ARE WE WORSHIPING YET?
Gregory E. Asimakoupoulos
July 1, 1989
Bumper stickers have a way of capsulizing common experiences. Take, for example, the one that asks simply, ARE WE HAVING FUN YET?
I remember those family vacations when as children we were squeezed in the back seat of an overstuffed station wagon and driven in a direction decided by Mom and Dad alone. I would rather have spent two weeks in my tree house, not at rest stops and restaurants and relatives' houses, but the sound of the ignition drowned all hopes of staying home.
The bickering with my brother over who would sit on the hump was soon interrupted by that voice from the cockpit: "I'm not going to tell you more than once to stop arguing and get along. We are going on vacation, and we're going to have a good time. Does everybody understand?"
Dad's persuasive abilities were attested to by our somber silence that lasted until he spoke again, this time asking the infamous question, "Are we having fun yet?"
Just as you can't force your family to have fun on vacation, I've also learned that you can't force a congregation to worship the way you think they should. I learned this lesson at the steering wheel of my own naivet‚.
Arrogance unleashed
As a rookie senior pastor, I was continually frustrated. The people, lovable as they were, nonetheless seemed ignorant of what true worship was and how it should be practiced, at least according to what I'd learned in seminary. Frankly, I was embarrassed by the casual, unsophisticated, freestyle flow of Sunday morning worship.
The hymnody was largely the Young Life songbook. The weekly prayer-and-share time smacked of the superficial testimony services I remembered from my boyhood. The church also had a habit of singing "We Are One in the Bond of Love" as a benediction. How pedestrian! I ...
Like the preview? To read this complete article
and 20,359 more in the archive—JOIN NOW!
Easily find high-quality, well-researched materials that provide a Christian perspective on topics ranging from headlines to history.
Start using this invaluable tool TODAY for preparing your Bible studies, presentations, class lectures, sermons, meetings, and more.
|
It's easy and quick to join:
Brought to You by Christianity Today Int'l |  |
|
| 
Find similar articles
E-mail this page
