Tag Archives: Sunday

Are you ready for this Sunday?

03 Friday Feb 2017

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Are you ready for Sunday?  It’s a big day of course.  Lots of people are looking forward to it.  I can’t believe that some people who really don’t care about it all though.  They haven’t paid attention to it for years.  It makes no sense.  Just think of all the good things that come on Sunday.  First the food.  It will be amazing – some of the best there ever was.  I know that where I’ll be we’ll have wine to celebrate and food that just makes me feel alive.  And there will be plenty for everyone who comes.

As somebody who’s been thinking about and analyzing everything that’s going to happen on Sunday, I have to say I can’t wait to share my thoughts with the people I’ll be spending time with.  I’ve been thinking about this Sunday all week – I just can’t keep my mind off of it.  I’ve been reading other people’s analysis as well – there’s some great insights going around the web.

And half the fun is seeing who shows up on Sunday for our celebration and what they wear.  I already have my uniform picked out and ready to go.  There will be no denying where my allegiance will be.

At the beginning, I know there will be lots of confessing going on – people admitting that they aren’t really die hard fans, but they like what they hear or see.  Some will say that they just aren’t ready to commit to either team.  That might cause some friendships to end though. People are really serious about this stuff.  Others will be back like before, just because it’s their habit to come.  Still others will come because of the food – people gotta eat right?

Oh and the money that is spent for Sunday – wow, you can’t even imagine.  It’s like people are just handing it over. Some people are really committed to this celebration.

I’m curious though what people will be talking about on Monday – the analysis, the food, who was there, something else?

When it’s all over, there will be smiles and sadness, laughter and tears, hopes fulfilled and hopes dashed.  We’ll leave, go back to our lives and look forward to the next time when we can do it all again.

Yeah, I think I’m all ready for church.  How about you?

Wait, did you think I was talking about something else?

Sunday Flea Market

09 Tuesday Feb 2016

Posted by in Church, Humanity, Society, Theology

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Every Sunday as I am heading to church at 7:30am to get ready to assist with worship or preach or anything else that I’m scheduled to do that day, I pass by something that creates questions in my mind.  I pass by a flea market.  It’s a large flea market.  And people are setting up their wares – both outside the market and inside.  There must be hundreds of vendors.

My wife passed by this same flea market this past Sunday around 9:50am on her way from our church to another church so she could play the organ there.  She told me there was a line out the door – people waiting patiently to get in, probably pretty excited to be there.  And I would guess they were regulars too – people who come to this flea market every week.

This makes no sense to me, which is why I’ve got lots of questions about this.  I’m not one of those people who would be standing in line at a flea market – any flea market ever.  And especially not on a Sunday morning, standing in line in the cold.  It’s a different world to me.  Just as my world is a different planet for these people.

I’m not looking for answers to these questions, but I feel that the questions need to be asked.

What makes people want to stand in line to get into a flea market, week after week, even in the cold?  What’s the motivation?  Is it to fill some kind of emptiness inside?  Is it consumerism?  Are the deals really that great?  Is is a love of shopping?  Is it a social event?  Is it all of these, none of these and more?

What makes people want to set up and be outside at 7:30am in the cold on a Sunday, but none of these people would probably dare think about stepping inside a church?  Why?  Did something happen to them that rubbed them wrong?  Do they feel that church is not relevant to their lives?  Do they feel that church is boring?  Has church ever been a part of their lives before?

I wonder what would happen if someone set up a mobile church service right at the flea market?  Would people even go?  Would they ignore it?  Would they stop by as if it were some kind of other vendor?  Would the church service get kicked out?

I wonder if any of the people at the flea market used to attend the church I am serving now.  What caused them to such a dramatic change?  Why a flea market?  Is it somewhere that doesn’t ask you to change your life?  Is it somewhere that accepts you for who you are?  Is it more comfortable?  Is it a place where you don’t have to confront your own faults?  Is it somewhere that you feel more in touch with God?  Or have these people given up on God? Or maybe they’re just spiritual now, throwing off corporate organized religion for something else.  Do these people even think about God?  Or is God just some nebulous idea – something out there somewhere, but not really having any impact on their life.

Kids in Church

31 Tuesday Mar 2015

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Being a seminarian and having a family with four children makes our family stick out usually.  “My, that’s a big family these days,” is a typical expression. I don’t know if it’s a compliment or some kind of slight that is supposed to imply something. I usually just agree with the person offering it and move on.

Our family goes to church most Sundays.  There are some exceptions from time to time, but generally you can find us at church at some point on the weekend.  It really just depends on when the service is offered.  And being overseas can complicate the matter a little.  We try to find a service in English so the kids won’t feel too lost.

Having our kids in church is important to us.  They don’t always want to go, but they do come along and sometimes actually enjoy it.

I know I’m not the only one who takes their children to church – this is not something novel.  Elizabeth Rowlings wrote a great article on getting kids to willingly come to church.

Here are my own insights into getting kids to church from a different perspective – a future pastor’s perspective.  Here’s what I want to do as a future pastor to encourage families with children and make sure they feel welcome in attending church.

1. A seminary professor once told a class I was in that architecture trumps theology every time.  So true.  When it comes to children that means we have to think about how to be creative with the spaces we have in church.  I have seen many churches do this effectively and I think they do a great job.

Here’s one example from a Kallio kirkko, in Helsinki, Finland:Kallio Kirkko, HelsinkiAcross the Atlantic in the US, I can highlight my home congregation, Zion Lutheran in Etters, PA, USA.  Our pastor had the first pew removed and made a young kids-friendly space.  Talk about making it obvious that families are welcome!

