BIG IDEA: LESS IS MORE

The question is the same every Sunday, “So, what did you learn today?” (silence) “Ummm…” Jon and Lisa have tried to think of different ways to word the question for their 9 year old son and 6 year old daughter but it always come out the same. “What did you learn?” It’s not the most enticing question, but it is the question that gets asked millions of times every Sunday in the car ride home from church. And the truth is if the kids asked Jon and Lisa you might get the same… (silence) “Ummm…”

The average church attendee is overloaded every week with scores of competing “little” ideas during just one trip to church. Let’s try to keep track…

1. little idea from clever message on the church sign as you pull onto the church campus.
2. little idea from all the announcements in the church program you are handed at the door.
3. little idea from the prelude music that is playing in the background as you take your seat.
4. little idea from the welcome by the worship leader.
5. little idea from the opening prayer.
6. little idea from song #1 at worship service.
7. little idea from the worship leader who reads a scripture.
8. little idea from song #2 at worship service.
9. little idea from special music at worship service.
10. little idea from offering mediation at worship service.
11. little idea from announcements at worship service.
12. little idea from the first point of the sermon.
13. little idea from the second point of the sermon.
14. little idea from the third point of the sermon.
15. little idea from song #3 at worship service.
16. little idea from the closing prayer at the worship service.
17. little idea from Sunday school lesson.
18. little idea from (at least one) tangent off of Sunday school lesson.
19. little idea from the prayer requests taken during Sunday school.
20. little idea from newsletter they pass out at Sunday school.

Twenty and counting. Twenty different competing little ideas in just on trip to church! Easily. And in Jon and Lisa’s family where they have two children that are spending the morning in junior church and in their own Sunday school class, it is possible that this one family could leave with more than sixty competing little ideas form one morning at church! And if we begin to add in youth group, small group, midweek service it is easily doubles the number of competing little ideas. And if you are reading the Bible and trying to have a quiet time with any kind of regularity it might double again. And if you are a thoroughly churched family and you are listening to Christian radio in the car or watching Christian television at home you could probably double that number again. It is very possible that Jon and Lisa’s little family are being bombarded with more than 1000 little ideas every week about what it means to be a follower of Christ. No wonder when Jon asked his kids, “So, what did you learn?” the answer was, (silence) “Ummm”.

But what if we took that same trip to church and instead of all these competing little ideas there was only one BIG IDEA about “forgiving one another” that was being taught to the whole familY? How may competing ideas...

1. the BIG IDEA of “Forgiving One Another” is displayed on the church website.
1. the BIG IDEA of “Forgiving One Another” is on the front of in the church program you are handed at the door.
1. the BIG IDEA of “Forgiving One Another” is projected on the screen as you listen to the prelude music while taking your seat.
1. the BIG IDEA of “Forgiving One Another” is introduced in the welcome by the worship leader.
1. the BIG IDEA of “Forgiving One Another” is the focus of the opening prayer.
1. the BIG IDEA of “Forgiving One Another” is the theme of song #1 at worship service.
1. the BIG IDEA of “Forgiving One Another” is supported by the scripture reading by the worship leader.
1. the BIG IDEA of “Forgiving One Another” is the theme of song #2 at worship service.
1. the BIG IDEA of “Forgiving One Another” is at the heart of a secular song used as the special music at worship service.
1. the BIG IDEA of “Forgiving One Another” and how to understand that further in a small group is the only announcements at worship service.
1. the BIG IDEA of “Forgiving One Another” is explained in the first point of the sermon.
1. the BIG IDEA of “Forgiving One Another” is explained in the point of the sermon…because it has only one point.
1. the BIG IDEA of “Forgiving One Another” is reinforced through a video.
1. the BIG IDEA of “Forgiving One Another” is the theme of song #3 at worship service.
1. the BIG IDEA of “Forgiving One Another” is the focus of the closing prayer at the worship service.
1. the BIG IDEA of “Forgiving One Another” can be explored even deeper by going to the “next steps” table and picking up a recommended reading list.
1. the BIG IDEA of “Forgiving One Another” and how to have a conversation with your kids on this topic is the theme of the Kid City handout given to parents.
1. the BIG IDEA of “Forgiving One Another” is the central topic of discussion at small group during the week.
1. the BIG IDEA of “Forgiving One Another” is the focus of the prayer time taken during small group.


(silence) “Ummm” would not be Jon and Lisa response if someone asked them, “So, what did you learn?” No doubt the response would be, “We are learning about forgiving one another”. And if all of their kids experiences that Sunday focused on the same Big Idea of “Forgiving One Another” what do you think would be the answer when dad and mom asked, “So, what did you learn?” I have a hunch that it would be “Forgiving One Another”. And here is the great part, it now gives Jon and Lisa the beginnings of a spiritual conversation that could be life-changing for them, their kids and their family. Why? Because instead of being bombarded with hundreds and maybe thousands of different little ideas, there was one BIG IDEA that they were repeatedly challenged to apply to their life. As church leaders we need to come to understand that LESS IS MORE