Skit: "You Gotta Eat"

Just wrote this one out of the blue. The message is not that "church-hopping" is a good thing – I don't think it's a good idea to do that indefinitely, and definitely not without a clear goal in mind. The message is not that I have issues with my own church (Unity Free Will Baptist Church) – I love my church, and am fully convinced that "meat" is served there on a regular basis. The message is that you can't grow spiritually if you're not being fed spiritually. If all you ever get fed is milk, then all you'll ever be is a spiritual baby. (I Corinthians 3: 1-2)  The message is also that you shouldn't rely on your pastor and your church to be the only sources of your spiritual food. You should read and study the Word on your own on a daily basis. That's how you grow. Am I guilty of not doing this faithfully? Absolutely. So I'm talking to myself here as much as anybody else. Call it a reminder for me and for you of what we as Christians ought to be doing. If you're not even a spiritual baby yet, talk to someone you know who's a Christian, and ask them what it's all about. They'll be glad to usher you into the family of believers. Now for the skit....

YOU GOTTA EAT

DENISE:  Hi. I'm Denise.

ED:  Hello, Denise.

DENISE:  What's your name?

ED:  Ed.

DENISE:  Hi, Ed. If you don't mind, I'd like to give you something.

ED:  Okay. What is it?

DENISE:  It's an invitation.

ED:  To what?

DENISE:  Read it and see.

ED:  "Montosat Minuswed Community Church"?

DENISE:  That's right.

ED:  That's quite a name.

DENISE:  We're quite a church!

ED:  No offense, but I'm not much into the church thing.

DENISE:  That's okay. We're not either.

ED:  Excuse me?

DENISE:  What I mean is, we're not your typical church. We don't meet on Sunday mornings and Sunday evenings, or even Wednesday nights like most churches.

ED:  Well, when do you meet?

DENISE:  Monday through Saturday, excluding Wednesday.

ED:  Monday through Saturday? 

DENISE:  Excluding Wednesday.

ED:  That's a lot of church services!

DENISE:  Well, you know what they say. You gotta eat. We find that folks get too hungry if they only eat on Sundays and Wednesdays. So our members go to their regular church services on those days and come to us all the other days.

ED:  So, let me get this straight. You don't actually have church, you just feed people?

DENISE:  No, silly! We feed people by having church.

ED:  I think you lost me there.

DENISE:  Spiritual food!

ED:  You mean, like, manna and fishes and loaves – stuff like that?

DENISE:  Not exactly. You see, the Word of God is our food. It feeds our spiritual hunger. We can't just go to church on Sunday and Wednesday, get fed by the Word, and expect to live it out the other five days. You gotta eat every day.

ED:  Well, that makes sense, I suppose. But doesn't that get a bit – I don't know – tiring, being at church all the time like that?

DENISE:  Sometimes. But it's a sacrifice we make willingly. Because we want to be fed.

ED:  Why can't you just read and study the Bible on your own time, at home or on your lunch break at work?

DENISE:  Well, we could, of course. But we wouldn't do it. It's just like that old saying goes: "Out of sight, out of mind." If we're not reminded constantly that we need to read the Word, and pray, and tell others the good news of the Gospel, then we simply won't do it. So we go to church every day to feed our souls and refresh our hearts.

ED:  Okay, I get what you're saying. But let me ask you this: If you're really that hungry for the Word, won't you be compelled to read it for yourself whenever and wherever you need it, to satisfy that hunger? Won't it consume you in such a way that you have to fill that void immediately, not wait till the next church service – even if one is held every night?

DENISE:  I – I don't – 

ED:  It just seems to make sense to me that you eat when you're hungry, not just when someone tells you it's time to eat.

DENISE:  So you're saying that we shouldn't have church services every single day of the week?

ED:  That's not for me to decide. I'm just saying you shouldn't have to.

DENISE:  Are you sure you don't go to church somewhere? You seem to really know what you're talking about.

ED:  Oh, I've been to church plenty of times in my life. I just haven't found one that will satisfy my needs yet. 

DENISE:  Oh? And what needs are those?

ED:  Well, spiritually speaking, I need meat. And every church I've ever been to only serves milk. I know it does a body good, but I've gotta have more than just milk if I'm going to grow.

DENISE:  Can I have that brochure back now, Ed?

ED:  Sure. What's the problem?

DENISE:  You wouldn't like my church, either.

ED:  Oh yeah? Why not?

DENISE:  All we serve is spiritual broccoli. Pretty on the outside, even a bit nutritious. But all you taste is bitterness.

ED:  Ugh!

DENISE:  Yeah. Come to think of it, I'm not too crazy about it myself.

ED:  Understandably so.

DENISE:  Well, don't give up, Ed. I'm sure you'll find a church that will feed your soul. Till then, stay in the Word.

ED:  Of course, I will. And you do the same. After all, you gotta eat.

THE END