Christian Living

THE FAMILY PEW

by Charles (Chuck) Robey
03/13/20
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PROLOGUE

When I was yet a mere lad, my father promised to take me to the family’s old country church to get a look-see before it was to be destroyed. He had been talking up the trip for a while. It was all I could do to sleep that night. Come morning we were off, camera in hand.

There it was, the community’s holy memorial standing there amidst the forest undergrowth. It had been closed for years, but Dad had a key. My first experience, after pulling aside the cobwebs, was seeing the remains of those big, old-fashioned, uncomfortable bench pews.

The old potbelly stove was still standing in the middle of the room, between the broken-down pew rows. By some unknown miracle, the old altar was still there, its red velvet cushion well-preserved. So was the big old-fashioned Bible, lying there open and undisturbed on the pulpit. Everything else was pretty much destroyed.

What first caught my eye were the corroded plaques on the pew ends. As best I could read, apparently the plates had the names of the various church parishioners.  Off to the front side of the sanctuary, was a lone, separated pew.

“What’s this all about, Dad?” I asked.

“Well, son, this was the Deacon’s bench, where the Deacons would sit'" he replied. "It was appropriately labeled 'the Deacon’s Corner.' Their duty, among many, was to keep the church spirit alive by shouts of perfectly-timed Amens and Hallelujahs, as the preacher would bellow out his long, breathless sermon."

Afterwards, we moved on into the church hallway where Dad showed me the remains of a bronze plaque, honoring my grandfather. It was barely readable among the deterioration of years gone by.

“Look my son, your grandfather has a plaque in his honor." he said proudly.  "You can see he was the head Deacon for many years and helped build this little church."

He went on, "It was his proposal that prompted families to purchase the pews, by way of a church donation. This was a very innovative idea at the time. I still remember sitting down at the end, as I was the youngest of the family clan."

Wiping away tears, Dad carefully pulled down that old plaque. Tucking it under his arm, we left the ancient building behind us.  As we left, Dad whispered a little farewell prayer to this Old Time Religion memorial shrine. 

Dad is no longer with us now, but his memories linger on. His parting wish was always that I take his place in the leadership of the church. I guess my memories still haunt me because, for some unknown reason, I still oftentimes dream of those experiences.

You may just want to revive the notion of family pews within your church. For sure, you wouldn’t have a need of coming early to claim your usual seat. So, sit back and enjoy this look at the past, through the eyes of this fictional parable entitled “The Family Pew.”  

“Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces." (Luke 11:43)

I was so exhausted from work. I could barely make it from the car into the house. Grabbing a left-over biscuit and a cup of warmed-over coffee, I headed for my trusted 'Frasier’s Dad’s' big duct-taped recliner. Guess I must have passed out in another of my instant sleep modes, with the vision starting.

Suddenly, I found myself abruptly transferred into an Ole Time Religion church. The church was empty except for the one family all sitting lined up in the first-row pew. How did I know about this family? It was very simple, for nicely attached to the end of the pew row was a bright shiny bronze plaque which read “This pew donated by the (giving family name).”

This particular family were dressed in their Sunday best, Mom, Dad and all stair-stepped young ones. Each had a big, black King James Holy Bible in their lap, holding a church hymnal and keeping time with the old-time hymn music at the invite of an old-fashioned pipe organ.

“Just where am I? Why am I here?" I wondered. It had to be a dream or some sort of vision, although completely out of character for me. I haven’t graced the inside of a church since my misplaced seating conflict around three years ago. I understand fully now, I probably shamed myself, when I found that visiting family sitting in our normal place. It’s just that sometimes it’s hard admitting a temper tantrum, especially in church among all those fellow Christians.      

All of a sudden, a big dark cloud seemed to surround the inside of the church sanctuary where I was standing. Out of this cloud he came, and came to a stop nearby. He had to be some sort of preacher or lay leader by his dress and demeanor. Looking rather apprehensive he began to speak, calling me out by name.

“It’s been a long time, my friend," he said. "Actually, I haven’t seen you in church, since that Sunday you and family came in a little late. I’ll never forget how infuriated you became when your usual pew, there in the back, was taken up by that visiting family. It was as if they had committed the unpardonable sin. I couldn’t help but overhear your loud, angry speech. If I remember right, I don’t believe you and family stayed for the service.”

“Well pastor, you got me, what can I say?” I sheepishly replied. (I John 1:8-9)

Just how did my pastor get here, I wondered? Never mind, I’m sure glad he happened to show.  In his normal manner, my pastor then passed off our conversation by inviting us all to our church’s annual picnic, apparently as a way of extending an olive branch. Without hesitation, I excepted, in behalf of my family. I guess I had been waiting for such an opportunity, as I really had been missing church.     

Nonetheless, I really was not able to outwardly and properly thank our pastor for his kindness. You see, this vision or fantasy had quickly ended as hastily as it started. The vision was over. I guess the message had rightly been delivered. See you in church Sunday, we’ll be on time. Amen!

EPILOGUE

I trust you enjoyed this little parable, an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. Our Lord oftentimes used parables to get His message across. Why not this one, as well?  

We anthropological humanoids are creatures of habit. We go to the same grocery stores, we drive down the same streets to work, we watch the same television shows, we eat at the same restaurants, week after week, etc.  In other words, we seem to do the same things, like the same things, act the same way over and over.

Much like the before mentioned blog character, we even tend to sit in the same pews or seats at church. We may not give an outward expression, when someone happens to take our seat at church, but we surely get silently disgruntled.  I remember once when our new pastor was making his usual morning greeting rounds, he happened to notice our family was not in our usual seats, and he commented on that fact.

Looking back, you may not remember seeing church pews advertised as being purchased by families, with a donation plaque attached.  However, I do remember somewhere seeing church pews labeled as being donated, but I don’t remember them actually being reserved. The key here is getting to church early. You may even get to talk to someone. Amen!

The following note was taken anonymously in part from the Internet. “The Bible has a couple of things to say about seating. We are encouraged to take the lesser seat when invited to a banquet. Jesus said it is better to be moved closer to the front by the host than to be moved back to make room for the luminaries. In church settings James (2:1-4) encourages us to ensure equal seating between rich and poor. No preference is to be given related to status. Seating discrimination is against the law of love. No priority is given in Scripture to a specific chair in a worship gathering."

"The psalmist wrote, “I’d rather be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord than to dwell in the tents of the wicked.” In keeping with that sentiment, I’d rather stand under a speaker in the lobby than offend a person who drove to our worship service seeking Jesus, because I staked a claim on a seat that belongs to God Almighty."

"Seat claiming is the opposite of humility. It asserts rights that God does not guarantee. It distances us from God and His mission.  So, if you are the kind who wants to sit in the same place “so the preacher can always tell when I’m there,” you might check out (Luke11:43.)”

In conclusion, this fictional character certainly learned his lesson. How about you my friend?  The remedy to this situation is to come to church a little early. You might just get to talk to someone. Amen!

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