Homebodies

COUSINS (Photo credit: Zellaby)

Homebodies... When most of us think about the Christmas season, "home" comes to mind.  The radio plays Bing Crosby's I'll Be Home for Christmas or one of its dozens of covers, family television channels play sappy movies where the main characters make it home just in time to celebrate with their families, and millions of people hit the road or take to the air to see loved ones.  Ideally, home is a place where we gather with friends and family, have the opportunity to mend or rekindle stretched relationships, and give thanks for the blessings God has given us.  While I love this home, many of us also have a "home" in the local congregation that we are a part of.

As a seminary student, I have interned with a local congregation in Holland over the past 15 months.  That's a shock to my life, because it's the longest time I've spent in any single place since high school (I was a bit of nomad moving between Indiana, Iowa, and Kentucky during my college years).  The congregation of 14th Street Christian Reformed Church has become home for me; it's where I worship on a weekly basis, work, and have built relationships that shape who I am.  Every now and then I leave this home, as I did yesterday for a baptism at another Christian Reformed church in town.  I was reminded of how deep my roots have set.  The layout of the building was different, the style of music and how it was led hit me, the order of service just was not flowing in my head.  There weren't theological issues with this church and the people were very friendly, but it wasn't working for me...I was home-sick.

There's 2 lessons I'd like to share from this experience.  

First, for church leaders, hospitality is something that we're called to be good at.  The environment of your church's programming, fellowship, and services should be welcoming.  There are times when the focus of a service or celebration may require elevating your setting and those involved, but for the most  part it should be a place of openness.  I'm not saying there's a single way to lead and do church, but how do people see what's going on when they enter your space?  That's a big issue!  It involves believers and non-believers, people visiting for an event, people looking to switch churches or find a new home because of a move, and people wondering what church is all about.  If our priority is merely to serve the people on our membership rolls, then we're probably doing something wrong and should take a second look.  Being hospitable doesn't mean we have to change everything, but involves being clear about why we do what we do.  

The second lesson, for all of us who call ourselves Christians, I invite you to spend some time thinking about your relationship with your home church or if you don't have one to consider why that is.  What's the proportion of your give and take?  Is there something that holds you back from committing to the life of the church?  If those people you worship with were not in your life, would things be different?  If you don't like your current situation, what is causing that and have you done anything to address it rather than finding a way to cover it up?  These are all questions that I think come up at some point in the American Christian church-goer's life.  As I'm being reminded of in my Gospel, Church, and Culture class, church is largely just considered a place where we receive a product; if one location begins to not meet our "demand," then we respond by finding a new "supplier."  The individual congregations we gather in shouldn't parallel the marketplace; individual congregations should have some constant variables rather than just being recognized for their different products.   

Home should be a place where we want to be.  Even with the crazy uncles and aunts (or ridiculous Sunday School teachers), the grandparents who tell stories of old (or the crotchety old guy who does not like any modifications to the sanctuary), and the loud children (they're the same everywhere), the family home gives us another image for our local congregations.  It may not be our favorite place to be or even where we have the most fun, but our churches shape who we are and should share in our joys and sufferings.

How have you experienced the church as home?  What are some experiences you've had in going away and coming back to a specific place?