I visited two churches this past Sunday.  I attended the 8:30 service at Parkside Church in Cleveland where one of my heroes Dr. Alistair Begg is the preacher and then went at 10:00 to the cafe contemporary service at Hudson Community chapel where my son-in-law and daughter attend.  The two services were very different to say the lease and both, as do all services of worship, had things commendable and things that caused concern.  Let me begin with the positives at both the services and then turn to what I saw as points of concern.

First you need to know that is was cold in Cleveland on Sunday morning.  Winds were blowing from 35 to 50 mph.  Our trailblazer was blown about in the early morning as I made my way from Haley’s house to Parkside.  I arrived at 8:10 and walked into an almost empty huge sanctuary.  All of that changed by 8:20 when almost empty became almost full, at least 800 people present for the first of three services that Sunday.  The service began with a Scripture reading from John 1 [+/-]John 1 [1:1]In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2]He was in the beginning with God. [3]All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. [4]In him was life, and the life was the light of men. [5]The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. [6]There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. [7]He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. [8]He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. [9]The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. [10]He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. [11]He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. [12]But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, [13]who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. [14]And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. [15](John bore witness about him, and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.'") [16]And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. [17]For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. [18]No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known. [19]And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" [20]He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ." [21]And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No." [22]So they said to him, "Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" [23]He said, "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said." [24](Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) [25]They asked him, "Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" [26]John answered them, "I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, [27]even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie." [28]These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing. [29]The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! [30]This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.' [31]I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel." [32]And John bore witness: "I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. [33]I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' [34]And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God." [35]The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, [36]and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" [37]The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. [38]Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, "What are you seeking?" And they said to him, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?" [39]He said to them, "Come and you will see." So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. [40]One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. [41]He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which means Christ). [42]He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas" (which means Peter). [43]The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." [44]Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. [45]Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." [46]Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." [47]Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!" [48]Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." [49]Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" [50]Jesus answered him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things than these." [51]And he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." (ESV)
and then a praise segment let by a praise team and praise band.  Three songs gave way to a brief welcome and a very well delivered pastoral prayer.  The pastoral prayer included specific mention of various concerns in the congregation.  More music followed and then the receipt of the offering prior to which guests were asked not to give.  I had for me  ”God Moment” as I sat there and heard, “if you are guest today, just sit back and relax; we do not want you to give.” I was mildly offended:  how can one worship God and not give!  Giving is at the heart of the worship of God and in the early church was always done at the end of worship as the most clear communication of commitment.  That has not changed.  It still is that.  Our giving shows our love for Jesus, really.  Oh, I had a thought as I looked around at the beauty of the place that this church did not need my gifts, but that passed; because my gifts are given to the glory of God for the work of the Gospel through that church.  So I gave with a joyfully obedient heart.  Then came the sermon that was well done.  The text was 2 Peter and the theme was the need to know the Word of God by reading and studying the Word of God.  There was no invitation but there were “read the Bible” New Testaments given to everyone as we departed worship. It was a very good experience. 

But there were concerns that I carried away.  First, nobody ever spoke to me until we had that “greet your neighbor” time.  Now, you have to know that I despise those times because they are are so structured to have no substance.  This one didn’t.  None do.  A “greeter” passed by me four times and never spoke.  The service, further, was very structured.  I knew from the first downbeat what the theme of the worship was which is good but it was so carefully ordered and organized that there was no room for spontaneity.  The sermon though well done was thoroughly rehearsed to fit within a carefully coordinated time sequence.  And everything was set up to move toward that moment when the people leaving were to accept the gifts of the New Testament.  I stood in the foyer for a few minutes and watched.  Most didn’t.  It lasted for one hour because the next group of congregants had to come in.  I did not leave feeling that I had enjoyed an intimate encounter with the living God.  Now those of you who know me well will find this strange.  This church is fully reformed in her theology so her doctrine is orthodox.  But it showed me yet again the serious shortcomings of multiple services in mega churches.  It is more like a cattle drive than a communion of the saints.

I then made the twenty minute drive down interstate 271 off Ohio 8 to the Hudson Community Chapel to enjoy the cafe service where the place was packed with hundreds, and more than one hundred standing in the back of the room without seats.  We observed communion and baptism.  The music was contemporary and the lyrics glorified God.  It was loud with all the instruments.  But it was passionate.  One of the pastors gave a brief presentation on the meaning of the supper and it was brilliant.  He then “fenced the table.”  He made it clear that the Supper was for believers only even saying that what he was doing was a help to unbelievers to keep them from coming under the further judgment of God by partaking of the elements in a way that dishonored God.  Communion was a reverently holy celebration followed by baptism in which all kinds of candidates first gave testimonies before being baptized.  Now my struggle with this service was first the carefully timed structure so that the leaders could again get us in and out in one hour.  My larger issue, however, was participating in singing about the great holiness of God while watching people around me sipping coffee and sharing a pastry.  Those two are irreconcilable to me.  I know, I am fifty-six; but I think there is more here than my age.  I would not walk into the presence of Bush or Obama with  a cup of coffee and cheese danish in my hand; and worship is about entering into the presence of the King of Kings.  We sang one song that had these lines juxtaposed, “brilliant creator and beautiful friend.”  He is both but I wonder if in singing these lines so closely together if we don’t lose the luster of His brilliance in the light of the love of His friendship.

Anyway, it was a good experience for me.  I learned a lot at both places.  I learned yet again that there really are all kinds of ways to worship our great God and the most to be pitied among us are those who have reduced the focus of worship to the forms of worship.  Can I be so bold to suggest that only the religious would do that; the righteous know that our God is so great that we cannot and will not reduce the worship of His Name to any set forms.

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