More love in the coffee shop than in the church

by Stephan Joubert

While I’m currently on a two month teaching stint in the Netherlands, we explored the German city Solingen last Saturday. We visited a local coffee shop early that morning. The lady behind the counter talked and quipped loudly with us. And she even threw in a few frivolous jokes that made us blush. Later that day we visited a beautiful local church. As we walked around the liturgical space the caretaker suddenly approached us and told us to leave immediately. He put it in no uncertain terms that ordinary people aren’t allowed there. My friend Jan van der Watt tried in vain to explain to him that it didn’t reflect the spirit of Christ to chase people away like the liturgical space was holy. Alas, he could just as well have spoken to a brick wall. This clergyman was unrelenting.

While the church choir practicing there in the church building sang all too eagerly about God’s love, we were wondering among ourselves where we felt more at home that Saturday — with the noisy, unchurched lady in the coffee shop, or in the local German church where everything is as pious as can be? We realised afresh how careful we all need to be to act welcoming toward others in Christ’s name. We need to be known for our hospitality and openness, not for our excessive devotion to buildings, institutions and dead traditions.

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