Let's Talk

I have a confession to make: I’ve always disliked the “receiving line” at the close of worship assemblies — the tradition of having the preacher stand at the door of the meeting house and shake hands with everyone as they exit. I especially dislike it because I’m the preacher.

It’s not that I don’t want to talk to people. The problem is that I do want to talk to people, and you can hardly do that in a receiving line. In order to speak to everyone who files past, you can’t say much more than, “Have a nice day.” Stop to actually converse with someone, and you risk letting a dozen people slip past you un-greeted, or else you block the door and create a traffic jam (and trust me, you do not want to do that!). By the time you’ve “shaken them all out” and can take time to talk, half the folks have already gone home.

That’s often how our lives go, isn’t it? We hardly have time to spend with one another. It’s not that we don’t want to. But we have so much going on, so many different commitments. It’s hard to squeeze in any time for each other, and harder still to make that time very meaningful. Think: when was the last time you had a real conversation with another Christian about something more important than sports or the weather? When was the last time the discussion involved helping each other with faults (James 5:16), or motivating each other to better service (Hebrews 10:24), or sharing each other’s burdens (Galatians 6:2)? When was the last time the conversation turned to the spiritual health of the church, or the subject of last Wednesday’s Bible class, or someone you’d like to teach about Jesus?

Paul wrote that “Bad company corrupts good character” (1 Corinthians 15:33). “Company” in that verse denotes companionship, interaction, and even — to borrow the term from the King James Version — communication. If close association with the wicked can corrupt us, isn’t it also true that close association with Christians can strengthen us? And if so, why aren’t we seeking more of it?

This Sunday, you’ll still be able to find me in my usual spot near the door after services. (I guess I’m not ready to buck tradition just yet.) But let’s make an effort to find each other and talk. I mean really talk. Often. We need it.