Church Signs and Convenience

When traveling around, I find myself drawn to the signs outside of churches. Many congregations post upcoming events, service times, or other important announcements on their signs.

Some post sayings to catch your attention.

One that really caught my eye was “Jesus got ‘er done.”

Some months ago, I saw an outdoor banner advertising one congregation’s new worship service. The meeting day and time were listed, as well as a few words describing the type of service one could expect when attending. The descriptor that has stuck with me?

Convenient.

To be fair, maybe they just wanted to convey that the meeting time and location were convenient. I hope so. Still, the word “convenient” gives me pause when used by a church.

If something is convenient, it’s comfortable, easy, and doesn’t require much effort.

Is following Jesus meant to be convenient? From my reading of Scripture, it doesn’t seem that it was convenient for Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, the disciples…(insert other biblical characters here)…to trust, obey, and follow God. Jesus’ messages of loving enemies, being persecuted, and carrying your cross are far from a convenient lifestyle.

Church signs can offer a glimpse of what people may find inside. For those who may venture to join us on the journey, are we inviting them to convenience or to commitment?