To see or be seen?

This blog is turning in to one long ecclesial rant, for which I apologise but at the moment it's where my heart seems to be.

Going to church for me is a time to come together with God, spend time in his presence, worship Him and ask forgiveness for the things I've done wrong. Whatever church you attend, I'm increasingly aware of folk who attend because they want to be seen. I was acutely aware of this at a Midnight Mass service we went to last year away from Winchcombe. The great and the good turning up so that Mrs Smith who lives down the road will see them there.

Church is surely a vehicle to come before the Lord in our brokeness and human imperfection. Not somewhere to try and be the bigshot. I remember Mike Yaconelli talking about churches h'd attended as a visitor where regular's looked at him as if to say "What are you doing here?"

Like the parable about the rich guy who invited all the wealthy and important people to his party, and when they didn't come, invited all the outcasts and the nobodies. That parable is about the church. So before we ask anyone what business they have being in church, as yourself, "what are you doing there?"