You Get Out In The Yard and Play

Release church life from the confines of the church building.

When I was a kid one of the common threads that tied our culture together was that virtually every child in the community shared the frequent experience of hearing their mom say, "You get out in the yard and play." It was a good thing. Granted, we didn't have powerful video games to attract our attention and moms had more backbone in those days than they do now, (Wow! Did he really say that?) but we did have some TV and were just as lazy as kids are today. We needed to be pushed out the door. Not only did we not have the obesity problem facing the country today, but we discovered that there were wonderful things waiting to be experienced outside.

My best childhood memories were of 3 man baseball replete with the smells of spring onions and olive oil breaking in the leather of a new glove. I remember pickup backyard football games accompanied by the crisp breath of autumn. If there were no other kids around I discovered through much repetition that a thrown baseball will not break the brick off of a house (no matter what my dad said to the contrary) and that if you are practicing your place kicking you better hit the roof and not the window.

It wasn't just for jocks. There was the creek in front of the house and the hill behind the house. Both of these exotic ecosystems were just begging to be explored and would yield treasures to those willing to exert a little effort: a grapevine swing, an undiscovered spring, a secret fort, a grove that smelled like... popcorn? If none of these other things would float your boat then just laying in the grass and looking at the clouds had the power to awaken the poet and artist that lies dormant in every child. Yes, there were wonderful things waiting "outside."

I believe that the church truly needs that irresistible voice frequently commanding us, "You get on outside, now." "Have some fun." The power of the Christian life can never be fully expressed or experienced in the confines of a worship service or within the life of serving on church committees.

There are those who have abandoned "the church" arguing, "The church isn't a building." No, the church isn't a building, but the gathering of the saints is vital. When mom said to get outside and play she usually added, "You better be home by supper."

This doesn't just mean that we need to join a Home Group. Home Groups are good. Home Bible studies and fellowships have been instrumental in the shaping of my life as a believer. I think Home Groups are great; however, while they offer some unique and important contributions they fail to provide the unifying power and balance of the larger gathering and they aren't really "getting outside" either. I've seen some Home Groups become far more insular than large congregations. They are part of the recipe, not the complete mix.

Taking the church outside the confines of the church building is a lifestyle and a mindset. Each individual believer needs to be liberated from the restrictions of thinking that there are any limitations at all. You can go to Africa on a mission trip, or go to help your next door neighbor. You can read your Bible at work, or read (and enjoy) Kirk Vonnegut and still be a Christian. You can share the love of Christ line dancing as well as street preaching. You can be a strong disciple who happens to be a Democrat as well as a Republican. Being a Christian isn't something you "do." It is something you "are."

Get on outside and have some fun. There are wonders waiting to be explored. There are muscles you need to develop. There is a vigor available to your faith that obliterates the distinction between work and games. You have to become like a child to enter the kingdom. Show me a child that doesn't like to have fun and I'll show you a weird child. So, get on outside. It's a beautiful day that the Lord has made. Just remember to come back home for supper.