Company Is Coming

You probably know the excitement when you know company is coming to your home to visit. The house is polished. The ouse gets an extra scrubbing. Things that have long been neglected get addressed. Ceiling fans are dusted. Furniture is polished. Based boards are wiped down. Showers are scrubbed. The lawn is manicured. An elaborate meal is prepared. You wait in anticipation for your guests to arrive. Then the door bell rings or you hear a knock at the door. You welcome your guests into your home excitedly because you have expected them all day.

Now take that same mentality but flip it to our worship gatherings. Do people carry that same mentality into weekly worship? Now I could travel to hundreds, possibly thousands of churches, and ask the question, "Do you want your church to grow? Do you want to reach lost people with the gospel of Jesus?" Over and over again I am confident congregations would overwhelming affirm that is what they want to do.

Look a little closer. Examine beyond the words such churches speak and look at what they do. Many never expect company to come. They do not prepare for them. They do not expect them. If guests actually show up I fear some may even resent their intrusion. Things are done haphazardly. Things that go unnoticed to the home folk get noticed by the newcomers.

Houses of worship fall into disrepair. The home folks grow accustomed to these things. A broken item here. A stain there. An untidy corner or room. The home folk learn to ignore the little problems that accumulate over time. Guests come not knowing what to expect. When they see things in disrepair it makes an impression. When company comes first impressions are made. I am sad to report they are not always positive impressions.

We say we want to evangelize the lost and unchurched. Yet members can be cliquish and unwelcoming of newcomers. These members look at the newcomers as outsiders. They are content to maintain the status quo. They fail to realize their beloved congregations are dying. It is said that when someone visits a church for the first time they often determine within the first few minutes whether they will return.

When you expect company is coming you prepare. You clean. You dress nicer than when you are just lounging around your home. You expect them to come. You are ready to welcome and receive them when they arrive. You go out of your way to make them feel comfortable. You serve them. You do your best.

Why should it be any different when it comes to worship gatherings. We should anticipate company will come. We should invite them to come and want them to come. We should be ready when they do. We should work hard to make a god first impression. We should welcome them with open hearts and open arms. We should include them. We should want them to return. Let's all be ready because company is coming.