Recently, I went to see the film 'The Fellowship of the Ring', the first part of the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy. It was all most impressive - a good story, well told and brought alive with the power of a big screen and surround sound. Here was an experience for all the family, even the scary bits.
And I asked myself, how does the cinema compare with church? Are both competing for the same slice of our leisure time?
Well, the seats in church aren‘t as comfortable and in winter it may not be as warm. There are no giant moving images on a silver screen and the sound doesn‘t hit you from all directions in quite the same way.
But in the cinema we are just consumers - we sit there and let the film wash over us. It is a piece of fiction, of fantasy, of illusion. Nothing has changed when we go home at the end.
In church we are participants. It is live - we are there in real time - speaking, singing, experiencing real emotions, finding real forgiveness.
In church there is a story. But this story is no fantasy. For it is our story and we return to it again and again in a setting hallowed by the worship and prayers of the ages.
At the focus is this timeless story of Jesus - the child of Bethlehem - the victim of the cross. We retell his story through the cycle of the Christian Year, through the medium of time-honoured words and ceremonies and music. And the difference is that we are there. And we join in. And we allow his story to shape our lives.
The performances in our churches may not be as highly edited or polished as those on the screens of our multi-screen complexes. Your favourite stars may not appear each hour on the hour for as long as they are toast of the day. But the worship of our churches is of a true God and offered by real people. And we can share real fellowship and friendship with them all.
I hope that this Lent and Easter you will join in the tradition and worship of your (low-tech) parish church as we re-visit the story of the man who secured life for us all by giving himself up to death on a cross. And will share in our celebration of his vindication in the Service of Light and the great Thanksgiving of Easter Day.
John-David Yule