Read: Revelation 4:1-11
Church buildings often tell stories of the life a community both now and in the past. For a visitor, a few moments spent in a church may make immediate connections with the life of a place, more than a museum ever will. The first question on approaching a place of worship may be, ‘I wonder if it is open?’
The reading from Revelation today is full of poetic language that inspires awe at the worshipping company surrounding God. It is easy to get straight into the majestic language and awesome imagery and miss the starting line. The first verse contains a statement; the door was standing open. Then the invitation of ‘the voice’ follows; ‘come and look.’
Many of us like time to look and acclimatise before we go in somewhere, especially a busy somewhere.
In our churches we may talk a lot about being welcoming. We may read about the way visitors are greeted by such and such a congregation and yet I cannot help but think that there are those who want to look through an open door and see for themselves without having instantly to share their life history and join a rota.
Fred Kaan’s hymn, ‘The Church is like a table’ (Rejoice and Sing 480) says, in the first line of the second verse: ‘The church is like a table set in an open house…’
A busy church does not need to imply activities and rotas and a locked building when ‘nothing is going on.’ What if busy means a place where a stranger or newcomer can peep in through the door and see God at work?
If you are not a regular churchgoer, do you find it easy to peep in or do you wish you could just peep?
A Prayer
Lord, sometimes I want to look and see, to have time to think. I want to be reassured by your glory and to know you are worshipped but I am not feeling up to being noisy and busy myself. Is that all right? Help me feel that I am part of your people’s life when I look and think; for the sake of Jesus who sometimes had to be alone to pray. Amen.