Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Re-Thinking The Sunday Church Service (Part 12) - Checking Your Problems At The Door

Read the entire series here.

Quite often in the typical church service we're admonished to check our worldly cares and problems at the door on Sunday morning. This is supposedly so we can worship God with more focus and purity. But more than this it guarantees that our cares and problems will greet us at the door on the way out unchanged.

Wouldn't it be great if there could be some measure of edification from other members of the body while the church meets that could be more tailored to people's needs?

Part 11 . . . . . . . . Part 13

9 comments:

  1. I don't know that anyone should check their problems at the door. Shame on any church that exhorts us to do so... Rather we should be encouraged to bring our burdens and then lay them at the foot of the cross and let the gospel sooth our wounds.
    If the gospel is preached on Sunday mornings... It SHOULD affect the cares and problems that we brought in with us.

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  2. I would agree with anonymous...drag those burden out and confess them. Talk about it with brothers and sisters in Christ so healing can happen. The truth shall set you free...

    This would be highly uncomfortable the first time...but after the healing that would take place and the freedom it would cause, I imagine we could get used to it.

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  3. Steve,

    I gotta be honest. I don't know what church you've attended that tells you to "check" your "cares and problems at the door on Sunday morning." I know which church you attend, the church that we also attended at one time, but I don't ever remember that edict coming down from the pulpit.

    I love ya, but I gotta tell ya, I'm not sure that I understand your "What I Used to Believe, What I Now Believe." What does not believing "Reformed theology" v. believing "reforming theology" mean exactly?

    Explain, please.

    Cathy

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  4. BTW, your "From the Porch" is STILL my favorite. I am tempted to use the word that your son wrote on his sign...as in, I
    _ '_ _ _ love "From the Porch," but I'll refrain...

    Cathy

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  5. Correction: "From the Front Porch..."

    At the risk of sounding "cliche,"
    G & I are still praying about the job sitch...

    Love to Mrs. Scott.

    Cathy (again)

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  6. Cathy,

    I've heard it from more than one church, sometimes from the pulpit. Maybe not in exactly those words, but the sentiment seems clear to me. Many times from people who talk about what Sunday should be. I'll answer the "what I believe" question on that post. -S

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  7. Hey Steve,
    I know the phrase well. I'm not quite sure if that's what they mean though. Perhaps another poorly phrased thing, kind of like the one said often during the "offering" time that goes something like - If you are a visitor here today, don't feel pressured by us to give, there is a card in the seatback in front of you and you can fill that out and let us know who you are so we can get to know you better and let that be your gift to us....
    I have always been under the impression that our "gifts" "offerings" (or dare I say the "T" word!? TITHE or even Tax) are given to God. It just seems so inappropriate... but I think it is just one of those not so well thought out things and I get their meaning. Just as the deal about leaving your problems behind and coming to worship unburdened kind of deal. I think what they mean is something along the lines of what the first Anonymous commenter said - at least at our church anyway. I recall numerous times exhortations to come to the service early in order to meditate & pray to do just that.

    I'm not sure what kind of tailored deal you might be thinking of for edification of members of the body (by "members", I assume you mean Christians rather than signed on the dotted line "Members" of a particular assembly/corporation/church). But at our church I think they try to do that via various Sunday School classes, such as one that is running now on finances and others on Growing in Grace and Marriage and Parenting and etc... These "classes" have various levels of interaction, most likely depending on the one who is leading the group. Perhaps you have a different idea that would work in another way? That would be cool. It is pretty tough to do a whole lot of interaction in churches over 150 people. I remember noticing a distinct difference in the whole fellowship when our church went over that number (or thereabout).

    Catch you later
    Dale

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  8. I haven't had a chance to read your other answer, but will try to do so this weekend. Life is slammed, as always, and time is an elusive, valuable commodity.

    I was thinking about this notion of "checking your problems at the door," and think that if you've heard those words, it is most likely referring to the idea of focusing your thoughts on Jesus, and letting the cares of the world not invade your thoughts. Actually, that's a mandate from Scripture, anyway, so I'm not sure that advice is so egregious.

    Happy Mom's Day to Mrs. Scott.

    C

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  9. Dear Anonymous,

    I've never heard your interpretation of "Check your cares at the door." However, at many, many churches, I've had the sense that you are only supposed to be a victorious Christian. If not, then you might want to check to see if you are a Christian.

    Granted, we shouldn't be spewing on Sunday morning worship, but we need small groups where we can hurt,cry, soothe.

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