I had an interesting experience the other day.  My son’s ipod was not working, and instead of sending it off for repairs, I found out that there was an Apple store nearby where we are spending our vacation, so I set up an appointment to take it in and have them look at it.
    I’m not sure how many of you have been in an Apple store, but the whole family was amazed.  I try to keep up with the latest trends, and I think I have tabs on what’s hot.  Maybe it’s because I’m a tried and true PC user that I’d not seen it coming, but I’d never seen anything like this.
    When we walked into the store, it felt like we were literally walking into the future.  The store was simple, yet stark.  Whites and shining chrome all around, then around each wall and lined neatly in rows throughout the store were tables.  Along the walls at the front of the store were Apple products on display and inviting anyone and everyone to play with them – to engage the customer to fulfill something special with them.  There were iphones, ipods, ipads, and macbooks, all open and ready for use.
    On the tables toward the front of the store were more toys to play with, then toward the back of there store, there were employees sitting down and holding session.  Like rabbi’s teaching disciples, they were surrounded by potential buyers, showing them all the features of the newest macbooks and answering questions.
    Then toward the back was the service area, where repairs and inquiries were made.  Two large monitors mounted on the walls, flashed tips for how to improve one’s Apple experience if one owned an ipod or ipad, intermittently throwing in a numbered list of the next customers to be helped.
    But what amazed us most was the amount of people in the store.  It was literally packed, and for the hour that we were there it stayed that way.  Throngs of people were there, all absorbing the energy of the place and taking some time to play and explore.  Folks were playing on ipads, learning from an Apple guru, or roaming the store simply dreaming of owning a fun new gadget.  It was truly an amazing experience.
    As I left the store and for the rest of the day I kept coming back to the question, “Why can’t the church be like that?”  Yes, I know, the church shouldn't always follow pop culture and shouldn’t jump on every band wagon, but rarely to do experience the church as a place where another world opens up.  Rarely are churches places where the people and/or the experience invite the stranger to experience something which will help them to engage in life and fulfill their purpose. This is sad, because that should be central to who we are and what we are about.

    What is it that keeps the church from being a place where invitation to truly live exudes from it’s pores?

    In three of the four Gospels, Jesus is recounted as sharing words which I believe speak to this

question.  He says, “You can’t put new wine in old wineskins, because the old wineskins will tear.”
    As I read this, I hear Jesus telling the religious leaders of the day that He’s doing something new, but what happens with new things is that we humans have a tendency to place the new in perspective with the old...the familiar...the norm.  But when we do that, I think Jesus is saying, it doesn’t work.  Instead, we have to be willing to start anew and live into the new paradigm God provides for us.

    What is interesting about the church is that it is “established.”  It lives by traditions and seems set in it’s ways, and in many churches, the seven last words of the Church (We’ve never done it like that before...), hold the church and its people captive to the past.  In fact, this mentality acts as an insulator toward the change that God is bringing about in the world.
    I’m certainly not saying that we throw the baby out with the bath water and simply jump from trend to trend, but I do know that there is a world out there hungry for meaning for life.  And I believe that the Church is the place where they can find that kind of meaning.
    And yet, so many, instead of heading to Church head to the Apple store.  I wonder what it would take for the tides to change and the roles reversed?  It will take a lot, but one thing is certain, it will take people like me and you to name the needed changes then take the lead in making them happen...

How does your Church insulate itself from the world?  Is there anything you might do to be a catalyst for change so that those outside would be drawn to come in?

When was the last time your church or you stepped out into the world and studied what people are hungry for?