You and your small walking party have done well in getting this far, but right now you all need a rest, out of the howling cold wind and rain, where you can be refreshed in a warm, dry place. There should be a wee fire going if the last users had lit one, so the small croft like building could even be warm. The spot in the distance keeps getting bigger until you are within good visible distance. What a welcome awaits.
But wait. There is no smoke from the small chimney, and that can only mean one thing. The previous owners were long gone and there would be no embers in the hearth. Closer still and the door has been left ajar. That can only mean the room will be wet and cold and feeling damp. That’s not a welcome bothy at all. You would think that other walkers and hikers would think more about others than themselves. It’s enough to make you irritable as you shake the wet off your jacket, and your fist at the world.
Church is our bothy. A welcome place of shelter where we can relax in our Father’s presence and worship Him. But what about those times when the Spirit seems to have disappeared out of the ‘open door’? The warmth and heat has gone, and it appears there is no one of like mind inside? What then?
I suggest we have a choice. Either we take a deep breath, pull our zipper up to the chin and walk on by, hoping we will find another better bothy that’s just the way we want it, OR we go inside, set the fire in the hearth, close the door to build up the heat, and take some of those wet clothes off to dry. A cup of soup from the thermos is enough to warm the cockles of your heart and give you a song in your heart. Do you see where I am going with this? When our church feels cold and unwelcoming, do we look for another warmer, better church OR do we make the effort to stir the Spirit by our presence? But why would we do that? Maybe because somebody, unknown to you, had stirred the fire just for you, so that you could find your way. Would it not be a good thing for us to do the same for another, possibly unknown, traveller who needs a warm welcome? Quite a thought!
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 2 Corinthians 1:3,4
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