I attended three services yesterday and led two of them. The first service was a Catholic mass held in the Methodist Church, they were borrowing our building while their floor was being relaid. It was lovely to welcome folk I rarely see, and to stay and join with them in worship. It was of course completely different from the Methodist preaching service which followed. They knew the liturgy inside and out, most people didn't look at their service sheets and the whole thing flowed seamlessly from start to finish including Fr. Michaels sermon. It ended in an unusual way however as one young man shared his enthusiasm as he told of his recent trip to London during Pope Benedict's visit. He recounted how his University's group had been joined by a bunch of cheering nuns. He described the whole event with joy, it was very affirming.
In a break with tradition the Catholic congregation who normally simply go home, and our congregation who normally share coffee at the end of the service joined together between services for a time of fellowship, breaking biscuits together rather than bread.
The second service was in was in the same Chapel, it is the last congregation where I have pastoral responsibility and they are beginning to get used to the fact that I might spring almost anything on them. Yesterday we had a testimony time, and I was glad to see that folk are really beginning to open up and be real, there were tales of good and bad weeks, and three times we stopped to pray for one another.Preaching here was a joy, partly because I know the people, and partly because they were engaged and actively participating as a result I was able offer folk an opportunity for anointing and prayer towards the end of the service, and was amazed to be greeted with a steady stream of people coming forward.
On aside though, we have a young family who attend infrequently with two young boys, we never know when they are coming. One of the Stewards took me aside and grumbled about there being no children's address. Honestly my feeling on this is that to single out two young lads of 4 & 2 and to pull a talk out of the hat would have been more counter-productive than anything, they were happily engaged in playing and colouring activities their parents know they can be relaxed because I don't mind the sound of children playing. My own children hated being put on the spot and expected to respond to "children's talks", so I tend not to do them. That said we are planning monthly messy church events and this family is actively involved in helping to plan these.
My final service for the day was at a small rural Chapel 40 miles from where I live, although I had sent hymns and reading to the e-mail contact nobody had picked up my e-mail, and nobody had called to ask. So I spent 5 minutes teaching the organist a new chorus (I'm glad I'd arrived early), having no readers available I was also glad that my husband Tim had come with me, and that he had his glasses with him. The twelve people sat in ones and twos at dispersed all over the Chapel, and I found myself leading worship for a group of blank and disengaged faces, oh and my Superintendent who had chosen to come to assess this service. I had chosen a reflective style of worship, with some open ended prayers using a couple of choruses as responses, the intercessions were in the form of a led meditative prayer... very different apparently, though all held within the framework of a hymn prayer sandwich. I have no idea how the service was received one person came to me afterwards and said she had appreciated it, even though others may not have. Not really encouraging... but then maybe I didn't encourage them. I do question the value of an 80 mile round-trip though!
I find that leading worship is an odd thing, sometimes I feel comfortable within it, at other times I feel like a fish out of water. I've been doing it for almost 20 years now and the differences in the way that people come to worship never cease to amaze me. What was my final congregation of the day expecting? Apparently they didn't get what they'd come for, and what had they come for? I find myself increasingly unable to dish out a hymn prayer sandwich with definite and scripted prayers, I find that I become hymn weary and crave silences...
I am left wondering what we are doing in worship services for increasingly I don't think that it matters that we don't have everything sown up, that we don't present a perfect package , but I worry about these seas of blank faces, and wonder how some have become so unengaged.
So I'm wondering, if there is anyone reading this, why do you/ don't you go to worship? How do you respond to silence? How should we welcome children and young families? How important is set liturgy?
Interestingly I was aware of God's presence on all three occasions. I wonder what s/he thinks of us, and how we place so much emphasis on an hour each Sunday when there are so many other days in the week....
Cafe Church, coffee and muffins and time for discussion...
