Dear Disciple of Christ,
Do you enjoy worship? I do (and it’s really a good thing since I do and have done a fair amount of it my whole life). I mentioned that growing up, I never needed prodding by my parents to go to church. It was something we did, part of the rhythm of life, like eating three meals a day (still feels odd if I miss one at the appointed time – training from my mother to eat whether I was hungry or not). So I was in worship at Concordia Bronxville whenever it was held. In fact, I became the “Student Religious Activities Chairman,” responsible for coordinating weekly midweek chapels.
For me, that was a natural fit. Of course, with my “rhythm of life” that included worship, I was going to be there anyway. And with my commitment to serve the Lord, leading in worship was fairly natural for me. But it also introduced me to the fact that not everyone felt that way. We had a student or number of students who expressed themselves with actions to indicate their disdain for worship (or they were just messing around with me or the institution of church). To this day I don’t know who was doing it. I was there in the 1960’s and I don’t know if you are old enough to remember them or have read about them, but it was kind of a rebellious day and age. Young teens (those at the church college) wanted to make their statements against the war, the establishment and much of what they were being “handed” by the society.
How did that “play out” at the Bronxville campus? One worship day I remember walking into the chapel (the previous gym with a stage and running track elevated above the floor) and the chairs were lined up perfectly as always. To assist the set up, 1 x 4’s were set on the floor and the rubber nubbies at the bottom of the chairs fit into the holes that had been drilled in them. It kept the chairs in perfect alignment. But that day I quickly noticed a change had taken place. Every single chair in the room (hundreds of them) had been turned around and now faced the back wall of the “chapel.”
If you remember those days (or even if you don’t), I expect you may recognize the statement being made. Their reaction to our worship perhaps was that it was backward and perhaps out of synch with the society and times. I don’t know what the meaning was exactly, since we never found who had done this “symbolic” act. So, let me ask you, what would you have done at that point? It seemed to me that anger and standing there staring at the chairs was not helpful. Canceling worship was out of the question (out of rhythm). So, I realized how I could “fix” that situation with just one move. Could you? We didn’t have time to turn the hundreds of chairs back around so I simply moved the altar to the other end of the hall. Rather than distract worshipers with last minute disruption of the peace they came with for worship or that they were seeking in worship, the solution was the easiest I could come up with.
With barely a mention of the “new direction”, we could make reference to seeing worship in a new way, perhaps as God looked at us instead of we at God. But the point of my bringing forward this incident, is to point out the fact that not everyone sees worship the way we do. In our own day and age, it’s not unusual for us to come across people who feel the church (and worship as a representation of church) is out of synch with society. They are so modern and advanced and mature that they don’t need the life and lifestyle of their youth. Or that person you know who eschews church may be one of those children who were not brought to church as children. They may have had parents (from the 60’s) saying, “I’m not doing to my kids what my parents did to me. I’m not forcing them to go to church. They can decide for themselves!” So they knew none or few of the stories of the faith and the practice of the faith and the gift of the community of faith.
What always struck me as odd about that practice (giving children the choice) was that parents did not give their children other choices like that. “Oh, you want to play in the street? OK. What? You say you don’t want to do your homework? OK. You don’t want to go to school? No problem. Take the day off. Just have fun.” Of course parents don’t do that. They will explain the necessity for children to learn things and be safe. Even if the kids don’t quite understand why, they must not play in the street or skip their homework. Each stage of life prepares us for the next. No, first graders don’t have to learn algebra or chemistry but learning their abc’s and 2 + 2 is 4 is important (no, essential) if they will be able to function in life later.
And so, when it comes to the faith and faith life and faithful decisions, knowing the Bible and its stories, from which the faith comes, is essential and especially important with all of us as children. I don’t know how things were for you growing up, but you’re reading these devotions (and, I hope, the daily Faith Matters devotions). If you missed (some or all of) the stories or if some don’t quite make sense, nothing is more helpful than reading the Word and reading it daily.
I mention again the Faith Matters devotions. What we do in worship is based on the Word of God. It is in its very liturgy, a proclamation of the Word. The more of the Word you know, the more you will see the synch God has made between Himself and us. I can’t tell you how often in my ministry someone has said, “Well pastor, right now my life is in turmoil. I don’t have time for worship. When things settle down and get back on track, I’ll be there.” You can see the fallacy in the plan, right? How will our faith increase without the Word? How will we know the way to live in life if we don’t know the One who is the Way and the Truth and the Life?
If you’d like more of a relationship with God (which we all could use) or direction and clarity in life (its purpose and meaning and end), come to the Word of Life. If you are not getting the Faith Matters devotions, reply to this posting and I’ll add you to the mailings. If you are getting them, open them and read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them. If you are doing those things, begin to let that Word direct your life and be ready on your lips for those who missed. Invite them to worship with you. Invite them to read the Word with you (if you can, pass the devotions on to them and they can sign up directly to receive them).
If things seem out of synch with God and others, where do you think the problem lies; with God or with you? As Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). If the faith doesn’t make sense, come to Him in His Word. If life doesn’t make sense, come to Him in His Word. If losses and challenges don’t make sense, come to Him in His Word.
Then the peace of God which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen! (Philippians 4:7)
1. Since the word “liturgy” comes from the Latin word meaning “work of the people, if worship doesn’t bring you joy, where might the problem lie?
2. Is it safe for children to grow up or adults live without the Word?
I look forward to meeting you in His service,
Pastor Johnson