like it used to be

“Remember back when you didn’t have to lock churches? The town was safe; people didn’t lock their houses at night. I tell you, the world is getting worse!”

Who hasn’t had one of those conversations? I catch them about once a week. Sure, there are things I miss about “yesteryear” or “back in the day,” but, let’s face it, we can’t go back.

I’m sure one of the reasons churches did not use to worry about locking their doors during the week was that they didn’t have thousands of dollars worth of audio and video equipment in them.

Here is the angle I hadn’t thought of on this topic. Since Churches used to remain unlocked and available, people could, at any time of day or night, let themselves in and pray. Churches are no longer available in this way. Is this contributing to the further downfall of morality and decency?

Should church buildings, especially the sanctuaries, be available for prayer and meditation for the passer-by, or for anyone who wants to find God’s presence?

My first reaction to this is to say that God is no more available in a church building than anywhere else. If the church has been presenting itself as the source and location of God’s presence, we need to adjust that.

A church building is not the location of the presence of God. God will (and wants to) meets you wherever you are.

On the other hand: Christians, we should take seriously that people around us somehow identify the place where we meet with the presence of God. Are we ready and willing to consciously carry the presence of God with us for others?