Checked Luggage

I’ve been flying Southwest Airlines a lot lately. It’s such a great airline. They treat passengers extremely well and their flight attendants are ridiculously funny. Yesterday on my flight back from Denver, the flight attendant went through the usual protocol, reminding people that if there is a loss of cabin pressure to stop screaming long enough to put their mask on. I laughed out loud. She then said to put your own mask on before assisting small children, or all of the adults who aren’t listening and will act like small children when something unexpected happens. The 40 people on board who were actually listening applauded when the attendant finished. It was so fun!

I love traveling. Especially flying. It’s crazy that you can get in a huge machine and a couple hours later be so far from where you began. I especially love Southwest because you dont have to haul your luggage around with you. Bag fees are included. Major bonus in my book. I never understand the people who still choose to drag their luggage onto the plane.

I always wonder about the life each person represents on the plane. I’m sure some people travel to visit family and friends, others for business meetings, some might be in the midst of emergency, maybe they are traveling to visit a dying relative, or maybe they themselves are traveling to vistit a doctor for treatment. I like the sports teams that are all together and having fun. They usually change the feel of the flight, because they all talk to one another and break down the barriers of personal space. I always feel bad for the people who sit next to me, because I usually talk to them the whole time. But in just a few hours we are friends, exchanging information and they usually have a Facebook friend invite from me before they even leave the plane.

Easter Sunday was this last week and it was strange. I was in Colorado visiting one of my closest friends and we attended the church where he works. The whole experience just seemed a bit blah. It’s interesting that Easter is supposed to represent the most important thing in the Christian Faith; that Christ came to earth, was crucified as the sacrifice for our depravity, and came back to life miraculously three days later. It’s interesting because everything at church seemed focused on the the video, songs and sermon. But it just didn’t connect. If we have an opportunity to share with people that there is hope in the midst of the craziness of our lives, shouldn’t that come with some actual reality? It seems like church has become an experience, just like a theater, or amusement park, or classroom. We even pay for it.

I think about my flights, and the fact that I pay money, check my bag and enjoy the flight. I guess I could just sit there and listen to music, read a book, or sleep, but all around me are people with stories. People who are, for whatever reason, all going to the same place that I am. I guess curiosity gets the best of me and I want to know about them. I want to know their story.

The same can be said of our churches. We enter spaces with people that we often don’t know, and expect to be taught something that challenges us to be somewhere different then when we walked in the front doors. But what about the lives of those going to the same place you and I are? Are they there to visit family or friends, get help, or in crisis mode? Are they dealing with business, or just checked out? Is there an opportunity in the church to check our luggage or do we make people carry it because it’s too expensive for us to take it for them?

When I walked down to the baggage claim last night a gal came on the intercom and told us to check our bags and make sure that they were ours before leaving with someone else’s by mistake. She also said that the oversized luggage would be at the designated area on the back wall. I thought that it would be so cool if everyone just did a group carry, and helped everyone out. Wouldn’t it be cool if we didn’t hold so tightly to the things that are “ours”. Wouldn’t it be cool to see the people with oversized luggage helped.

The reality is, that we all know the people who want to to continue to claim “their luggage” and we definitely know the people with “oversized luggage”. We just rarely do anything to help others out, or maybe we pretend that no one see’s our need. But everyone is fully aware of those carrying the weight. What if this life is supposed to be shared? What if our churches are supposed to be places where we help one another carry our luggage until we are able to fully leave it?  Is there a greater point to the Christian life than saying a prayer for fire insurance?  Is there more than sermons, songs and videos? Stop carrying your luggage around. Check it. It’s free. Jesus already paid for it. He wants you to be free to enjoy the coffee and pretzels as you engaged with community and grow in your character.