I was taught from childhood that Sunday is a "day of rest." But now. Now Sunday is the only day of the week in which I have to rise before a specified time, dress in a manner appropriate to public outing, leave the house, again at a specified time, and park my creaky old body in a cramped box called a "pew."
The worship leader is helpful, too. "I invite you to stand," he says, "as we raise our voices to the Lord on hymn number 453. On the first, third and last verses!" It is not an "invitation." It is a directive. And what heresy was the poet promulgating in the second verse? And why does the lyricist always put the heresy in the second verse? Can you recall a time that you actually sang the second verse in church?
But wait! He will "invite" us to stand again to sing the first and last verses of ...
I am very attentive during the sermon. I take notes during the sermon to help me follow attentively. I like the sermon; or I may not like it, but I hear it and hope to heed the word.
Do you know a church where the minister stands up, says "good morning" and then says follow with me as I read from God's Word the basis for today's message, which he then delivers, "invites" the congregation to stand for the benediction, says a brief prayer and walks out?
I might just go to that church.
4 comments:
I come from a "singing" church and singing was always the best part of church. And we always sang all the verses. The doxology is so much a part of my psyche that to this day I find myself humming it at odd moments. Stuff other churches would "say",we sang including the benediction. And the Lord's Prayer. Sometimes we sang sitting down, sometimes standing up. The only thing I miss about going to church is the singing.
Grace, I apologize for this post. I don't know what came over me, or overcame me this morning. In truth, I enjoy the singing, be it congregational, choir, or "special" number by an individual or a group. And, yes, I stand and sing right along with everyone else!
My family was very active in the Catholic church growing up--my dad was on the committee to build the new church, my mom was a reader and held CCD in our home for mentally impaired teens, my brother was an altar boy and a reader and I sang with the guitar group. It's weird, but none of us really go to church anymore. I think the Catholic way of thinking sort of left me empty. We go every so often, but rote prayer doesn't do much for me. Maybe that is why they make you do all that standing up, kneeling, and sitting--to keep us awake.
Lin, you make a good point about ritual. Perhaps the standing, kneeling, etcetera, is a means of keeping us awake!
Lin, the key to spiritual satisfaction lies not in rituals, or even in church attendance, but rather in a personal relationship with God. Attending church may be a good thing, but by itself it is not satisfying. We do it to honor God and to worship corporately with other Christians; to learn and grow in God's Word. Communion with God is not a once-a-week thing. Prayer (conversation with God) is a personal communication; and I think sometimes public prayer, whether rote or extemporaneous, is more to be noted by people than it is talking to the Creator. That's my homily for the day.
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