Blessed are...

Grim or Glib?

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:4

Some churches have bought into the entertainment lifestyle of the world. Desperate to attract newcomers these churches promote themselves as places of light and laughter. With perfect smiles their representatives beam from every conceivable media: “Come here and be happy. Join us and your troubles will disappear. We have so much fun at our church.”

In some respects the “Be Happy” church is a reaction against an earlier “Be Miserable” standard. At one time, apparently, churches were required to use advertising methods that were always thirty years out of date. Ushers were trained to look like they had just lost their life-savings. Greeters were better at repulsing than at attracting. Stark sanctuaries, uncomfortable pews, sad-looking saints looking down from insipid stained glass, the sepia-tinted experience called ‘church’ did not inspire an abundance of euphoria.

Nevertheless, the joyless characteristic of yesterday does not excuse the excesses of today. When we refuse to mention sin, for fear of offending anyone, we sell the Gospel short. When we fail to teach repentance, we fail to prepare our young people for the realities of failure. When we ignore the need for contrition, we are left with a feel-good religion that will not save.

There is not much that is attractive about a grim, glum, cheerless Christianity that can only complain about ‘the crosses we all must bear.’ There is even less attractive about a glib, grinning, cheerful Christianity that does not see that the Cross He bore was the consequence of our sin.



Holy God,
Remind us of the seriousness of our sin.
Convict us of our abandonment of Your law.
Give us real contrition for our offenses.
Then shall we sing with unabated, genuine joy
of the wonder of Your salvation,
prepared for us in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.