?
In some ways, that’s a measure of love, isn’t it? The more you love someone, the more you would sacrifice for them.
That’s one of the problems with our society today. We are reluctant to give things up. Our attitude is that if I’m entitled to it, then I’m entitled to it. And yet love doesn’t try and claim my rights, but freely gives up my rights.
When I was at school, the question was about your last Rolo. The one at the end of the packet. You’d only give that to a very good friend.
Picture the scene. You’ve taken the bus into Sevenoaks, and you’re waiting at the bus station for a bus to bring you back to Kemsing. The timetable says that the last bus of the day is due to leave in two minutes. There’s no sign. So you wait until the appointed time. And there’s still no sign. At which point, you start to wonder whether the bus timetable was a cruel joke. Perhaps the bus will never come.
I’m sure you’ve often heard it said that the it’s not worth being a Christian. After all, the church is full of hypocrites.
And, of course, the second half of that is certainly true. The church is full of hypocrites. And what a good thing that is – otherwise there wouldn’t be space for someone like me.
This morning we continue reading the story of Abraham.
Those of you who were here last week will remember that I said God is holding out to us the most amazing offer. He offers not just to be a God, but to be our God.
I also said that this amazing offer comes to us only through Jesus.
What I didn’t do was elaborate on what that means. Why is it so special to have God as our God? What difference does it make? What does it look like? What blessings come from it?
Basically: Why would anyone want to be a Christian? And what’s so good about being one if you are?
