On periodic Wednesday's our elementary school sponsors a McTeacher night, wherein staff members serve customers during a designated time in the evening at a local McDonalds. This event has been a source of contention in the Cordova household because the events are always on a Wednesday night. In the Cordova home, Wednesday night is already booked for church activities. Both my kids have been in choir over the past several years. Currently my youngest daughter still attends. My son, with his change of medication and bowing to his demands, still attends Wednesday programming but has given up choir for daycare time. It seems as if all rehearsals are tedious and redundant. Once is enough for him. We sang the song correctly? "Let's move on," I can imagine him saying in class.
Anyway, this Wednesday was really no different, except we messed up out times. My son had a middle school skating party but since McTeacher night (we thought) was starting earlier, we had time to have our cake and eat it too. We show up at McDonalds, realize there are no teachers on sight and tell our youngest that there will not be a McTeacher night after all. Commence meltdown.
In the back and forth between parent and child, through tears and repeated pleads, I came to the conclusion that all kids think:
Life isn't fair.
The word "never" is terribly overused.
Never introduce a new vocabulary word when your daughter is crying.
"Sometimes, momma, we have to be flexible. What if we had an emergency, or our car wouldn't have started (which is a real possibility in House Cordova)? You need to learn how to be flexible. This is one of those times."
"But I can't be flexible!"
From the mouth of babes.
I can't say it's anything I didn't expect. Just who do you know who exhibits the qualities that allow one to be flexible? Part of our time management problem was screwing up the doctor's appointment. My poor wife, fasted all day for an appointment that was scheduled for tomorrow. A week or so back, she forgot a crucial ingredient for the Shakeology protein shakes we drink for lunch. Not too flexible was my reaction. How many times in a school day does the computer hamper some progress I'm trying to make? How many times do we adjust our schedules to fit someone else's lack of time management? Many parents in my school show up unannounced, and there are times when lunch or my designated planning time gets wiped from the schedule. Flexibility, right?
I'm already lamenting my weekend. We've had several straight weeks of soccer, and once that schedule was complete, we amped up our Saturdays with outings and errands. This weekend, my wife ordered me to make no plans whatsoever. So what do I get tonight when I come to bible study? A mark on my calendar for a service project, and I'm remembering I've been invited to a former student's birthday party and had dreams of going to see the local football team in the playoffs (that was nixed, they were playing in Cincinnati). After the deliveries, I spent most of my day working on my van. Flexibility is getting stretched.
Did I mention I have a stack of papers to grade?
The Bible doesn't explicitly say much about being flexible. There are plenty of verses on worry, about being prepared, about perseverance, but Jesus makes no mention or spoke any parable about the Gentile who could not shear enough sheep wool to make a bushel before lunch. You see followers, like when Jesus is building his disciple team. "Come and I will make you fishers of men." Literally, fishermen drop their nets, their livelihoods, into the water to float in the Sea of Galilee. Paul was put in jail, talk about a change in scenery. What does he do? He sings praise and writes letters. John was exiled to the island of Patmos. What does he do? He writes the book or Revelation people!
I'm lousy with being prepared. It takes me weeks to get ready for winter. You'd think living in Ohio, I'd learn. If I was in the Sea of Galilee I would have probably said something like, "You mean, now? Like, right now?" If I found myself on a deserted island, it would take more than a blood-stained faced volleyball to get me through my days. I mean, seriously, did John have paper just lying around in a cave?
Perhaps my lack of spiritual prep is behind these words tonight. I date my journal on the days I read devotions. Sometimes I notice that there are 4 days in between entries. 4 days when I don't talk to God out of necessity. It's like I'm playing Candy Crush when God is knocking on the door. I'm busy. Come back later. Someone get the door! Leave me alone!
So I begin to train my thoughts for heavenly matters rather than human. In this walk I've been given, the hardest thing is using my compass, moral or not, to find my way back home. My faith becomes tested during these times. Our pastor today spoke of this battle-tested faith. If the Holy Spirit isn't conducting some kind of scouring of the heart, then how will I ever reach that which is attainable through faith? It's something I reiterate whenever I speak in front of our junior or senior high kids. Don't live this life alone. When you feel the tug of conformity, when you feel swayed by events that seem to be coming from all directions, how does your faith stand the test?
