A Matinee

A Matinee

“And this is the testimony: God has given
 us eternal life and this life is in His Son.”
                                 I John 5:11

The word matinee, which is a drama or musical performance held in the daytime, usually the afternoon, has its roots in the word matins, a morning prayer service held in the Anglican church. It’s something I came across as I leafed through a dictionary waiting for our morning devotion to start at school. But what really caught my attention, that morning, and what I believe God really wanted to speak to me about, was the word “performance”. It was as if the Holy Spirit was shouting to me, “Christianity is not a performance; what you do at church is never to be a performance and your service to me, whatever and wherever that is, is never to be a performance.”

Think of it: people gathering on a Sunday morning or a weekday evening with all too real needs in their lives. Some are desperate to hear the voice of God, others need a touch of God’s power or an answer to prayer, while still more are hoping beyond hope for change in their lives. Men and women trying to overcome hurts and pains and sorrow seated next to sincere believers needing to find the grace to forgive someone who has wounded them deeply. Across the aisle, a woman is waiting to receive a report from her doctor on recent tests, and a man is secretly battling an addiction that he has repented of time and time again.

All that helps to explain why God gets so upset when our service to Him and our worship of Him is nothing more than a matinee performance for others to see. When a brother or sister desperately needs more of God, it’s not a performance. People’s eternity is at stake. When marriages need healing and restoration, when children need to experience God’s love in their lives, and when decisions are being made that will affect a family’s future for generations, our gatherings unto the Lord are anything but a performance. In fact they are quite the opposite; they are real life opportunities to reach out to God corporately to see His power and glory break through where it is needed the most. We are called to press in to His life changing presence every time we meet.

Let’s make sure that a performance mentality has no place in our lives. We shouldn’t even have to know specifics; we are surrounded by hurting humanity who have suffered too long. From this day on, we say no more performances. From this day on, we will fight the good fight of faith in every way and at every time because it matters so much.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church