It’s movie night and my turn to pick. Which one will I choose? How will I decide? At times like these I’m thankful for the little description, the blurb, that comes up when I click on the title. It doesn’t tell me everything, but it does give me a sense of what it’s all about; enough to decide whether to put it in the discard pile or not.

If you were to write a blurb about Christianity, what would you say? Wherever you travel in this country, you’re never far from a church building. Some are old and some are new. Some are big and some are small. Is that where you’d focus, or would you go with something else?

Christianity can often bring to mind particular ceremonies: christenings or baptisms, church marriages and funerals. You might think of choirs and organs, or in some services guitars and drums. Yet are these the core? Is this what it’s all about?

A particular moral code or sense of charity have often been associated with what it means to be Christian. As we write our blurb, are these the things we need to be talking about?

What is Christianity all about? The answer the Bible gives is quite different from the aspects that we’ve just mentioned. It’s not that none of them have any place, but they aren’t the essence of Christianity.

Perhaps the most famous verse in the Bible is John chapter 3 and verse 16. In it, we’re told that God so loved the world that he gave his only son, Jesus. As a result, all those who believe in the son, Jesus, will receive eternal life.

But what is eternal life? Jesus tells us later in the book of John that it’s a life where we know God (John 17:3). At its heart Christianity is about a relationship, a relationship with God. A relationship that has been broken because of sin but is restored through Jesus Christ.

What do you think as you read that? Maybe you disagree or you’re just not interested. Or maybe that’s something you want to explore and understand a bit more about. If so, why not get in touch through the contact page or, if you don’t already have a church to go to, you’d be very welcome to come and join us on a Sunday.