Thought for the Month - October 2019
"Helter skelter" by Barry Adair
(Seeing It Differently)
Norwich Cathedral (in Norwich, England) has recently installed a 55-foot-high helter skelter fairground ride inside the nave of their cathedral! Not only that, but for a £2 fee you were able to go for a ride on it too. It seems this was part of the cathedral's "Seeing It Differently" project. Well, I saw it differently too and I wanted to add my brief thoughts here as our church Thought for the month.
If you are from Northern Ireland and are under the age of 60, then you probably will have been down the helter skelter at Barry's in Portrush. And if you are not from Northern Ireland and have no clue where Portrush is, just think of the 2019 Open golf tournament. Barry's helter skelter arrived in 1973 and from a recent trip to Portrush I can see that it is still making money for Barry's.
So why install a full-size helter skelter into a church or cathedral? Or perhaps, why not install a helter skelter into a church or cathedral? It got me thinking on what church is all about and what should take place in church.
I have written before about the sign which greets those who would preach to the congregation in 'the Grove' each Sunday. It simply says "Sir, we would see Jesus". In fact, I heard Pastor McBurney mention the sign just recently as he was starting his morning sermon. I should add here that I have been unable to attend 'the Grove' due to family commitments but as I add our sermons on-line, I'm able to catch up there.
What I've been thinking is that church should always be about Jesus. The true church is His and we are there to learn more about Him, sing His praises and have fellowship with others of like faith. And, of course, when we take communion, we remember Jesus' sacrificial death for us at Calvary.
So back to that helter skelter. Would such a big and bold fairground slide in the middle of a church add or detract from our ability to see and understand Jesus more? According to Norwich Cathedral, "the striped fairground structure offers visitors to the religious site the chance to get closer to parts of the building's medieval features." Rev Canon Andy Bryant said the "playful" ride, part of the cathedral's 'Seeing It Differently' project, aims to get visitors closer than ever to the famous collection (of medieval features).
Unfortunately, there is no mention whatsoever of trying to get closer to Jesus! And, of course, this is the crux of the matter. Church is not some circus. Church is not about being entertained. Church is not a '£2 a go' fairground ride. Church is there to focus our minds on Jesus. Church is there to hear the words of God. Church is there to allow us to praise Jesus. Church is there to help us remember what Jesus did for us. Church is there to help us live our lives according to His Word and for His glory.
Now, I don't want to come across as a kill-joy as, unfortunately, there is still some of this evident within some evangelical circles. And if someone in Norwich Cathedral preached the gospel from the top of that helter skelter, I may not have liked the gimmick, but I now wouldn't be writing about them here. The main emphasis in church should be on God, and on Him alone. And we also need to be careful to treat our worship of Him with dignity, truth and order.
"…all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner." (1 Corinthians 14:40)
In a nutshell, it is simply not appropriate to install a huge helter skelter in a church, or indeed, as Rochester Cathedral did, to convert part of the church into a crazy golf course! And church is not the place for dog shows, or for rock concerts, or for comedy nights either. I also think that it is not a coincidence, in this respect, that the true meaning of the words 'helter skelter' is "in disorderly haste or confusion, recklessly, carelessly, heedlessly or wildly"!
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires (2 Timothy 4:3, NKJV)
In church today, we may need to change the method of presenting the gospel of the Lord Jesus, as long as we are still presenting the gospel of the Lord Jesus. And Christian churches lose sight of their responsibility to Christ when they become so preoccupied with the demands of society. Our cathedrals may have gone down the 'everything but Jesus' route but we need to make sure our evangelical churches do not. For us, 'Seeing It Differently' should be about us seeing the world differently because we are set apart from the world. We are 'in' the world but we are not 'of' the world. Our place in the world should be as children of God.
Our world needs Jesus - not gimmicks, circuses or entertainment.
Want to get closer to Jesus? You won't get there from the top of a 55-foot helter skelter. Draw near to Jesus and He will draw near to you (James 4:8).
But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith (1 Timothy 4:1)
Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. (Jude 1:3)
O for a closer walk with God,
A calm and heavenly frame,
A light to shine upon the road
That leads me to the Lamb.
The dearest idol I have known,
Whate'er that idol be,
Help me tear if from Thy throne,
And worship only Thee.
(William Cowper)
(All Bible quotations are from the NASB, unless stated)
Until next month (DV)…
Are you SURE that you have your place booked in Heaven? Read this if you're not!