Today's the day when in 1960 Britain's longest running soap opera, Coronation Street, was first broadcast. Created by Tony Warren, the working title of the show was 'Florizel Street,' but it was changed after a tea lady named Agnes remarked that 'Florizel' sounded too much like a disinfectant. 'Corrie' is set in the fictional northern town of Weatherfield, and though the famous terraced houses in the title sequence have changed over the years the iconic theme tune by Eric Spear has hardly been modified since the first episode.
Coronation Street is about community and it tells stories of people whose lives are interconnected, for better or for worse. There is something attractive about this because we sense that we are made to belong with other people; we are not content in lonely isolation. The Bible explains that the church is meant to be a new kind of community, centred on Jesus and characterised by love, acceptance and mercy. According to the Book of Acts this is what the first church community was like:
They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
It's hardly the script for a soap opera – but it's the script for being church then… and now.
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