An Audience of One

Page from Dante’s “Inferno” (PD-Art l Art-old)

“Oh that my words were written!  Oh that they were inscribed in a book!” (Job 19: 23).

Those of us who write and/or minister naturally long for an audience, a congregation.  Bubbling over with words, we ache to share our thoughts and feelings, even more so to share our faith.

Sometimes, we write simply to express ourselves, for instance, in a personal journal.  This is “art for art’s sake” or private prayer.  Other times, we want to make a splash!  Sometimes, we speak in a representative capacity, in public prayer, articulating what many may experience but most find difficult to express.

We write on topics ranging from the secular to the sacred, the silly to the sublime, as God moves us.  But, whatever the topic, we want a receptive audience, an engaged congregation – usually the bigger, the better.

Audience (and Congregation) Size

“After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count…” (Rev. 7: 9).

Online, the size of our audience is touted as its foremost characteristic.  The goal, in that context, is material, specifically commercial, as in the sale of goods and services.

Politically, size again matters.  We hear how many were present at a rally; how many tuned in to watch a televised debate.  The goal, in that case, is the “sale” of a candidate and his/her ideas.

All too often, the Gospel (or what purports to be the Gospel) is peddled this way, too – as if it were another commodity.  Step right up.  Make your bargain with God.  Get your blessings here, postage and handling not included.

These days audiences and congregations are, also, dissected by their component parts.  Is a certain blog or ministry sufficiently appealing to millennials?  What percentage of readers are over age 55?  Does an article adequately target liberals?  How about gun owners?  Evangelicals?

Never mind the truth.

Work Product Quality

“For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it” (Matt. 7: 13).

However, the size of an audience or congregation is not necessarily a reflection on the quality of a writer’s work or the real impact of a ministry.

The YouTube video of the song “Gangnam Style” has been watched over 2 billion times.  How many can knowledgeably discuss Albert Einstein’s scientific publications?  How many have read Victor Hugo in the original French or can compare him with Baudelaire?

Followers

“What I mean is this:  Individuals among you are saying, ‘I follow Paul,’ ‘I follow Apollos,’ ‘I follow Cephas,’ or ‘I follow Christ.’  Is Christ divided?  Was Paul crucified for you?  Were you baptized into the name of Paul?” (1 Cor. 1: 12-13).

The issue is not audience or congregation size.  It is how many men and women actually surrender their hearts to Christ.  And have we surrendered ours?

An Audience of One

“And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them” (Ps. 139: 16).

As a friend recently reminded me, the post that resonates with no more than a single reader has still served a purpose.

But the piece no one reads and the sermon preached to an empty church have an audience of One we have nearly forgotten.  We have the privilege of giving a command performance before the Master of the Universe, every day of the week.  It is His opinion that matters.

God sees our efforts, even those we think have fallen flat.  He knows our dreams and aspirations, even those that have been shattered.  In fact, He sees our lives more clearly than we do.

Each tear fallen, each hand held, each laugh shared is recorded.  These tell the story of our lives and of our faith more powerfully than words alone can.

Stylish or down to earth, with a large audience or no congregation at all, we will find our way home.  God will make certain of that.

With thanks to Ron Whited, A Front Row View of the Church, http://ronwhited.wordpress.com

READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse  http://www.avoicereclaimed.com