I was standing in what some call the “sanctuary” a short while before a conventional worship service. Suddenly, the two large multi-media screens at the front of the room displayed a countdown, beginning with five minutes. The graphics were quite modern. High tech accompanying music came through the sound system.
“What’s that all about?” I asked someone who looked like they would know. “It tells us how long before church starts,” was the reply.
Looking around, I paid closer attention to what was going on. People were chatting about who knows what. Some of the conversations were no doubt small talk, while others might have been more in-depth. Soon, such attempts at forming relationships would be replaced by mere form with little substance. (At least that’s my opinion, and of course I could be wrong.)
If the Christian life is about people loving God and one another, then – to my thinking – the clock showed how much time was left before church stopped, rather than started. I walked away kind of sad.