For a while, I've been ruminating over a sermon idea. It'd be an illustration or maybe an entire message. I'd call it "The Lost Art of Visiting."
I've asked the seasoned saints about it, and they remember. They remember pastors and church leaders and friends showing up at their doors. Not for a meeting, not for an obligation, but just to be there with them. Just to check in. A way of proving, You are seen. You are known. You are loved.
After so many of these conversations, I keep asking, "When did visiting stop? And why did we let it stop?"
Now, some folks, mostly a lot of our older friends, don't mind visits. But many pastors will tell you far more people aren't that keen on having someone drop in. Life is busy. The house isn't clean. The time isn't convenient. We might even wonder why we even have a doorbell. And, truthfully, finally being home after a long day of work is something people want to enjoy, not have to prepare for.
I can appreciate all that, truly. But I also have to ask: How much of our fellowship have we sacrificed on the altar of convenience? Can sixty minutes of weekly worship sustain deep connection? As the church--God's people & God's family--we need time to see one another, to listen to each other and bear witness to the gospel's power in our lives. That's a significant part of being church to just give up on.
I've said before if there's one thing I could take from the first church and make true about the modern church, it would be their prayer life. A second thing might be their connection. Not that we have to live in compounds together or even have to see each other every day. Instead, let's reclaim the practice and power of presence. The art of showing up. Let's find ways to visit again.
Stay blessed...john |
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