We had a good weekend here in the sunny South. Saturday was kind of a lazy day, which was nice because there hadn't been too many of those lately. Sunday morning could have been better. In the church service, we spent the first ten minutes or so worshipping America. Don't get me wrong. I love this country and I'm grateful to God for his blessings on it. I just don't think a corporate gathering for worship should be centered around something other than God. I don't have any problem remembering those who died defending our liberties during the service. But when the choir sings "I'm Proud to be an American" and every other song praises this country rather than the one who gave us our freedom, then I have a problem. If a church wants to center something around a celebration of America and the sacrifices some have made, that's fine. Just have it on Memorial Day. I don't believe the Sunday AM time is the end of all things for followers of Jesus, but I feel like something was missing.
I'm at one of those crossroads that I come across from time to time.There are a couple of different directions I could go. The problem is that I don't know which way to go and I really don't have very much control over things. I'm just standing here, enjoying the scenery, watching other people go on their way, and waiting for God to show me a direction.
At the same time, I'm feeling a bit of discontentment with things as they are now. I don't know if it's because I'm tired and ready for this school year to be over, or if it's something else. Maybe the Spirit has put this in me. I just know that there are some changes that need to be made. Whether they are changes in my situation or ministry, or just changes that need to happen within me is something I'm unsure of.
4 comments:
Amen! I have the same sentiments with regards to Memorial Day being recognized during the church service. I wrote about that on my blog, and while I found a number of people who agreed with me, I also found some disagreement. Not being an American gives me a different outlook on this too. I find the American relationship to church and state interesting, because although they claim separation between the two, there is something still there that's holding on to it.
That's so ironic. I'm discontented in my church. A number of things. Mostly that I feel that I can't speak. I feel that the minister can't see God in his congregation. We are in the middle of a building campaign, and I see elderly people with doubts and fears being not only disregarded, but hear people saying, "Well, we KNEW we were going to lose people," even before they lost people, acting as if it is no great loss if people move on to other churches. I'm FOR the new building, but feel that we should be moving toward it in a loving way, sensitive to the concerns of others...if a church is it's people, our church IS tearing itself down, literally. And like you, I stand, and I watch, and I wait for God to tell me what to do.
Jake, I think many in America give lip service to separation between church and state, until they want to use the church for political ends, or vice versa.
Debby, the church I'm currently in is going through the same struggles and losing people. Our problem is that we are losing both elderly and young.
Ditto the comments about Sunday a.m. patriotism. I have three generations of military in my family and I love and respect all that they have done--but that is not the purpose of Sunday a.m. worship. :)
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