Abraham was a pretty flexible guy. He leaves behind riches and land, status too, for the mystery of Canaan. He waits 25 years to have a child that God promised him he'd have (yes, he did try his own way, had the son he wasn't supposed to have first in Ishmael). Finally, when his son Isaac was born to him, God asks Abraham to sacrifice him.
So here's Abraham, about 100, cutting all this wood for the altar and with the knowledge of having to give up your son to God. He brought Isaac and two of his servants, but before he sets towards the mountain he tells the servants, "We will worship and then we will come back to you." Why would Abraham use the word "we" when he was supposed to be sacrificing Isaac. He would return alone. There's no evidence that Abraham suddenly lied to his servants so they wouldn't suspect his plans. He knew both would return.
Once they reached the mountain, Isaac, who knew something about burnt offerings, noticed there was not a lamb ready to be slaughtered. "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." He then binds his son. Could you imagine? Artists depict Isaac as a young child, and being bound in such a way, he had to have known that he would also be sacrificed to God. Did Isaac run? Was he old enough to understand?
Surely Abraham, at 100, didn't lug all the wood himself. If Isaac was 5 or 7, I don't see him carrying firewood up a mountain. My son can't even carry a Wal-Mart bag from the garage to the kitchen. Some apologetics place Isaac at 18-20 years of age. That's a mind blowing contrast to the image of Abraham, knife drawn, standing above his young son. At 18, 20 years of age, Isaac too realized that God was going to show his hand for the two of them to see.
While God isn't asking me to sacrifice my first born, He does require an offering. He desires my tithe, to test Him in that regard. He wants me to offer my heart and all the baggage I continue to wield as my own. Being a follower means there are parts of our life we simply must let go. Drop the net, Jesus is saying. Let it float in the Sea of Galilee. What a beautiful image it must be to submit to the Lord in such a way. I can surely imagine my lust, my wants, my selfishness, my materialistic desires, floating away on a calm sea never to return. But you see, to God, what we can't imagine, He's already putting into place. Am I willing to put God to the test?
Things could get dicey around here. Heart beware, the Lord is coming in.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Monday, November 10, 2014
Mothballs and Old Biddies: Thoughts on Worship Styles Part 1
I'm beginning to finally realize that Christians don't really like one another. I used to think it was a people problem. Humans being imperfect and all. But there's been a running theme lately in the blogosphere and millennial Christian media that would suggest it's more than humans being humans.
Let me first start by admitting my own guilt in this matter. I blogged several weeks back on my own failings to stick up for members of my congregation, my church too. When I first became a Christian, I mocked Catholics. I backed off after realizing it wasn't that funny, and that Cathiolicism laid the foundation for my future. There were moments during my Emmaus walk, that reminded me that God had always been there even when my heart was absent. Most recently I was guilty of thumbing my nose at those who prefer the traditional form of worship.
I still view things in my life through fragmented lenses. My sarcasm and humor was typically to avoid sensitive subjects, or it was a way for me to understand something that was presented anew. I also cling to my old experiences. I hear the sound of an organ during a hymn and I want to sleep. I hear the all-call of choral response and I think back to my days in a Catholic church, kneeling uncomfortably and wondering why we kept saying the same phrase over and over. When I think traditional service I think mothballs, old white men in suits, old biddies in fancy hats.
Which brings me to my first article I wanted to share with you. I agree with the author of, "11 Reasons to Stop Offering Different Worship Styles," in there is too much division in today's church. Denominationally and racially, we sure know how to reinstate the veil that God worked so hard to tear down. My own church offers two forms of worship, and under some major grumbling, moved the traditional worshippers into their own sanctuary by remodeling an older section of our church. While the differences in service are easy to see on paper (choir v praise band, hymns v contemporary music, pastor in a suit v pastor in jeans). the real division comes perhaps in the ages and ideas of the congregants.
