Please, no explanations...

Preaching at St George's, Morden last night (see previous post) I was telling the congregation about the signs posted outside some of the churches we visited on last September's Pilgrimmage to the Holy Land.

The custodians of these churches want to keep them as places for quiet prayer and reflection, but tourist guides with their  explanations of the history and architecture of the building to their parties, delivered at full volume in order to be heard over the hubbub created by all the other guides, rather disturbs the atmosphere of calm and peace.

Hence the 'prayer only' notices  requesting 'no explanations inside the church.'

I sympathise with the custodians of these holy places, but the church is really supposed to be a place of explanations.  That was the point I was making last night at St George's as they received their new vicar.

We need lots of explanations, about the wonderful God who made us, about his plan of salvation,
about how we can come to know him through his Son, Jesus Christ, about how his Spirit can come to live within us.

None of these things we would ever know, without them being lovingly explained, by a pastor or a  friend, with the Bible in their hands, and God's word dwelling in their hearts.

Thank God for explainers, and thank God the Church is the place where the really important things in life can be explained.