The Church Of The Holy Rood -- Wool, Dorset, U.K.
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The Church Of The Holy Rood -- Wool, Dorset, U.K.
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From The Revd Rhona Floate, The Vicarage, Wool, 01929 462215 FLAT-PACKS AND FREE GIFTS In February a new IKEA store opened in Southampton. The queue circled the car park long before the store opened and 3,000 people streamed through the doors in the first hour. No doubt many were attracted by the chance to receive a free gift:
One young lad, 17 year old Ben Moore from Fareham, braved the very cold weather on the night before the opening, camping out with just a sleeping bag and lots of coffee. His reward was a £1,000 voucher to spend in the store. The next 100 people through the doors received a free chair. The Church doesn’t expect a similar stampede when the doors are opened this Easter! And yet what is on offer is much more valuable than a chair, flat-pack furniture, or even a £1,000 voucher. Why is it that IKEA is opening new stores whereas Churches are closing at the rate of one each week? Perhaps, to some extent, the answer lies in the flat-pack design: flat-packs have to be taken home, assembled and used. As a Church we have so often failed to communicate that even if you come to Church, the most important thing is what you take home. And in taking it home, you need to make it your own. With a flat-pack all you need are instructions and a cross-headed screwdriver. With the Christian life there are also instructions in the Bible, but like so many of us with a flat–pack we are often tempted to skip the instructions. We need to read it carefully and ensure we really understand it. And instead of a cross-headed screwdriver, we have the cross. The cross is the starting point for a new way of life. Jesus died on the cross for all of us – however we live or whatever we believe – that we might be able “to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that we may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” This is a free gift for everyone not just the people at the head of the queue! Happy Easter to you all.
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