2. Kids involved in worship.  Not just on youth Sunday either.  If we want to send the message that children are important, then what better way to do that than through actions – like involving children in worship as often as possible.

3. Spending time with children – This doesn’t mean I will be teaching every Sunday School class there is – but I can make a time investment in other ways.

4. Speaking of Sunday School, maybe its time to rethink how Christian education happens.

5. Sacramental stuff – I have no theological problem with having children receive communion.  Whoever came up with idea that you had to fully understand what was going on in order to receive communion had a nice idea, but really – do we honestly think that most adults fully understand what’s happening in the Eucharist?

6. Confirmation – I’ve seen too many Confirmation programs that just seem physically painful for everyone involved – students, the pastor, parents, etc.  Like Sunday School, maybe it’s time to rethink how this happens and when.

So, now that I have that wonderful list, here’s the other part of the list that is important – the consequences.

1. People have to be willing to have noise in church.  If you are going to children, then there is going to be noise.  There is no way around that.  And if there is going to be children in church, there is going to be plenty of movement around the church.  Little ones will wander, adults will chase.  Other children will be lying around, playing, etc.  I saw one church deal with this effectively – Verkosto – it’s a blend of Lutheran and Pentecostal services in Helsinki.  The church wants children in the service and no one has any issue with the lively and noisy nature of that decision.

2. People have to be willing to have imperfection in worship.  Children don’t have nearly as much experience at doing things as adults.  They make mistakes.  Guess what, so do adults – it’s just that adults think that mistakes are not allowed in worship.  As if we are supposed to hide our humanness from God or something.  When children are involved in worship, stuff is going to happen and that’s ok.  And it’s ok for adults too.

3. It’s not all about the children.  The idea is not to focus on one group of people – i.e. children.  The idea is to welcome all to come to worship.  Typically children get the shaft on this in too many churches.  If we take a little time to see how children can be welcome, then maybe we’ll also think about how we welcome the stranger, the visitor, the elderly, the divorced, the outcast, etc.  There are a great many people out there.

What is church?

27 Tuesday Jan 2015

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I recently read an awesome article by Thom Schultz about a church’s obsession with Sunday.  This got me thinking about the relationship of the church with Sunday.

There’s a great deal of history behind church having worship on Sunday – I’m not going to get into all of that here.  There is literally enough history to fill a semester class in seminary.

Some churches go to great length to make Sunday a great show, as Thom talks about in his article.  I am left wondering how much effort is put into being church the rest of the week.

Now don’t get me wrong – I love the liturgy and church.  I wouldn’t be a Lutheran seminarian if I didn’t.  And let me tell you, there’s a huge difference between worship that is done with excellence and worship that is well, less than excellent.  Excellent doesn’t have to be high church either.

So where am I going with all this?  Here’s my list of what makes for a great Sunday worship (or Saturday evening if your church has that option).

1. Intentionality – what’s the point of the worship?  Is it clear that this is leading somewhere?  Or are we just gathering to have some fun or do what we always do because we have always done it this way?

2. Points to the rest of the week – Sunday worship is the kickoff of a weekly game, so to speak.  The game is life and there are seven days to it.  You can’t just stop playing part way through the week – life won’t let you.  Church can be a help for people to get through the week.

3. Excellence – this looks different for each congregation.  Are you using the skills and talents of the people who are a part of the church to really offer up the best praise to God?  Everyone has value and something that they can offer – sometimes you just have to dig a bit to find out what it is.

4. Context – This speaks to the previous point.  Know your context.  Worship should match the people attending for one simple reason – it’s their offering of praise up to God.  It ought to be authentic.  If it is, then it will also be…

5. Relevant – Yes, I know it’s a word that probably gets overused.  However, I can’t think of a better term.  If church and worship aren’t relevant to the people attending, why on earth do you think they will continue to show up?  Church should connect with people’s lives.  Church has something special to offer people – hope, grace, love, forgiveness, among other things.  People desperately need these things.  Even unchurched people search for these things.  Does worship point to these things and how God is active all week-long in offering these desperately needed things in the world?

 

What if we said no?

09 Wednesday Jul 2014

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I saw this article on Facebook. It’s a a good read.

The basic idea is this – what is Christians just said “no” to other activities on Sunday morning?

I’ve experienced this myself. A couple of our kids play sports. We have a decision to make – play the sport on Sunday or go to worship. There’s not a lot of other options.

How we settle this is rather simple – we’ll do a couple of tournaments a year. Missing church a couple of times a year is not a big deal. I miss church for a race here and there too, so no worries. It’s not the end of the world. But otherwise, we just say no to sports Sunday morning. I just think it’s unnecessary.

Now granted, we are fortunate in that the teams our kids are on don’t have Sunday practices or regular games. If that were the case, we’d probably have to find a different sport.

I get the idea that this decision is no easy for many people. What will others think? Will my kids fall behind? What about scholarships? Etc. Lots of questions.

For me it comes down to this – what’s most important to you? What is most important to you long-term. If church is not, then guess what – there’s no problem for you. If it is, you have some soul-searching to do to determine what is important. Are there ways to do worship and sports and make it work – sure are. Many times though our churches don’t help us out much. If this is an issue in your area – is your church working on a solution?

How about offering a worship time that is some other time besides Sunday morning? What other creative ways can worship be done? This is also a wake-up call for the church. Do we want to become just another thing on the list of tasks (in which case, we’ll lose that competition every time), or do we want the church and the message to sink into people’s lives and change their life? If the second option is what we want, then maybe we ought to consider updating how church is done – maybe we’ve attached ourselves to the idols of tradition, a building, and “that’s how we’ve always done it.” These are recipes for death.