Christianity Lite

It seems that some of the most entertaining commercials are beer commercials! I didn't say I was happy about it, just that it seems that way. Most beer companies now have an ad selling their "lite" product. One of their selling points is that it is "less filling". They are saying that their lite product is just as satisfying but less filling. Well, I can't be the judge because I am not a beer drinker. However, evidently this commercial got into my head. Recently, while I was traveling I had one of those rare Sunday's when I wasn't preaching and I was on the road in my RV. Teresa and I didn't have a car with us and we were riding our mountain bikes everywhere. We were having a blast and decided to ride our bikes to a nearby church. I searched out the area churches with one of my favorite apps, "around me". I saw there was a non-denominational church with 800 yards according to my trusty iPhone. We found something to wear that was "bike worthy" and set out on this adventure. We pulled into the parking lot just as others were arriving in their cars. We dodged the traffic and found a place to chain up our bikes. We made our way in. You could tell folks were a little surprised to see these two strangers arrive on bikes but they took a deep breath and extended a warm welcome.

As we entered this small but comfortable church building, we were very much at ease. The service started right on time which impressed me. The service was exactly 63 minutes long including worship, special singing, announcements, sermon and communion. As the service ended, we were invited to have coffee and snacks in the lobby. Not to be elitist, we joined right in! Here comes the "lite" part. I kept thinking, "this is Christianity lite"! Everything is so condensed. Everyone from my "stream" of things knows that God can't show up in a 63 minute service! Or can He? As I am drinking my coffee, a racially mixed young woman made her way to speak to us. You could tell she was a little less fortunate than most of the congregants. She seemed a little worn and not as well groomed. Then she said, "this church has changed my life"! I was shocked! Changed your life? How could Christianity Lite change your life? Yet, I could see deep in her eyes this peace from what had been a great storm. She had found the Lord and the love of His Church here. Next, a crippled man in a wheel chair came to welcome us. I asked, "how long have you been a part of this church?" He said, "about 4-5 years". Then he said it too. "This church has changed my life and I don't know where I would be without this church".

As I left I kept pondering the service. It was very short by my standards. The music was good but not great. The teaching was adequate but not really dynamic. Two or three people were nervously lifting their hands about waist high. There even seemed to be this nerdy atmosphere which really bugs me. Yet...yet...Jesus was powerfully present! There was this genuine, simple and earnest seeking of the Lord that attracted Him to this seemingly unimpressive place. Bottom line? I plan to go back next time I am in the area.