When my siblings and I get together, we share memories which now cover six decades. We quote things our parents said and reflect on shared experiences. The exercise is both enjoyable and sobering. A recent cruise through the old neighborhood revealed that it takes only a few short years and a place of beauty and full of life can look like a war zone. Our world has leaped technologically from the Neanderthal 50's into the "beyond understanding" twenty-first century, and at the same time redefined morality and ethics.
We can both laugh and lament when we consider changes in church life. My siblings and I shared the same church experience for the first 20 years of life. We experienced a different kind of church music. Our music literature was sung to organ and piano, if two musicians were available. A small eclectic combo of a clarinet, accordion, saxophone and trumpet was part of the Sunday night experience. On Saturday nights we attended "Gospel Sings" featuring the music now heard and celebrated on Christian television infomercials. And, Dad would shake his head in wonderment about what was happening to this young generation’s musical tastes.
Church attendance was a rhythm-setting shared event. My siblings and I were present, habitually seated in the same pew, at least three time a week, twice on Sunday, and every Wednesday. In between, we attended a weekly youth service, began learning ministry in nursing homes every month, and would seldom miss the "Christ’s Ambassadors" youth rallies scattered about the city. On reflection, in a city of nearly two million, the circle of those directly influencing us was very small. But, those few people knew us well and invested much in us.
The fifties and sixties gave way to a sweeping change in the seventies. The "Jesus People" introduced new worship paradigms. We were told that one really ought to sit on the floor and sing to the tones of an acoustic guitar. Larry Norman’s "I Wish We’d All Been Ready," was sung by the youth while older people shook their heads, just like Dad. Leaders wondered what would happen to the church and her young people.
In the decades since, church life has experienced sweeping changes. For a season, if a church didn’t sing "Scripture choruses," it was missing God’s best. Organs became relics. The eclectic combos of our Sunday night experience became well-rehearsed, highly-skilled bands with entertainment value. The "Let’s turn to page number . . ." transition that moved us from one Gospel song to another, gave way to smooth segues with clicking drum sticks signaling the start of a new tempo. High-definition cameras capture images which are projected on huge screens. From my perspective, the last person on the planet without a TV in our home, things have really changed!
In a conversation with my son, a pastor, we spoke about how the church needs to rediscover seasons of waiting on God, learning to listen to the Spirit, and to share burdens. Jonathan said, "Seventy-five minutes Sunday morning isn’t enough to get it all done, Dad."
Winston Churchill’s, "The further backward you can look, the farther forward you can see," has applications for us. In looking back, we learn –
- Those who resist change become sideline observers. The "antis" cannot lead others to eternal truth, but become embittered and entrenched, while gathering a few others of similar persuasion into irrelevant clusters of complaint. Do you remember the right-wing movements of the 80's and 90's? They are no where near a majority and will not be the leaders to redemptive change because they have alienated the very people they say they love. Angry criticism has never opened the door to dialogue and understanding.
- The Message of the Gospel is still in tact! The Message is indestructible. The church will never be obsolete, no matter who declares otherwise! While Dad couldn’t wrap his arms around the Gospel music which formed my siblings and me, the Lord about whom we each sang and to whom we prayed, has secured us in His grace. I still prefer the sounds of a great pipe organ and will gladly sing Eliza Hewitt’s "My Faith Has Found a Resting Place," before almost anything else. But, I also know that there will be more drummers and guitarists than organists for the foreseeable future.
- Those who are determining the direction for the church of the future are wise if they listen to the caution of those who have a longer rearward view. Present leaders, like those of the past, need a thorough historical perspective. The Psalmist taught Israel to sing –
Psalm 78
I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old
what we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.
He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children,
so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.
Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.
One last comment, God’s Word is the most accurate record of God’s thoughts, His handiwork, and His intentions for every generation. John wrote, "These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His Name." (John 20:21)
No comments:
Post a Comment