“Hi Harry. How was your weekend?” you ask as you turn on your computer, put your bag down and take the lid off your takeaway coffee.
“Not bad. Went to an awesome party on Saturday night and got pretty smashed. What did you get up to?”
“Oh, watched my son’s soccer game and my daughter’s netball game, then just lazed around on Sunday.”
Boom! Lost opportunity!
Why keep quiet?
Why didn’t you mention the two hours you spent at church on Sunday morning? You actually love going to church, so why keep quiet about it? Do you think your non-Christian workmate won’t be interested in hearing about church? Well that’s partly up to you and how you talk about it!
The ‘what did you do on the weekend’ conversation on Monday morning can be a great opportunity for you to showcase the benefits and joys of the Christian faith.
Stop and consider: What are your Monday morning conversations like?
Be ready next time
Here are some thoughts about how to prepare something interesting to say for Monday morning:
1. Prepare: On Sunday, when you are listening to the sermon, take notes, and as the preacher is winding up, circle one or two key ideas that might be of interest to your non-Christian work colleagues. Aim to share these truths in a pithy and enthusiastic way on Monday morning.
For example, last week I heard a sermon on Genesis 38—the story of how the family line of Judah almost died out but was saved by Tamar’s initiative when she tricked Judah into sleeping with her. It’s a raunchy and fascinating story, suitable for any TV drama. There’s a good chance that your non-Christian workmate will be fascinated by a story like this if you do a bit of work to present it properly.
2. Shock: Part of what we want to do is to smash the preconceptions that non-Christians have about church and Christianity. Many people picture church as an outdated and antiquated institution. Picture the images you get on the TV news on Easter Sunday of men dressed in strange clothes with funny hats, walking down the aisles of medieval buildings. The challenge is to communicate that biblical Christianity can be vibrant, modern and funky.
For example, sharing that you just attended a Christian conference at a modern inner-city venue with 1000 young people might shatter some of those negative images people have.
3. Sell: Another good thing to do is to communicate that Christianity actually helps you ‘do life’. Last Saturday, for example, I went to a men’s event at my church. The title of the talk was ‘Be a Man of Courage’. I could share in the Monday morning conversation that I was energized to keep trying to be a good husband and father at a time when I’m struggling to do this. Maybe your friend at work is struggling too, and looking for some help.
Action: Next Monday morning on the way to work, prepare your pithy, snazzy line about what you enjoyed about church and how it benefited you. And then deliver it with enthusiasm. It might be the first step to a good conversation or a successful invitation to a gospel event. And try to develop this habit every Monday morning.
