A More Entertaining Service
OK, so you have to hear this. I just got off the phone with a "marketing firm" wanting to ask me questions about how to better market General Assembly 2009 in Orlando - which I will do my part and highly encourage you to attend. The woman, I don't know if she is a Nazarene or just a call-center employee, asked about what stood out to me about the last General Assembly I was at. I told her it had been a while. I believe I was in high school, so it would have been the early 90's in Indy. I told her that what stood out to me was the silly wafer/cup communion elements. I told her it was the first time I saw them, was shocked, and that I hope I will never have to see them again.
She was silent for a moment, perhaps not knowing how to respond. Then she began asking questions about the Sunday Night Communion Service. In the dialogue, she expressed that it was their hope that the Communion Service would have a better attendance and that not so many people would leave early to get back home. Some of the changes we will notice - according to this young woman - are:
Family Day: moved to Monday morning to encourage people to stay - OK, fine, sounds good to me.
Service Length: the service is being shortened so as not to become to long and drawn out. - EXCELLENT, nothing worse than a 2 hour service when it can easily be done in 1!
A More Entertaining Service: WHAT? *&!^#@$(*@#$&* Since when is the Eucharist entertaining? Can you just imagine that upper room: Jesus, "This is my body broken for you." Apostles, "O man, Jesus, that is hilarious - tell us another one!" Jesus, "OK - This is the cup of salvation, given for you." Apostles, "HA! HA! HA! Jesus, you are so entertaining! Do you mind if maybe we have a skit when you are finished?"
Why does it seem that the message of holiness and the pursuit of holiness is waning so in our world and in our denomination? If the Lord's Supper is not understood as holy, what is? What to recover the doctrine of holiness, start with the Lord's Supper - start with worship. Let's at least act like we believe in a holy God. Maybe then we can start to see some lives changed!
Sorry for the rant.
EF+
posted by EF + at 9:19 AM
4 Comments:
Eric,
This is the second rant in a row . . . WUWT?
Ahh, the ever-popular Peel-a-Meals . . .
I can understand your dismay, although, being the Orthodox-wannabe that I am, I say we have a 3 hour service and we stand for most of it. Prostrations, anyone?
I'm sure I have an idea of what "more entertaining" might mean in Nazarene context -- i.e. M7's most memorable song about "going all the way . . . with Jesus." There's no end to the creep factor with that one.
But I do think there is a place for entertainment, for pleasure, enjoyableness, whatever, in the presence of the Triune God. See Tomie de Paola's Clown of God. Holiness is not simply dread, and we worship a risen Christ. The Table is a feast.
It is not surprising however, that a denomination born out of American pragmatism and emotionalism should now require some cheap thrills even at its highest levels.
As you are well aware, our glaring lack of ecclesial and sacramental theology leave us nothing through which we can give theological meaning or value to the things we do.
Once again, I feel your pain, man, I feel your pain.
P.Julia
wow. no need to apologize - that was rant worthy.
we MUST begin to understand the Eucharist as an indispensible part of our Sanctification.
and as just a weird, out-of-left-field comment, we should have a get-together, day-conference kind of thing for we Ohio Nazarenes who care about liturgical renewal and sacramental worship in the COTN - there are at least a dozen of us (6 couples) that I can think of off the top of my head.
Eric,
Okay, first of all I just want to say once again that if we maintain an adequate understanding of "entertainment" this wouldn't be a problem. In fact our Lord Jesus Christ is entertaining us when we come to the table. . . in a sort of oaks of Mamre kind of way. Jesus Christ is our Host. This is the focus of true hospitality, that which cures us of sin and death. Corinthians 11 talks about remembering this death defeating death everytime we are hosted.
Anyway, good rant nonetheless. We should have a get together. I need some positive presence.
evan
Evan, Julia,
You know I agree, and you also are aware that what you are talking about is not what they were talking about.
On a side note, I saw on news an interview with the head honcho of the Washington Nationals ballpark where the Holy Father will be celebrating Mass today. They talked about the challenge of serving the supper to 46,000 people in under twenty minutes. They showed all the gold chalices lined up on a table and I thought to myself, "if they only knew about communion-to-go!"
Brannon,
I think a get together would be great. Send me an email, I would love to see if we can organize something:
eefrey@gmail.com
What about a national get together at GA?
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