Getting out of the house and enjoying some of the wonderful Marlow surroundings seems to be a favorite activity for our family. We might get in the car, stop at a local business for ice cream or cold drinks, and then point the car in any number of directions. Sometimes we drive around Lake Humphrey looking at the deer and wildlife, other times it might be a nice drive to a private farm to see zebras, camels, and elk.
On one such outing we decided to drive down to Duncan and let the kids enjoy the rides at the Kiddieland Park. Since I had yet to experience it, it was as much a thrill for me as it was for them. Soon we were riding the train around the park, enjoying the merry-go-round, having a snow cone, flying in the planes, and contemplating riding the tilt-a-whirl.
I figured that John David would not want to ride it himself so I bravely volunteered to ride it with him (since Ginny has a not so fond memory of the tilt-a-whirl from when we were dating). As the ride started I nervously watched John David to see if he was having fun or not. I soon realized he was watching me with the same curiosity. When I smiled he smiled, when I laughed he laughed. His reaction mirrored mine for most of the ride. As we walked down the ramp I asked him if he enjoyed it and a great big grin covered his face.
We strolled around the park a little longer and right before we left I asked if he wanted to ride the tilt-a-whirl again. He could not get the tickets out of his pocket fast enough. This time we had to ride it with another person, a young boy about ten or twelve years old. The three of us chatted a few minutes until the ride got all our attention.
At the conclusion of the ride, the young boy looked at me and asked, “Do you go to church?” You could imagine my smile on my face as I said, “yes I do.” He then asked, “Would you like to come to my church? I just want as many people as possible to love Jesus as much as I do.” There was something about his sincerity and genuineness that made me almost say, “I would love to go to your church.”
There is something about a genuine invitation to that makes people want to respond. If he would have tried to explain what made his church great, then I suspect I would not have been as drawn to the invitation. Instead he told me why he loves going to church so much, because of Jesus Christ.
We could all use a reminder about what makes going to church so important. For me, God used that young boy to remind me that church is not about what but about who. Church is not as much about getting everything right and having our lives all together before we attend; church is about coming into the presence of the One who heals and restores life in each of us, no matter what our current condition. Church should be so much about regular encounters with the Resurrected Savior that we don’t want to be anywhere else but there.
Hopefully we all will grow to become so excited about Jesus, like that boy, that we, too, can invite perfect strangers to come and experience what we’ve experienced. Imagine what could happen with a church filled with people who wanted to say, “I just want as many people as possible to love Jesus as much as I do.”
I look forward to seeing you at the Jesus meeting place on Sunday.
