It was worship, the web site declared, and so I went. It was the first time at this large church in existence for only 10 years. Casual dress, and I was prepared for that; one hour and a half hours: not ready for that, and I was hungry when I headed home at 11:15.
No organ or piano, but I was ready for that: 4 guitars, 1 set of drums, and two vocalists. Not a single song they sang (and I mean the two vocalists, not the congregation–when I looked around to see if I was supposed to be singing, all I saw was here and there lips move, but only slightly, then only occasionally) was familiar to me.
The best music was when they played “Help, I Need Somebody.” I recall it as a song the Beatles used to sing, but none of the people on stage singing were even born when the Beatles were singing it. I think they meant it as a prayer, calling out to God, as it were. But I liked the recollection of the Beatles. Too bad they didn’t sing a hymn that was as old as the Beatles song.
In place of candles, which I never liked, they had 13 rotating, pulsating, color flood light. In place of stained glass there were three screens including the center one that measured, I estimate, 20 feet by 35 feet. The graphics were terrific although not a single one depicted anything from the Bible or from Christian history. In fact, I did not see a single religious image or symbol: made me wonder if they were ashamed of their heritage.
Of course, there was no silence; that would have been a sure sign somebody had missed a cue. There was no congregational engagement–no unison prayers, no reading of scripture, no recitation of things we all believe, no confession of sin: none of that stuff–except clapping, and we clapped a lot.
But the preacher was good: well prepared, engaging, articulate, and relevant. It’s not about you, he told us during the first 20 minutes; but during the second 20 minutes he took it back, somewhat, because what he said was this: It’s not about you but it is about us, our church, our ministry and we need you to get involved with us. Get out of the bleachers and onto the playing field! It was an old use of a familiar metaphor. Not once did he mention our service to the world, to the human race, to those people who never come to a worship service. I am certain the congregation does some good stuff in the world but it was not mentioned today.
And speaking of metaphors: his sermon had most of the 9 marks of a good sermon: one simple idea, a sound textual base, and relevance to the needs of the people, a metaphor, a question, and a story, a call to action, plenty of passion, and a slice or two of the Jesus story. It kept my attention, something most sermons can not do, but if it had been shorter and focused on the world and not the church I would have walked away an admirer.
But he did have a terrific sense of humor and that covers a multitude of homiletic sins.