A Reasonable Service

I recently came across a letter that I found to be shockingly forthright in its tone, yet perhaps more accurate than I would care to admit. While the author’s specific identity is unknown, she claims to be a high school student in the community. While I am uncertain as to whether it is a factual or fictional experience, it most certainly resembles what could be true at any given church on a Sunday morning…perhaps even our own.

I attended your church yesterday. Although you had invited me, you were not there. I looked for you, hoping to sit with you. I sat alone. A stranger, I wanted to sit near the back of the church but those rows were all packed with regular attenders. An usher took me to the front. I felt as though I was on parade.

During the singing of the hymns I was surprised to note that some of the church people weren’t singing. Between their sighs and yawns, they just stared into space. Three of the kids that I had respected on campus were whispering to one another throughout the whole service. Another girl was giggling. I really didn’t expect that in your church. The pastor’s sermon was very interesting, although some members of the choir didn’t seem to think so. They looked bored and restless. One kept smiling at someone in the congregation. There were several people who left and then came back during the sermon. I thought, “How rude!” I could hear the constant shuffling of feet and doors opening and closing.

The pastor spoke about the reality of faith. The message got to me and I made up my mind to speak to someone about it after the service. But utter chaos reigned after the benediction. I said good morning to one couple, but their response was less than cordial. I looked for some teens with whom I could discuss the sermon, but they were all huddled in a corner talking about the newest music group.

My parents don’t go to church. I came alone yesterday hoping to find a place to truly worship and feel some love. I’m sorry, but I didn’t find it in your church. I won’t be back.

Your Friend

In the evaluation of any particular worship service, most people base their judgment of its effectiveness upon what they did or did not experience. “That song really spoke to me”, “The pastor’s sermon was too long to me”, or “That person’s kindness encouraged me.” While we should each be active participants in this morning’s service, perhaps your attendance today has less to do with you than you initially think. Perhaps your presence today has nothing to do with you at all, but rather should be focused upon your ministry to another. Perhaps God’s speaking to you will be manifested in how you allow Him to speak through you. Perhaps your worship experience is intended by God to be less personal and more corporate—less about you and more about another.

The intricate connection between your relationship with God and your relationship to the people with whom you are surrounded in the sanctuary today is no small matter. Jesus would say it this way: “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24). John would go on to comment on this same matter in this way: “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us” (1 John 4:11-12).

God’s love for you today is incomprehensible. It is too strong…and impossible…to enjoy it alone. So, why are you here today?

Jason