I Came To Your Church Today

It was another stormy day. I decided I would go to church anyway, because I wanted to be amongst those I loved.

When I got to the building, the service had just started. There was no usher to greet me, but I figured they were busy seating someone else, so I would wait my turn. 

I could see through the window, happy faces, and some who were frowning, but most everyone had found a place to sit. Surely, someone would come and let me in. After a little bit, I knocked on the door. I waited patiently, but no one came.

I could faintly hear the music playing, and see the leader of the service waving his arms and singing a lively tune and much of the crowd joined in. A couple people toward the back kept talking and shaking their heads, but I figured perhaps they were new, and didn’t understand what was going on.

I had been to this church before in the past and was warmly embraced and made to feel at home. But it wasn’t that way today. Instead I stood out in the cold, with the wind howling around me. Shivering a bit I pulled my clothes tighter around me and knocked a bit harder. Surely, someone would hear me.

I saw a few people raising their hands, and the music stopped for a bit. I knocked again hurriedly. I assumed that maybe they hadn’t heard me over the music before. The leader at the front was nodding, and speaking and pointing at different ones near the front. Then everyone stood up, and a bit of murmuring could be heard. Ahh, they were praying. Okay, maybe I will wait just a little bit longer. I don’t want to interrupt them praying for their needs.

Then everyone sat down, and three ladies in bright colored dresses came to the pulpit. One talked a bit, and then they began to sing. I could hear the organ playing over the sound of the words, but I knew they were singing a special song. A few people raised their hands, a couple clapped, and I saw one lady in the back pull out her nail clippers and begin to work on her left hand.

One small face peered at me over the pew, smiled a bit and turned to the man beside him and said something, and looked back at me again. The man didn’t turn his head. The ladies finished their song, and the leader was back at the front.

Hey, there go the ushers, up to the front. Surely one of them will see me this time.  They bowed their heads briefly, and then walked down the aisles, right toward me, but they stopped at the pews, took up the offering and then went back to their seats.

Then a lady got up, I guess she must have been the leader’s wife. She was pointing to a place on a map, and talking and talking, and then she had everyone stand and they prayed again for a moment and sat back down and continued their program.

I figured it couldn’t hurt, so I knocked again once more.  No one seemed to hear me. The leader went back to the pulpit, opened up his Bible and read a few scriptures, and began to speak. I couldn’t really make out what he was saying, it was sort of muffled, but he must have been very direct in what he was saying because his face was red, and with his right hand he was pointing at the crowd and gesturing a lot. He looked back toward me but must have been too caught up in what he was saying to  see me standing there.

Wait, a moment a lady and a little boy are walking directly toward me. Finally, someone heard me knocking. The little boy looked right at me. The lady had to see me. She was coming right this way. No. She turned just past the door and went into another room near the water fountain.  I will wait  just a bit longer for her to come back out. 

The little boy comes out first and starts walking down the hall. The lady comes out hurriedly and catches up to the little boy and grabs his hand. They didn’t open the door for me. They surely had seen me? Maybe they were too busy.

The leader at the front is motioning to people. Some are standing up and walking toward the front. Most are turning to each other, grabbing their coats and talking.  I realize I have stood here all morning and the service is now over. Pretty soon people will be leaving and I never got to spend time with them.

They already had their programs, their singing, their offerings, their speaker, and their prayer.

I came to your church today, but no one let me in.

I wonder if I came to your house instead, someone would answer the door?

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.  Rev. 3:20

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Pause and Think About It!

Today while working on projects for a new client, I have spent a lot of time listening to some of the gospel music I listened to growing up. It brought back a lot of memories and the majority of them were great.

There was something about those old songs, that moved the angels and people were brought to worship. The impact of those days is still felt today, and yet some try to get rid of the past, bury it under a pile of 'a new day, a new spirit, change' and think they are doing the right thing.

I am sorry to be a downer, but a lot of the music of today just fills up space. If you cannot sing the glory down, and lift each other, as you lift the praises up in songs that are just repetition of one phrase over and over and over... then you are missing the whole point of the purpose of music.

