Worship Forum Reflections

Last Sunday we had a great discussion together in our open forum.

For those of you who missed it, I talked about the importance of worship for the life of a believing community. Then I presented three potential problems in the form of questions that hinder us from coming together in meaningful worship: 1) Does Sunday work anymore? There are more activities on Sunday than ever before, crowding out our commitment to church. 2) Does 10:30 work? Some Sundays begin with about 10-12 people and then end with 85. Do we need to change the time? 3) Does our worship work? Many seem uninterested, choosing to read or talk during the service. Is our worship no longer connecting with you?

After a healthy discussion, it seemed as if the general consensus was that Sunday at 10:30 is not perfect, but it's as good as any other option. Likewise, worship does not meet everyone's expectations (it never will), but for the most part, it's effective. What's needed instead of a sweeping change is to reflect upon our priorities, about what it means to belong to a community dedicated to worshipping God.

So here's the challenge that emerged from the discussion: Let's consider making a concerted effort to arrive at 10:20, to greet others, find our places, and get ready to worship. Here's an easy way to remember it: 10:20 in 2010. I know there will be days when you'll be late; it happens to all of us, including yours truly; and of course, I'd rather have all of you late than not at all. That aside, it would be fun to reverse the current trend and start service 80% full.

Also, I would encourage all of us to think a little bit about what it means to honor the Sabbath. This is complicated, I know. We don't want a legalistic standard, but what messages are we sending to our children if church is what we do when we don't have anything else going on? What is a good reason to miss? There are many different responses to that question. In the meantime, let's keep discussing, thinking, and praying about it.

Peace.