I checked out the church a couple of my old firends go to last Sunday. I'm not very adventurous when it comes to such things, and had been back and forth on whether I should start seriously looking into other churches for a few months. I showed up a minute or two after the official start time (walking ever-so-gingerly on hiking-strained legs) and took a seat in the middle of the back row. The lighting was much dimmer than I am used to, and the worship leader was still getting set on stage. My friends showed up shortly before the service began, just long enough to say hi.
We were invited to stand or sit as we saw fit ("We're all adults and can make our own decisions.") I was glad for the note, but intended to sit anyway - standing being an arduous endeavor at that point. I didn't know what to expect. This is a "vineyard" church, which means it belongs to a different branch of the tree fom any church I had been to before. I was pleased that I knew all of the songs (only one I recognized but did not know by heart), though I didn't sing along. I agreed with the sentiment for the most part, but hesitate to proclaim the deep and emotional love for God that these songs expressed. I'm not feeling that at the moment, and prefer not to sing things I don't feel (a) in an attempt to by singing them to try and will those feelings into existence, or (b) to fit in.
The transitions to the music were much longer than I am used to. A minute or so as an intro and "outro" to each song would probably be a fair guess. The music felt much more ethereal than what I am used to. There was an electric violin with a pronounced echo/effects pedal on it, as well as an electric and acoustic guitar as well. I enjoyed not feeling as though the songs were being rushed through, but allowed to exist somewhat independently of each other. It felt more peaceful.
The sermon was pretty okay. I thought that some points were more than a little stretched, though I am not against cheerleading preaching per se, but only when the text feels abused to make it fit, or pulled out of context. If you go away from the text, fine. Just don't draw connections that don't exist. I liked a concept addressed later that was "I don't think God has a problem with a proliferation of denominations. Each one often seems to meet a pecuilar need, a particular calling in an area. What we need to do is find what we do well, and DO IT." I agree with the sentiment - I like the idea of many churches as members of the Body of Christ along with individuals. Both independent and interconnected.
I left pretty quickly. Still sore, and not really wanting to mingle, I got going. It was a good experience, though, and merits more than one visit.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
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2 comments:
Don't quote me on this, but I believe the violinist is part of the band Sol Jibe [http://soljibe.com/]. From what I hear, they're amazing musicians. Perhaps other members of the band are part of the worship team and help color the sound.
I was at a special event and they had a guest worship leader (from the band Everyone). Even though it was a guest it sounds like it had the same vibe. There was significant pause between the songs where he would pray or not.
No prayer in the interludes as I recall, but I generally just liked time when I wasn't feeling directed to do anything. Nice mood. The fact that the service ran ~9:45 to 11:30 might have helped it feel not pressured, rushing from one aspect to another.
I thought the violin was actually hit and miss. There were times when it blended perfectly, and times when it seemed not only out of place, but even a bit grating. That is to say, it made me think "what in the world is the violin doing."
I suppose it's a combination of having heard the same instrument played differently, and being spoiled by being able to adjust it as I see fit. I'm spoiled.
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