The subject of seating doesn’t sound very spiritual. But Jesus tells us it is. He said the Pharisees desire the “best seats” in the synagogue (Matthew 23:6). With that comment, Jesus puts his finger on the spiritual nature of our seating arrangements at worship. Every Sunday that we walk into church, we face a spiritual decision. The later you arrive, the less choice you’ll have, but, when you have a choice, which seat will you pick and why? In Jesus’ day the “best seats” were probably the most prominent ones – towards the front, maybe even up on the platform; the “best seats” gave you social status.
Now social status doesn’t operate in the same way today. Church attendance doesn’t give you the same kind of kudos. But we do still select what we think are the “best seats”. We have our opinions.
Imagine if we operated church seating like booking theatre tickets. At the theatre, the best seats are the most expensive, and the price is based on the visibility of the stage. The better your view, the more expensive your seat will be. The cheapest seats are usually far away, and some of the view is blocked.
But which would be the priciest seats at church? For lots of people it would be the seat nearest the exist. Sitting at the back feels “safer”, and an easy route out is highly prized. Some like sitting next to a heater in the winter, or a window in the summer! Others like sitting near certain people. Families will usually choose the seating, which works for their children; it could be somewhere they hope their children won’t distract others, or that allows them to easily reach the toilet. We are all creatures of habit. Most of us could draw up a seating plan of church in advance and quite accurately predict where people in church will be sitting next Sunday. We develop our traditions, don’t we? Whatever our precise rationale, we tend to get comfortable with our choice. My choice becomes what I “like”; it’s where I feel most comfortable.
But which does Jesus say is the best seat in church? In Matt 23 Jesus contrasts his disciples with the Pharisees. In v.11, Jesus says: “The greatest among you shall be your servant”. So, the best seat in church is where I will do the most good to others. So, Jesus doesn’t want me to choose where to sit by thinking about “me”. I’m not to make my seating choice based on personal preference, but on serving others. I want to sit in a place that maximises other people’s good. So, the particular seat isn’t the important thing; Jesus cares about our attitude. What is it that we love and why? What delights us? Who are we thinking of? And what’s our goal?
So, what is most helpful to others? Now as soon as we ask that question we step into the wonderful world of wisdom. And the world of wisdom doesn’t come with a neatly packaged answer, with a chapter and verse. It’s going to vary from church to church. But here are some practical considerations for us in Ilford:
– The “best seats” are those that leave room for those who’ll come after me. We don’t have a very big building. So, “wasting” seats has more impact for our congregation than for some. Realistically, if you leave a gap of two seats between you and the next person, it’s unlikely people who come after you will squeeze past you. So, rather than thinking: “where would I like to sit?”, we need to think, “where will those coming after me, and especially visitors, be able to sit?”.
– That means the “best seats” are towards the front. I know lots of people like to sit at the back; it feels “safer” psychologically. But that’s exactly why the best seats are towards the front. They’re best because they’re unpopular. They’re “best” because they’re most helpful to others. It’s pretty off-putting for a new-comer to be forced to sit right at the front. So, when you weigh up how far forward to sit, think: I’m a servant! What about those who’ll come after me?
– The best seats are those that are near to others. It’s easy to fill up seats at church like a tube carriage, dotting ourselves around the room, leaving big gaps. On the tube, it would be weird to go and sit right next to the only other person. But, church isn’t like a tube carriage. We’re not strangers, but brother and sisters. We’re family, called to look out for the interests of one another. So, when you see people arrive, invite them to sit with you. That kind of body-language speaks volumes. When you decide how much space to leave between you and the next person, think, this is my brother or sister.
– The best seats might be next to children who need a good example. We’ve got quite a few mums who bring their children to church, without dads around. That can make church a challenge for them. Deliberately deciding to sit with children, to offer a mum some reinforcement, could be a wonderful way to love your church. You’d need arrange it with the parent beforehand, but helping the children to stand for the singing, to find the Bible passage, to sit quietly, and take part in the service is a really valuable way to serve them, and sets a great example.
The Lord Jesus doesn’t draw us a definitive godly seating plan, which we’re to follow slavishly. But he is cultivating a mindset. He wants us to walk into worship as servants, not as customers. We’re here to sacrificially love others in the room, not to ignore, or disregard them. How does a Pharisee choose where to sit? He picks his seat selfishly. But Jesus wants to change how we walk into church, and how we look at everyone else in the room. There’s a switch inside our head that Jesus wants to flick. So, often we walk into church thinking: “How are others thinking of me?”. But Jesus wants us to ask: “How am I thinking of others?”.
It is a really wonderful thing when you walk into a room of disciples, who are cultivating the mindset: “The greatest among you shall be your servant”. That kind of atmosphere is very attractive.