Getting what you pay for

I pay good money for my entertainment every week…about 10% - anonymous

Entertainment is a great thing isn’t it. It is so good to just sit back and relax and watch someone else do what they love. It could be acting, playing football, or speeding through France on a bike. Whatever it is, we Americans love our entertainment. When I was a kid I remember going to watch the Cincinnati Reds with my Dad (this was in the ancient times when they were actually good). I remember watching them and wanting to be like them. I would pretend that I was Chris Sabo and my little league baseball field would somehow be transformed into Riverfront Stadium (now Cenergy Field). Even though I was awful at baseball I would be inspired by a good game.

I did this through out my life with just about every kind of entertainment. I was inspired by good books about knights, movies about bravery and the determination of a football team to get one more yard. When I saw or heard something great I would imitate it to the best of my ability. When King Arthur said, “Be honorable,” I took it to heart. As I grew older though, I began to be less inspired by the entertainment industry and more, well, entertained. It became more of a spectacle to watch and marvel at. A director’s skill would not inspire me to make movies; I would just sit and say it was neat. I put away the swords and songs and picked up “real life” and “respectable dreams.”

I wonder if this entertainment attitude has infected the church. We often come to be entertained but not transformed. We pay good money for good music and a good speech and walk away feeling pretty good about ourselves. We end up coming but never changing. We will criticize the “poor special effects” and miss Christ.

What would happen if we took a different approach? What if we started looking at the professional ministers and were inspired to do ministry? You don’t have to be paid to play baseball well; why would following Christ be any different? What if we held off our American need to be constantly entertained and actually did something inspiring? Let’s stop going to church like we go to the movies. Movies can speak but only God can transform. Will you be open to transformation or will you just pay 10% for a good show?

Am I right about the “entertainment me” attitude of the average churchgoer? Is the answer just to make church more entertaining and flashy? It is a big temptation but is it right? Where did we loose the transformational message of Christ?

Talk amongst yourselves - J

Ok so these questions have been pondered before but I have had writers block and needed to get something out. Hope it is still helpful