Reserved Seating

Recently I was able to indulge my somewhat inflated delusions of grandeur when I attended a Private Party at a club downtown that prides itself on being "the spot". In that experience I saw one side of feeling exclusive. At the Utica Conference I saw another side of exclusivity that was very different.


At this particular conference, groups are able to register in advance and get "Reserved Seating". Doesn't that just have a decadent ring to it? It had the feel of Season's Ticket holders who know where they sit all the time and get comfortable with the view. I will say that going into an auditorium and knowing where you are going to sit has a certain appeal. But in light of the "private party" experience, the Lord showed me something about reserved seating that I had never experienced before.


Normally, when you go to a conference there is an anticipation, it is heightened by the desire to 'get a good seat'. I love arriving early at a venue and seeing it before it is full. (One of my fondest memories is experiencing "Sky Dome" in Toronto for the first time. There was a heady feeling of being in so huge a space. An awe of how big it is coupled with a very humbling feeling of how small I actually am in this universe) I love the order and the quiet of an empty venure. I love to choose a good seat and "stake my claim". I like to watch people as they arrive and experience that feel when they see the stage/set/ice for the first time. I like to see the dynamics as people mingle and try to determine where is a good seat.


With conferences, you get out as much as you put into it- and often the level of expectation can dictate the level of a touch from the Lord. With reserved seating, however, you don't need to be there early, there is no surprise, there is no time to experience the whole show. I experienced this weekend that with reserved seating we were in no hurry to be on time. Admittedly, it took away some of the stress, and it allowed us to focus on the relationships at the restaurants! But on the flip side, as a group, we arrived late and went straight to our seats. As a result I found that it took me longer to get 'into worship' and I was playing catch up for the rest of the service, I didn't take the time to look around and take in the sights, and I felt limited attachment to being at the event. I was 'in it but not of it" if you will. I got a lot out of the conference, but how much more might I have gotten had I been totally invested in the logistics??


I sometimes find this attitude sneaks into our relationships with God. We know that no matter what He is there saving a place for us. When this happens, I find myself less engaged in the process of our relationship-that I take it for granted.


I want to remember that feeling of awe and wonder when I walk into the presence of God each and every time. I not longer want to take His presence for granted, knowing that I can tap into it at any point. Rather I want to have a child-like faith in His vastness and beauty, I want His love to take my breath away!




Tomorrow..... Mark Schilling