This morning I treated myself to coffee and cake as a reward for registering with a GP AND a dentist AND an optician all on the same day.  To most this undoubtedly sounds no cause for comment but I have an (irrational) aversion to doctors, a (justified) distrust of dentists and a 'so what' view of opticians.  All of which got me thinking about people's attitudes to church.

My aversion to doctors is, if truth be told, fear of the unknown.  Having lived a healthy to the point of boring life, with my medical records consisting mainly of minor accidents and my last prescription medicine when I was 12, the inside of the surgery is somewhere largely unknown, and hence scary.  Logic tells me it is safe, and I am happy enough to take other sick people to their GPs (one of the odd aspects of being a minister!) but if I can avoid them for myself, then I will.  I am sure this is true for many people with church.  They just don't know what happens behind those closed doors (sermon hint!) and are afraid of the unknown.  They can cope with 'occasional offices' and can even deal with coffee mornings, toddler groups or activities, but  go to church... too scary by far.

By contrast, my distrust of dentists is justified, having had two particularly unfortunate experiences, one in which a healthy tooth was irreparably damaged and one in which I was nearly drowned!  I go to the dentist because it is sensible so to do, but there is always an element of apprehension just in case this time they do kill me!  So it is with churches.  From the person terrified by an encounter with glossolalia, to the person condemned out of hand for their relationship status, to the person embarrassed by standing up at the wrong moment, painful experiences of church are widespread.  Many simply opt out, a few brave ones shop around for another church, and some stick it out because they believe it is 'good for them' or even a 'necessary evil.'  Worrying.

As for opticians, well having seen them regularly for almost forty years they are just part of life.  I don't especially enjoy eyes tests (and especially dislike the pressure tests necessitated by hereditary tendency towards glaucoma) but it is just something that has to be done.  Is church like this for some, for many?  Not unpleasant exactly, but not a joy either; not the high point of the week but something that has to be done and the value of the less appealing parts is something well understood?  Or for those of us regularly at church, is it just a routine activity given as much thought as putting out the rubbish?

Dealing with the routine, the scary and the unknown all in the same day seems to me like cause indeed for coffee and cake.  And makes me a little more empathic with, and sympathetic to, visitors to church who dash off as soon as the service ends.

Of course by Monday, when I'll have been MOTed by the GP's nurse, my mouth contorted by the dentist and my eyes been thoroughly explored by the optician I shall be in need of chocolate as well as a latte...!