My wife and I have been members of a handful of churches over the years. For the most part, there have been relatively few dynamics that are met with a lack of enthusiasm, if I may sugarcoat it. Without the sweet glaze, I might call it an unholy derision, as if there is a holy derision. What, pray tell, are these situations? If you attend a church, usually on the smaller side, you know that people are prone to sit in the same pews. Notice I said pews, not chairs. Because Jesus’ church had pews. Have you ever watched a scene inside a church during a Hallmark or Lifetime movie where there were chairs? ‘Nuff said. And parishioners in those churches are fond, to put it mildly, of a particular spot in a particular pew. Not that any of y’all would ever purposely cause a brother or sister to stumble, but if someone else wanted to, get to the service early and plant yourself on the end of a pew near the front, sit back, and enjoy the hijinks. Murmuring and complaining will ensue, I promise. Ol’ Carl and his wife Enid will look somewhat befuddled, before counting rows aloud by pointing at each, stopping where you, erm, someone else is comfortably ensconced.
While the above scenario is more inherent in smaller churches, other elements of a service are more universal. Things like the volume of the music, the temperature of the sanctuary, and the “casualness” of dress have caused more than a little friction in the body of Christ. I once wore flip flops to a Sunday morning service, explaining that Jesus wore sandals, basically flip flops with straps. A friend reminded me that Jesus was wearing the best of what He had. Touché, my friend. So if there’s anything we learned from the Bible, its this. Only wear flip flops to Sunday night or Wednesday meetings. Or when the youth pastor is preaching. Chances are, you’ll still be better dressed than he is. And while we are loathe to admit it, most of us don’t care for the singing of new songs. We like what we like. We like familiar, to the point we can sing about God moving even when we can’t see or feel it, wondering all the while if we remembered to set the DVR for the replay of the GT World Challenge Europe at the Nurburgring. Hypothetically speaking, of course. I once heard esteemed philosopher Sir Michael Philip Jagger introduce a new song in concert, to the muted but collective groan of the attendees. Even he heard it, and explained that you can’t have the classics without new material. Um, okay, Mick.
Believe me, I get it. Who doesn’t want to be comfortable? The La-Z-Boy recliners have evolved to the point that you don’t even need to get out out them, nor would you want to, unless nature calls. And I’m not so sure that there aren’t planned provisions to meet those needs without a trip to the loo. We have our comfortable jeans, shoes, and foods. And we know from physics that a body at rest stays at rest. Just thinking about it makes me want to take a nap. That said, no great invention, movement, or revival emanated from satisfaction with the status quo.
Don’t eschew the new! (See what I did there?)
(Click “Stand on Firmer Ground” for a deeper look into New Song)