In the postwar years, following the end of World War II and the Korean War, churches were packed with people on Sunday mornings. In addition to sanctuaries, educational buildings and fellowship spaces were soon constructed. Sadly, many of those spaces are underutilized today, if they are used at all. Much has changed in the past seventy years.
I have often listened to elders complain about cultural changes that have encroached on Sunday mornings. At every planning retreat I have attended, there someone who offers a sharp critique of the culture. That long-time member starts railing, "When I was young, we didn't have all these sports on Sunday mornings. Families made worship a weekly priority. Now there are games, even on Sundays, and families travel for the whole weekend to make sure their kids have the best sports programs." Often the lament ends with blaming younger families who have abandoned their church, leaving the seventy and eighty year olds to shoulder all the responsibility and do all the work. That finger wagging and blaming is both endless and exhausting.
In my earlier days of ministry, I wrote and spoke a lot about "commitment." I preached about the commitment that is required of Christ's disciples. Yes, there is a cost of discipleship, but there is also a joy. In the book we are studying in our adult education this fall, Diana Butler Bass points out that sports provide an opportunity for corporate thankfulness. People need to be together to play. We need to cheer on our team, to hope for its success and victory, even when that is elusive and a long time coming. Being on a team and being fans of the team is fun.
Sports are meeting a deep need. It's not that we imagine that our children will all become professional athletes. Rather, we need a setting to gather, to be playful and grateful. So, what good does it do to shake a pious finger at families who are absent from worship on Sundays? In most cases it only serves to drive folks further away. Guilt is not a source of gratitude and joy. It does create a joyful congregation.
Rather than becoming hypercritical, it is time to be creative. What really brings us together and causes our hearts to beat with joy? Where is the playfulness in our worship? I often find that in music. God speaks through the singing of choirs and congregations. There is joy in baptism as we remember how we are enfolded in God's love and life. There is joy in sharing the loaf and the cup, when Christ is remembered and shared. There is joy in the cooing and crying of children, watching them skip down the aisle and dash away to Sunday school. There is joy in realizing that we are not all alone and that our lives matter to God and to our friends. The United Methodist Church once posted a large billboard along a busy highway in St. Louis. It pictured the a basketball team, sitting court side in a gym. The caption read: "Teamwork begins on the bench." I still remember passing by that sign and smiling. I looked forward to seeing it. We are all members of the same team.
So, perhaps it is time for us to examine our churches, to become more creative and playful when we worship. This is not to imply that we should discard our cherished traditions, our rites and rituals, for those give us identity and purpose. But, perhaps it is time to imagine a new church, to sing it into being, to practice together on Sunday mornings, to be simultaneously prayerful and playful. We are all on the same team! Play ball! Thanks be to God!
I have often listened to elders complain about cultural changes that have encroached on Sunday mornings. At every planning retreat I have attended, there someone who offers a sharp critique of the culture. That long-time member starts railing, "When I was young, we didn't have all these sports on Sunday mornings. Families made worship a weekly priority. Now there are games, even on Sundays, and families travel for the whole weekend to make sure their kids have the best sports programs." Often the lament ends with blaming younger families who have abandoned their church, leaving the seventy and eighty year olds to shoulder all the responsibility and do all the work. That finger wagging and blaming is both endless and exhausting.
In my earlier days of ministry, I wrote and spoke a lot about "commitment." I preached about the commitment that is required of Christ's disciples. Yes, there is a cost of discipleship, but there is also a joy. In the book we are studying in our adult education this fall, Diana Butler Bass points out that sports provide an opportunity for corporate thankfulness. People need to be together to play. We need to cheer on our team, to hope for its success and victory, even when that is elusive and a long time coming. Being on a team and being fans of the team is fun.
Sports are meeting a deep need. It's not that we imagine that our children will all become professional athletes. Rather, we need a setting to gather, to be playful and grateful. So, what good does it do to shake a pious finger at families who are absent from worship on Sundays? In most cases it only serves to drive folks further away. Guilt is not a source of gratitude and joy. It does create a joyful congregation.
Rather than becoming hypercritical, it is time to be creative. What really brings us together and causes our hearts to beat with joy? Where is the playfulness in our worship? I often find that in music. God speaks through the singing of choirs and congregations. There is joy in baptism as we remember how we are enfolded in God's love and life. There is joy in sharing the loaf and the cup, when Christ is remembered and shared. There is joy in the cooing and crying of children, watching them skip down the aisle and dash away to Sunday school. There is joy in realizing that we are not all alone and that our lives matter to God and to our friends. The United Methodist Church once posted a large billboard along a busy highway in St. Louis. It pictured the a basketball team, sitting court side in a gym. The caption read: "Teamwork begins on the bench." I still remember passing by that sign and smiling. I looked forward to seeing it. We are all members of the same team.
So, perhaps it is time for us to examine our churches, to become more creative and playful when we worship. This is not to imply that we should discard our cherished traditions, our rites and rituals, for those give us identity and purpose. But, perhaps it is time to imagine a new church, to sing it into being, to practice together on Sunday mornings, to be simultaneously prayerful and playful. We are all on the same team! Play ball! Thanks be to God!
No comments:
Post a Comment