For someone who did not grow up in the traditional Methodist church, I do have some background in styles. Catholic mass was the same no matter the church. I find this ironic because this is what education with the common core feels like. Any kid in America should be able to go to any school nationwide and learn the same way and in the same style. Obviously in education, this is inherently impossible, but for Sunday mass is was pretty much the same.
The pastor enters in a procession of brass candles and altar boys. There's some kneeling, a meet and greet and it's on to some readings from the Bible. The Deacon does his thing, we take communion, exit procession of altar boys. When my wife and I were church hopping before we were Christians, I found the traditional style of worship old, stale and confining. But one thing was certain was that my heart was not circumcised enough to fully grasp what God was doing behind the scenes. Later when church became something of a priority, contemporary service was where I at least found that worshipping was cool, that it could be more than sitting in a pew and drifting away.
The article suggests that fear drives today's churches (I'm excluding the megachurch and non-denominational churches here, since most of them are unmistakably contemporary) to change their worship style, or like mine, offer two separate services. Much of the debate then swings to how the use of music is responsible for how we learn, what we are taught and how we worship.
The author of this article also believes that today's worship music has much to be desired. While I do agree that the hymns sung by the "giants of faith" that came before us are and should be influential towards new Christians today, I think that by saying today's music is just emotional downplays its importance, and it takes some power from the artists who created them. You're going to tell me that the song, "How He Loves Us" by the David Crowder Band only twists our emotions with these lines:
And we are His portion and He is our prize
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes
If His grace is an ocean, we're all sinking
Or what about the countless songs that slip in lines from Psalms. How about, "Blessed Be Your Name," "Your Grace is Enough," "How Great is Our God," and "Mighty to Save"? While there are some Christian contemporary songs today that are bland, and perhaps they don't even have the word Jesus or God in them (I'm looking at you Super Chick) but does every hymn created by John Wesley (and from a great editor friend of mine, that's Charles Wesley!--thanks, Rocky!) equivalent to "Amazing Grace"? And you're not going to then tell me that when I sing "That Old Rugged Cross" that it doesn't elicit an emotional response. Isn't that what music is for? Are we not allowed to grow artistically from the giants of faith? I sometimes feel that because I listen to Christian music, it isn't "traditional" enough to be considered worthy.
I do see the age discrepancies and attitudes from service to service. Traditional worshippers are our grandparents, the retirees. They attend the board meetings and speak out when non-essential aspects of the church become changed (anyone in my church can attest to this when the choir director resigned unexpectedly). On the surface, they may tithe better than the new Christians coming in to listen to the band and read the words from the jumbotron. But will that always be the case?
Just how should a church change with its congregants? A friend told me that the churches that survive over time are the ones that will be truly diverse. When we quibble over the different types of services, are we really just saying that one is better than the other? A proactive church changes with the audience. Just because I prefer not to kneel, bow and sleep through service does not mean that my need for entertainment overrides my need for strong Biblical teaching. What we should all be worried about is why churches still have openings to volunteer within its walls. There should be waiting lists at every church, where its members cannot wait to serve one another and their communities. Let's be the church on other days than Sunday.
I want to get into so much more. I'm going to try and tackle the "relationship v religion" topic next week. I'm thankful for the wealth of articles and topics that come across my way. I'm thankful too to have a forum for my thoughts. I pray that my own hang-ups and differences will not cause my brother to pause and wonder why they don't see Jesus in me.
Let me first start by admitting my own guilt in this matter. I blogged several weeks back on my own failings to stick up for members of my congregation, my church too. When I first became a Christian, I mocked Catholics. I backed off after realizing it wasn't that funny, and that Cathiolicism laid the foundation for my future. There were moments during my Emmaus walk, that reminded me that God had always been there even when my heart was absent. Most recently I was guilty of thumbing my nose at those who prefer the traditional form of worship.
I still view things in my life through fragmented lenses. My sarcasm and humor was typically to avoid sensitive subjects, or it was a way for me to understand something that was presented anew. I also cling to my old experiences. I hear the sound of an organ during a hymn and I want to sleep. I hear the all-call of choral response and I think back to my days in a Catholic church, kneeling uncomfortably and wondering why we kept saying the same phrase over and over. When I think traditional service I think mothballs, old white men in suits, old biddies in fancy hats.
