The church we visited this week incorporates a rather bizarre mixture of informality and tradition. By that I don’t mean that they blend contemporary and liturgical forms; no, that would be welcome. Instead, there is a very specific order of worship from which there has never — in the last 15 years — been and possibly never will be any variance.
It’s most evident in the arrangement of the worship songs which always consists of:
- two songs at the beginning
- three songs in the middle
- one song at the end, which must be an upbeat song of celebration, not the more contemplative type of piece you might get after the sermon in other churches.*
Some of the worship songs can be engaging and give voice to the worship inside of you that you are longing to give back to God; but once you know the formula, it’s really like trying to put your worship in a box, when in your spirit you know it’s longing to break free.
Furthermore, in the middle set, just as the spirit of the worship may begin to be really moving, it’s time to sit down again. Week after week, it’s the same;
- two songs at the beginning
- three songs in the middle
- one song at the end
If we look at I Corinthians 14, we see a picture of the early church that incorporates orderliness and spontaneity. It’s hard to imagine the enactment of something so formulaic, let alone the mentality that would even want to suggest such a thing.
In verse 26, we see worship originating in a variety of contributors, a kind of melting pot of ingredients that many of the house church proponents are quick to note works well in that setting:
26 So here’s what I want you to do. When you gather for worship, each one of you be prepared with something that will be useful for all: Sing a hymn, teach a lesson, tell a story, lead a prayer, provide an insight. (The Message)
26 Well, my brothers and sisters, let’s summarize. When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you. (New Living Translation)
However, in verses 33 and 40 we’re reminded:
33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. (New International Version)
33 When we worship the right way, God doesn’t stir us up into confusion; he brings us into harmony. (The Message)
40 But let everything be done in a right and orderly way. (New Century Version)
While their available worship repertoire was probably much more limited than ours is today, I believe they sang their hearts out. Some of the songs were probably celebratory, but at other times, when they paused to remember Christ’s broken body and shed blood, I’m sure they sang softly and reverently. At times, I’m sure they sang until their voices gave out.
There were probably a number of spiritual and cultural parameters that were different in their day than ours, but I think if those early Christians could somehow time-travel to our era, they would be both amazed and appalled by the 2-3-1 worship ritual.
I think that those set apart for worship planning and execution have to frequently ask the WWECD question: What Would the Early Church Do?
* This is essentially what might be called George Costanza Worship, the philosophy of which is, ‘leave them on a high note.’ Instead of being a vehicle for allowing people to leave invigorated and ready to face the week ahead, it has the effect of allowing you to forget any application you might take away from the sermon you just heard.


Hands-down, our favorite restaurant is the Thai place in the downtown section of the community where we live.
Boone shrugged his shoulders and said he’d never thought about going the radio before. That was a lie. It was all he thought about. The Bible college he went to was next to a university that had a 100-watt campus station that could be heard for miles. Not knowing he was from the adjacent institution, the students that ran the campus outlet gave him a four hour show on Monday nights. He played an eclectic mix of music that had listenership from around the broader community.
a short key character; kids can identify

Watch for the
God did not send his only son to die because God was so offended by sin that he needed to whack somebody in order to feel better. A “sin offering” is not made to God. A sin offering is an offering made to sin. Sin is a beast that wants to devour us. Imagine you are camping in the wilderness alone and you come upon a grizzly. The moment that bear sees you and begins running toward you, I promise you this: you had better come bearing gifts! If you have nothing to offer that beast he will devour you. The sacrifice on the cross was essentially Christ throwing himself in front of the beast on your behalf and allowing it to consume Him while you escaped. Jesus did not die on the cross to satisfy God’s moral rage at your sin. He died to save you from the beast of sin. The death he died to sin once for all.
Paul has kindly offered me some space to write a few words about a mutually appreciated author: Adrian Plass. As Paul mentioned in a recent post, Mr. Plass is embarking on a 17-city tour across Canada. My post coincides with this event, namely because I’m pleased to have the opportunity to hear such a clever and illuminating writer speak, but also because just as the joy of experiencing a Plass novel should not be hoarded, neither should the chance to hear him in person pass by unnoticed.
Perhaps what keeps the Diary fresh is its honesty about the humanity – quirks, flaws, and all – of Christians, and its refusal to communicate this solely through self-critical reflections. Indeed, Plass’ greatest demonstrations of Christian reality come through the simple actions of its protagonist, whether they are somewhat misguided or deeply informed. And as silly as some of these situations are, they speak truthfully to universal experiences amongst churchgoers (particularly Anglicans and charismatics, which happens to hit me right in the spiritual bulls-eye as far as experiences go). Plass underlines the comedy with moments that start small and wind up emotionally resonant. His speaking is known for its skill in evoking laughs and tears simultaneously, and one may find this gift humbly expressed in his writing. 




Honestly, sometimes I think I do my best work on other people’s sites. Others may just think of it as dropping more litter on the information highway…