In the Bible, there were singers and musicians appointed to lead the way into battle ahead of the armies. Think about that. We hide behind those who are 'stronger, more spiritual, bro so and so, etc' when really it is the job of the praisers to lead the way into the battle. However, it is apparent a lot of the time, that the singers, and musicians, have not prepared themselves, and they lead in uncertain directions, waiting on someone else to take charge. Music orginally was not to be entertainment or space filler, it was meant to change the atmosphere.

Saul, when he was troubled, called for David to come and play that his spirits may be settled. Most churches now, music is an after thought, or something to do before the preaching or during the offering. And frankly, most of the music of today, does not have the same impact as some of the songs of the past.

Gone are the days of Holy, Holy, Holy, The Old Rugged Cross, Crimson Stream, and An Old Account Was Settled. Gone are the days when grandma would wail from the back of the church in agony over someone else's soul. We want it compact, fresh, high impact, and if it isn't... somehow we do not think it belongs. We leave people fighting the battles on their own, and we do our little shout, jump, and then its time to head for some fellowship time.

The difference in yesterday's music from today, isn't that people of today cannot write good songs; some are very good, but for the most part it comes down to the inspiration of the song, and the anointing.

I realize not all songs of today are lacking power and not all of them do not touch lives, but it has been a long time since I was in a revival that went past 9:00pm. Yes, I know people work, yes I know that we have to get up in the morning or have worked hard all day, but there was a day when being in the presence of God was enough to sustain us, and we would get up do what we had to do the next day and come back still refreshed. It changed lives, and you are reading this today, because in that 'past' someone was moved on by the spirit, and they led others and that is why you are here.

In the 1970's the music began to change, and some were worried about this new beat that was similar to the hippies and then disco came along. But the praises still went up, churches were packed, and the truth was still preached. In the 80s, we still had great songs and there was still an anointing, and bus ministries brought in 1000s of children to Sunday School which impacted lives and they brought their families. In the 90s, the anointing wavered a bit, there were a lot of programs on how to do this or that, some wanted to see change, and yet, there was still revival. Then along came 2000 and people wanted change, the programs weren't working; people threw out the standards by which we had been raised thinking that was the reason, and they started making songs to go with this 'new image' the church was trying to achieve. Gone were the hours of weeping in the altar, gone was the wail from the back pew, that just wasn't cool anymore. Instead we brought in light shows, smoke, cranked the volume up, took off our ties and suits, and were surprised when the churches didn't explode with people. Churches going through transition blame it on this one or that, or the fact that 'people just don't love God anymore.'

The reality is, we changed. We got worried about what everyone else would think of us, and we climbed in the box with them. Let's have peace, joy, grace, mercy, but lets leave out the meat of the word. Lets change the words we say to better reflect the change in society; don't want to offend anyone. The message didn't change all that much, but the method of delivery did.

Just this past week I heard of a church that if you happen to miss the service, they will 'text you the message.' Really? Is that what we have become. I love technology, but it is just a tool!

I wonder what would happen, if we stepped away from the computers, the multi-level sound systems, the "online pre-chewed by someone else before us" messages, and actually set aside time to really pray about what God wants. I wonder what would happen if we picked up an old song book and started from the front and sang "Where could I go but to the Lord." But, instead we flip on the radio, "oh that song has a good beat, and its up to date, and I think its cool, so lets learn that one."

And so they attempt to teach it to the church, while half the congregation sits there like they don't know what is going on. Because they don't.

Maybe we all need to go "back to our old landmarks" the places where "we" first found God and remember what is used to be like. Have a few "retro" services and let the glory take precedence over the offering, or the program. Lets spend time feeling out the spirit, rather than checking our email for today's message and figuring that the one you have been sent is good enough for the members.

But I know, we just don't have time anymore...

for things that matter most...

for lives that need direction...

for peace of mind knowing where we are headed...

for that one LOST sheep.

Pause and Think About It!

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