Which brings me to my first article I wanted to share with you. I agree with the author of, "11 Reasons to Stop Offering Different Worship Styles," in there is too much division in today's church. Denominationally and racially, we sure know how to reinstate the veil that God worked so hard to tear down. My own church offers two forms of worship, and under some major grumbling, moved the traditional worshippers into their own sanctuary by remodeling an older section of our church. While the differences in service are easy to see on paper (choir v praise band, hymns v contemporary music, pastor in a suit v pastor in jeans). the real division comes perhaps in the ages and ideas of the congregants.
For someone who did not grow up in the traditional Methodist church, I do have some background in styles. Catholic mass was the same no matter the church. I find this ironic because this is what education with the common core feels like. Any kid in America should be able to go to any school nationwide and learn the same way and in the same style. Obviously in education, this is inherently impossible, but for Sunday mass is was pretty much the same.
The pastor enters in a procession of brass candles and altar boys. There's some kneeling, a meet and greet and it's on to some readings from the Bible. The Deacon does his thing, we take communion, exit procession of altar boys. When my wife and I were church hopping before we were Christians, I found the traditional style of worship old, stale and confining. But one thing was certain was that my heart was not circumcised enough to fully grasp what God was doing behind the scenes. Later when church became something of a priority, contemporary service was where I at least found that worshipping was cool, that it could be more than sitting in a pew and drifting away.
The article suggests that fear drives today's churches (I'm excluding the megachurch and non-denominational churches here, since most of them are unmistakably contemporary) to change their worship style, or like mine, offer two separate services. Much of the debate then swings to how the use of music is responsible for how we learn, what we are taught and how we worship.
The author of this article also believes that today's worship music has much to be desired. While I do agree that the hymns sung by the "giants of faith" that came before us are and should be influential towards new Christians today, I think that by saying today's music is just emotional downplays its importance, and it takes some power from the artists who created them. You're going to tell me that the song, "How He Loves Us" by the David Crowder Band only twists our emotions with these lines:
And we are His portion and He is our prize
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes
If His grace is an ocean, we're all sinking
Or what about the countless songs that slip in lines from Psalms. How about, "Blessed Be Your Name," "Your Grace is Enough," "How Great is Our God," and "Mighty to Save"? While there are some Christian contemporary songs today that are bland, and perhaps they don't even have the word Jesus or God in them (I'm looking at you Super Chick) but does every hymn created by John Wesley (and from a great editor friend of mine, that's Charles Wesley!--thanks, Rocky!) equivalent to "Amazing Grace"? And you're not going to then tell me that when I sing "That Old Rugged Cross" that it doesn't elicit an emotional response. Isn't that what music is for? Are we not allowed to grow artistically from the giants of faith? I sometimes feel that because I listen to Christian music, it isn't "traditional" enough to be considered worthy.
I do see the age discrepancies and attitudes from service to service. Traditional worshippers are our grandparents, the retirees. They attend the board meetings and speak out when non-essential aspects of the church become changed (anyone in my church can attest to this when the choir director resigned unexpectedly). On the surface, they may tithe better than the new Christians coming in to listen to the band and read the words from the jumbotron. But will that always be the case?
Just how should a church change with its congregants? A friend told me that the churches that survive over time are the ones that will be truly diverse. When we quibble over the different types of services, are we really just saying that one is better than the other? A proactive church changes with the audience. Just because I prefer not to kneel, bow and sleep through service does not mean that my need for entertainment overrides my need for strong Biblical teaching. What we should all be worried about is why churches still have openings to volunteer within its walls. There should be waiting lists at every church, where its members cannot wait to serve one another and their communities. Let's be the church on other days than Sunday.
I want to get into so much more. I'm going to try and tackle the "relationship v religion" topic next week. I'm thankful for the wealth of articles and topics that come across my way. I'm thankful too to have a forum for my thoughts. I pray that my own hang-ups and differences will not cause my brother to pause and wonder why they don't see Jesus in me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)