January 3, 2016

Let The Light Shine

Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. -- Genesis 1:3

3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. -- John 1:3-5

 

The contemporary services at our church have been disrupted by -- drum roll here -- light. Or, rather, the lack of light. The committee decided to create a more intimate setting -- their words -- by darkening the seating area so we would be forced to focus on the band or the speaker. (Otherwise known as a preacher.) Some of us are quite upset.

A worship service is neither a concert nor theatrical production. I guess we’re supposed to forget that sometimes in our effort to draw more people in for a feel good experience. We are there to worship God and to learn and grow in knowledge of Him.

There is no longer any need to bring a Bible to church. The light is so dim you can’t see the words. It seems fine for those following along with their devices. Oh, well. No one needs to take notes anyway. Right? And, no, the words are NOT on the screen over the stage.

But that’s not why I am so offended. There’s just something off to me about worshipping the light of the world in the darkness.

I do understand that in some areas of the world, Christians must meet in darkness because their very lives are at risk. That isn’t the case in our country. We have no excuse for the darkness. What is the committee trying to hide?

The excuse is that people will be more free to express themselves. Seriously?! What are you ashamed of? We all worship differently. This isn’t a stiff traditional service. It’s a contemporary service where most things are really okay with everyone else. If you want to raise your hands, do it. If you want to clap or dance or meditate, do it. And if you don’t feel comfortable, ask yourself why. Because honestly it’s not about you. It’s about Him. So get over yourself and do what you feel called to do in order to worship our Creator.

And turn the lights back on!