Church in the City (April 2020)

Part 9: Golden Ticket    

In the month of Easter, for us of course the focus is on Jesus sacrificing Himself for us. However, for many, the focus of Easter is chocolate.  Certainly, from a commercial point of view, the chocolate industry loves us buying chocolate.  Do you know in the UK alone over Easter in 2019 we spent £395 Million on Easter eggs and Easter confectionary?  Wow, we truly are a nation of chocolate lovers.

So, what is it about our love affair with chocolate? As a woman I have to say I adore my chocolate, the texture of it melting in my mouth; the comfort that it brings and the yummy feeling in my tummy.  Chocolate is a massive industry. More people are in a relationship with chocolate than are in a relationship with Christ.  87% of us eat chocolate and, by comparison, 53.6% of us are Christian.  If only Christianity was as popular, but there is an opportunity to marry the two.  At Easter we are able to tell the story whilst we enjoy our chocolate.

Have you seen the movie ‘Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’, or read the book by Roald Dahl?  Do you remember Charlie Bucket and the other children? They were desperate to go inside the Chocolate Factory and see all the secrets it held by winning a golden entry ticket.  The greatest thing about our lives as Christians is that we all already hold a golden ticket ,  and through belief in the death of Jesus Christ on our behalf and faith in Him we are able to go to heaven.  As Christians it is our job to help people realise how important that ‘golden ticket’ is to us and that they too can have a golden ticket. 

People need to be excited about getting’ inside the factory’.  It is important how we appear as Christians. If we simply go to Church under duress, and wear our faith as a burden round our necks, adhering to the rules, we market ourselves badly. This doesn’t exactly inspire people to want to view anything to do with our faith.  We should be excited about it, like the children excited to see inside the factory.  The way chocolate makes us feel is yummy, and the Holy Spirit, if you let Him, can give you great feelings, too. Even more so as He is never ending,

Final Thought – Are you excited about your faith?  Do you feel happy to have a ‘Golden Ticket’? Do you need the ‘yumminess’ of the Holy Spirit?

XOXO

HR