I have seen an advert recently that made me despair but also challenged me at the same time. The advert says: “There’s a word for this, This feeling of space and complete comfort, This sense of belonging, This enjoyment of the finer things… the more home you have to begin with the more you have to look forward to.”
Sadly this advert is for a house building company stating that if you have a big lovely house then you will be joyful. It is saying that a posh house is the pinnacle of happiness, that with a big house full of expensive fixtures and fittings you will be content. We know that isn’t the case. Material possessions are never going to make us content. True joy doesn’t come from the finer things that money can buy.
Jesus says in John 14:2: “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?”
God the Father’s house will be infinitely better than any house that an earthly building company can ever imagine!! Every statement in this advert is true of the Father’s house. The more ‘at home’ we are with God the Father the more we have to look forward to the place Jesus has gone ahead to prepare for us.
This advert is hugely materialistic and consumeristic. Sometimes we can fall into the trap of being these things when it comes to our faith. Maybe there is a challenge here for our everyday lives. Where do we most feel at home? What are we most at home doing? Who do we feel most at home with?
It struck me that the statements in this advert could refer to some of the joys to be found in meeting as a Fellowship Band.
- When functioning well, band should be a place of space to share and complete comfort knowing we are accepted and loved by our spiritual friends and by God.
- Within band there is a sense of belonging, not just to that small group of people but also to the wider Church and also of belonging to God.
- Within band there is great enjoyment to be had in the miracle of true Christian fellowship, in spiritual conversation and in guidance from God through those he has provided to minister to you. Are there any ‘finer things’ than these?
- With Fellowship Band meetings, the more you put into it, the more you get out of it, and so the more you have to look forward to next time. If you hold back and only share on a surface level and resist the prompting of the Holy Spirit speaking, you risk reducing the impact God can have in your life, as well as in the lives of those you are in band with.
- The more at home you are in band the more you will look forward to and eagerly anticipate the next time you can meet.
Rachel is the Inspire Prayer Coordinator.
Send us your reflections and testimonies from band. You can contact us at: prayer@inspiremovement.org
