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I have definitely been struggling of late with the institution of the church. My part in the institute is on stage, so really I mostly struggle with every aspect of The Show. That is a subject for an entirely different blog page. Perhaps I will start that one day. But for today… that is a sufficient set-up.
Wednesday night had been a particularly focused day of struggle with the various rules and guidelines and games played while putting on the show. The show we are involved in keeps growing into a bigger and bigger production, which is fine, except that I hate it. 🙂
So, when I get there, every detail that needs to be taken care of grinds on me. Every step is ordered. (Which is also not me at all…) Several things happened that reminded me that the focus is SO not in the right place. At least for me. The focus, our energy, our everything is placed heavily on the production rather than the initial goal of the production. The initial idea is good, but somehow that gets lost in the fleshing out.
I was so weighed down by so many things… how could it get worse?? As I climbed the stairs of the stage to do our first song… I remembered I had not turned my cell phone off. CELL PHONES RINGING ON STAGE ARE A BIG FAT NO-NO!!! But I thought… (1) It won’t ring… and (2) GOOD! if it does!! (Sometimes I can be spiteful…)
So we do our set, and what should happen as we the last chord slowly decays…
RRRRING….. RRRRRING….
(Well, you know… more like a brreeep… but… less effective literarily…)
It was perfect. My cell phone was heard, I believe quite audibly. At EXACTLY the wrong time for the Institution.
We sat down along the side wall, behind everyone and I thought about how silly it was that I just didn’t turn my phone off… how I would probably be the butt of a joke or two since my cell phone rang DURING a worship song…
And then I decided to check my message. During “The Message”, I was listening to my voice mail. Again, not exactly protocol for your average Joe Worshipper… but… just had a hunch.
My hunch was right. It was a call from a member of our small group (perhaps, our “real church”?) who really needed us to pray for them that night. And just wanted to talk.
So, I got up, went outside, and talked. And during the course of the conversation about some really tough decisions they are dealing with… my friend said, “You guys just mean so much to us… your friendship is so important to us.”
And I was glad I called.
But one more noticeable thing happened that night.
As I was talking with our friend on the phone, in the lobby outside of the worship room, another friend came out and saw me and another gentleman on our phones. She scoffed and said, “That’s so wrong!” She meant, “We’re worshipping here, people!!! Cell phones are for OTHER times… not for the worship times… not for CHURCH!!!!”
And I don’t know what the other guy was talking about… but does that matter?
What is more important? Helping a friend in time of need (on the phone) or listening to another truth from Jesus presented in a most entertaining and easily digestible fashion? Loving each other, or sitting in a neatly ordered semi-circle, watching The Show?
The Important was laid out by Jesus.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” And, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
The Show is fun, and good, and helpful. But pales in comparison to answering the cell phone that disrupted the mood we were trying to set for The Show, and loving the person on the other end when they need it most.
That’s important.
greg… only got a third of the way through before posting a commentary. Wanted to make you feel better. This sunday night we played a smokin’ set at Capax, had a great, organic worship time… still trying to find ways to discribe the music portion of what we do there… and Jason was doing the message part. He was talking about Jeremiah 4, where God is being a bit rough with his children and such, making firm statements of re-molding the clay if he pleases. and just as he’s making his point, my cell-phone goes off. Don’t worry, it’s on the service recording too :). and my ringer is a midi version of a John Mayer tune (a great tune, albeit a bit sensual) called “Your Body is a Wonderland”… how’s the for pious and out-of-place! it happens. I think your point is that your congregation didn’t laugh and joke about it… it spoiled the mood. that’s poopy, and i’m sorry for that. i’m going to read more of your entry now 🙂 don’t forget to turn off your ringer 😉
Well… It didn’t disrupt the mood for me… down front, left. 😉 I got a chuckle out of it, and figured so what… I’ve done it too!
No matter how big it gets here, you guys are making a difference, at least for me.
Greg keep Church about GOD. If it is about people no church will feed you. We are Brothers and Sisters in Christ and when was the last time you saw a family that didn’t bicker from time to time? I know that Christ was aware of the people around him much like your gas station relization. He was (And Is through us.) always serving and not caring what others thought. Serve the need(wash the feet) and keep your eye on the wounds. Thats how the healing starts. The spiritual is the real reality.
ah, man. awesome. i wish i had the cahunas to do something like that. at southeast, that was like bob’s BIGGEST pet peeves. and one time a cell phone went off and it was his daughter-in-law’s. good stuff.
we’re tired of The Show, too. and josh is, like you, tired of the fact that he’s the one who weekly has to put on a Show that he doesn’t necessarily believe is what the church needs and doesn’t necessarily believe that they should be paying someone to create The Show. great thoughts. i’ll have to have him read this one. 🙂
mike, your comment about the john mayer song was great. too bad everyone knows better than to call me on sunday morning. dangit!
I have to wonder if “the mood” is exactly what kills our faith in the first place. I go to church looking for a mood and I’m let down when I don’t get it. I read my Bible or Christian philosophy when I’m in “the mood”, but I’m inspired with little more than piety when I wait for “the mood.” I give people time when I’m in the mood to do so, but rush off when I’m not. I worship when I’m in the mood, but I don’t do so well when I’m not.
I guess what I’m saying is this: The Show (as Greg refers) is made to “set the mood.” Speaking in that sense, I’ve seen The Show succeed for the moment and I’ve seen it fail miserably. The sad thing is that we forget The Show isn’t about us. And we forget that God works when and where and how he wants. Sometimes that means he interrupts The Show to remind us that there are needs beyond our feel-good times.
I’m speaking to myself here as much as anything, so don’t go off on me. =)
Wow–makes me think… Good post.
One man’s show is another man’s expression of faith and committment. Regardless of whether it’s a big production with a thousand people or we sell our buildings and meet in homes convinced that we’ve recreated first century christianity, there will be those that are true disciples and “get it” and those that don’t.
I think the sisters comment is a great lesson for us all. The fact that we seem so willing to let anything interrupt us when we are in a moment that we’ve chosen to focus completely on Him disturbs me… and yet rushing to judgement and assuming that “the call” wasn’t a Spirit-Led event is equally disturbing.
I remember the time with a group where I was so frustrated with the cell phone and text messaging I passed a box around collecting everyone’s cell phone until the end of the meeting. I’m so spiritual 🙂