One time when visiting the church my in-laws attended, a thought struck me which has come to me often when visiting a church other than the one I belong to. Today’s Christians worship backwards.
Their church was an old, small town church which went contemporary with music and dress. The preaching was fairly sound, but watered down.
As with all church services for more than a hundred years, the music came first. And there was quite a lot of it.
As I sat through the blaring guitar music, trying to pick out the words being sung, I was repulsed and annoyed rather than motivated to worship. The experience was meaningless to me.
Then, of course, before the preaching came the offering plate. I couldn’t help but think I was being asked to pay for a product sight unseen ahead of delivery.
Before you write me off as judgmental, cynical or out of step, allow me to share some observations and questions.
Why do we do things this way? Simple. Because it’s traditional. Even contemporary churches appear to me to have an order of worship that hearkens back to the 1800’s.
Here’s how it is for me. While I understand the desire to get the congregation in a worshipful mood before the sermon, that formula doesn’t work for me. My thoughts and emotions don’t need to be worked up to a fever pitch before hearing a message which is hopefully based on God’s word.
OK, I don’t mind singing a good old hymn or two with some meat in the lyrics. Forget this 7-11 stuff–seven words sung eleven times over.
I don’t feel like truly worshipping until I’ve been immersed in the Word.
So why not do the bulk of our church singing after the sermon? Besides, I’d feel more like giving when the offering plate comes around–especially if I’m visiting a church somewhere–because I’d know whether the preacher’s worth his salt.
I realize my opinion doesn’t count for much. It’s just that I’m uncomfortable with what seems to be backward worship, and I wish we’d reconsider how and why we worship.