2-24-25<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is a joke that I have heard told in church circles. Some Christians hush me up when I tell it; but others, as I say, regard it is entre-nous<\/em>: between us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It goes something like this\u2026 no, it goes exactly like this: \u201cI heard about a church that was so strict that the preacher constantly warned against extra-marital affairs \u2013 on the grounds that it might lead to dancing,<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, it\u2019s not a great joke, and probably not great theology either. But it reminds us of impulses and lessons and results, three things that the church was instituted in order to address, for our sakes, in our lives. Yes, fellowship of believers too. Yes, to praise and honor God. Yes, to equip us to go into the community and be salt and light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I have been thinking about \u201cchurch-y\u201d things lately, partly because I am getting married in a week. How to order a service (Mickey and I want \u201cstraight out of the liturgy\u201d); how much Bible readings and what hymns and such. As a historian, I have been interested in the modes of worship through the centuries \u2013 the role of music; congregational singing, or not; lengths of the service; when the Catholic Church forbade their flocks to read the Bible (unbelievable!); exuberance vs \u201ckeeping silence\u201d; etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Things that seem super-important<\/em> ultimately might be superficial<\/em> in other times or other places. My comfort-zones of corporate worship have evolved from loving liturgy to traditional modes to Pentecostalism; from small groups to Seeker churches to mega-churches to loving liturgy again, retaining what blessed me in different modes along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Worship is derived from \u201cworth-ship\u201d: God should be glorified; He is a jealous God who desires our devotion; and we need a vehicle to inspire and refresh us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mt friend Heather Renea Heaven recently shared something about these matters:<\/p>\n\n\n\n ~~ Go To Church Anyway ~~<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are having sex before marriage, go to church anyway.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are a drug addict trying to beat addiction, go to church anyway.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you were out drunk all night the night before, go to church anyway.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you aren\u2019t sure what gender you prefer, go to church anyway.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you can\u2019t quit that disgusting habit, go to church anyway.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n CHURCH is a hospital for the BROKEN, LOST, EMPTY, CONFUSED, DESPERATE, and REJECTED.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Every saint has a past. And every sinner has a future!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I will add one thought, recalling a sign I saw once outside a church, addressed to people who shun churches because of the \u201ctype\u201d of people you might find there, and use that excuse:<\/p>\n\n\n\n