Awkward people vs. God has a plan

The other night my wife and I were at the movies. The previews started but someone forgot (or intentionally hatched a dastardly plan to sell more popcorn) to turn the lights down. We both remarked that it felt very strange and unnatural to be sitting in a room full of strangers watching a large collection of projected images on the wall.

I sat there thinking, I wonder if that is the experience people have when visiting church? If instead of a we're-all-in-this-together experience, they get a random collection of stranger staring at a stage and two projection screens...

I soon forgot about my concerns because Captain America: The First Avenger came onscreen and somebody remembered to turn off the lights, thus preserving the illusion of intimacy for us on our date night.

I hope and pray that our church is not like going to the movies. I want to be part of something bigger than entertainment, something more personal than marketing and something more genuine than made-up superheroes.

Above is a talk I gave a couple of weeks ago about Paul and Silas in prison in the book of Acts. I don't think anyone who walked into the church in Phillipi could have been considered a stranger...

What do you think?