Most of us have a habit of sitting in the same place in church on Sunday, and I realize that nobody else is calling for changing this pattern. Nevertheless, I press on with my reasons that you and I should sit in a different place at church this weekend.
1. Most of us get too comfortable at church in general. We develop all kinds of habits, like parking in the same area, going in the same door, following the same route to our small group room, sitting in the same place, and often going to the same restaurants after the service. Nothing changes — including, frankly, the depth of our walk with God. We also don’t expect God to do anything different when we gather, and we then get what we expected.
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2. You’ll get to know different people. You might already know everybody in your church, but sitting among different people will give you opportunity to get to know somebody more deeply. If you don’t know everybody, moving your seat will allow you to know somebody new. You’ll appreciate better the Body of Christ.
3. You’ll see and hear the service differently. It’s strange, actually, how changing your seat alters your perspective on the service. You look at the preacher from a different vantage point. You hear the music and the singing differently. You notice things about the building you had never seen before. You’ll often even listen to the sermon differently, simply because everything feels new (and, if you think I’m nuts here, at least try it . . .).
4. Somebody else might need your current seat. For example, too many people sit toward the back of a worship center, thus forcing latecomers and guests to walk to the front. That’s not the most loving or wise way to welcome these folks to the service. Why don’t you sit toward the front this week and free up space for others?
5. You’ll learn to be more comfortable with change in general. Here’s my crazy suggestion: sit in a different place every week. Don’t let yourself get stagnant in your approach to church, beginning with the simple decision of where you sit. Change your place each week, and you’ll likely be more open to change as your church moves forward in the future.
6. If you refuse to change, you might reveal a negative side of your heart. I understand there are reasons to sit in a particular place (e.g., for access to hearing devices, seating for handicapped, etc.), but most of us have little reason not to change — except for stubbornness. If that’s your reason for not even considering this suggestion, you may need to check your heart.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was originally published by chucklawless.com.
