Why I spy…

Why I spy…

You may have noticed, on occasion I will not be in our worship service. These are Sundays that the pulpit is filled and I have the chance to do something I find adventurous and educational. From and adventure angle, it puts me in the position of a visitor-this is automatically way out of my comfort zone.

To go from SMC and knowing most everyone and most everything that’s going on in a worship service-to knowing nothing is all at once both scary and refreshing. Walking into a church is intimidating for a visitor. Unexplained rituals and unidentified people make a person feel disoriented. When I walk in to a church there is this strange tension-I don’t want to stick out, but I also don’t want to be ignored.

 A friendly hand shake, smile and words of welcome often ease that tension. The discomfort I feel is still nothing compared to the average visitor who is actually seeking out a church home. I want to try to remember this-and I hope you do too. The refreshing part is simply that I have no responsibility for anything-opposed to at SMC where I often feel at least a small responsibility for everything-a little control freakish, I know and I’m working on that :)

From the educational angle, I always try to ask the Lord to teach me something new-show me a fresh way He is working here to further His kingdom and possibly bring it back to SMC. My last spying mission yielded one such way. I went to LEAF (short for Longenecker Evangelical Anabaptist Fellowship-now you know why they shorten it up ;) who is in a brand-new building, just outside of Mt. Eaton. Matt Hamsher is the pastor there though he is transitioning to the position of Evana executive director in May. So needless to say, there is all sort of new that is happening there!

Here is what I believe the Lord taught me that I would like to pass on to you. As I walked in the building I felt welcomed but not really engaged. I’m not sure if it was me or them but there was a distance I felt as I entered the sanctuary (after a quick restroom break-which I would especially point out- restrooms were well marked-a huge plus for me!). We sang a few songs and then there was announcements and a call to worship more singing an offering more singing then a stand and greet your neighbor time. Now this whole time I still feel a certain distance so I’m really not looking forward to greeting the strangers all around me-here’s the happy surprise learning.

The person in front of me turns around, smiles shakes my hand and says “you know, you have a great singing voice” I said thanks and we shared some other brief pleasantries-but when I sat down I felt totally engaged. Something had changed. That one sincere compliment had opened the door of community for me. I now felt that I fit in. Sure, the seats were comfy and the sermon was good-but that compliment did something nothing else could. This is my challenge to you.

When you see some one new to SMC-it’s great that you welcome them with a smile and a hand shake (I’d almost call that required-as so many of you do this already :) but then if you could observe something you apricate or admire about them-and tell them-I really think it goes to the heart of that visitor-at least it did to me! So why not give it a try this Sunday? You can even practice on people you already know as most of us enjoy a sincere compliment every now and then.

A couple cautions along the way-the only thing that makes a compliment good is that it is sincere-if you can’t say something with sincerity-don’t say it. The other thing is NEVER GIVE A PUT DOWN. Like, “you sure look tired” or “your breath really stinks” -don’t say it! People come to worship most of the time in great need for some kind of encouragement and as the body of Christ we are called to build each other up (I Thess. 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing”)-so let’s do that! This takes observation, tact and courage-but I believe there is a profound blessing in store for the giver and receiver of the sincere compliment.