Visiting Another Church

Author:  Susan L. Prince

As a trumpet player in a brass ensemble, I am invited to play at church services now and then. I love to play and will often accept the invitation and join the worship service. Today was one such day.

I hesitate going to other worship services because when I am blessed to have a day off of work, I'd rather spend it worshipping with my family at Northbrook. I took the opportunity though and really observed what was going on around me at the church I visited today.

First thing I noticed is that the average age of the congregation was at least 60. There were maybe 70 attendees and the "choir" consisted of 4 elderly ladies who were making a "joyful noise unto the Lord". As you can imagine, the prayer list in an older congregation has a tendency to get quite long. Oh boy!

Well, it is NOT my style of worship service, but worship is a heart thing. While I may not be moved into worship here (mainly because I object to most music if it wasn't written after 1990, in this case, 1900...LOL), I'm sure that the church members were there to worship and hear a word from God, so I listened and watched. I know one women was surely enjoying the hymns! WHEW! I can use her to support my theory that God is tone deaf!

We played a piece after each hymn and then we heard a reading from the Word. During the reading of the gospel I took out my Bible and started reading John 3 along with the pastor who read aloud. I didn't realize it until I looked up at the congregation at one point, that I was the only one in the whole church who had a Bible with them. What's wrong with this picture?

Then came the sermon. GREAT MESSAGE from the pastor! I thoroughly enjoyed what he was saying! YES YES YES! Not a firey type style of delivery or anything, it was a simple message on how God calls us and the scripture was John 3. He really had some interesting insights about Nicodemus having a "midlife crisis" and wanting to do everything himself...but why did he need to come to Jesus. I was really getting a lot from the message because it was so right! It was the gospel...FLAT OUT! GOD calls US! He opens our eyes! We don't know when or where it will happen, that blessed moment that the Holy Spirit enters our hearts. We can prepare for it. We can pray for it. But, we can't make it happen! We don't know when that moment will be. That is ALL in GODs hands! OHHHHHH, it was such a great message.

Yet, as I looked out at the congregation I noticed something. Eyes were empty. Faces were expressionless. My heart hurt for these people. They were obviously missing something. Now, this was the majority of what I saw. This does not represent everyone there. A few very happy souls greeted us and welcomed us to their church. We were invited to stay for pot luck dinner after the service, and I am sure the Holy Spirit did stir in the hearts of a few there...I was hurting for those that missed the message. I was praying that God would open their eyes and open their hearts to hear Him.

On my way out to my car I passed a couple outside the church doors on a smoke break. Can they NOT smoke for an hour or two? I don't get that. It's a peeve. I don't think people EVER need to smoke on the grounds of any church.

So, my experience made me thankful for my church. It made me thankful for my brothers and sisters in Christ. Most of all it made me thankful that God called me...ME! And He blessed me with ears to hear His call.