Worship at 11

My work requires for me to drive around.  As I drive around in the buckle of the Bible Belt, I pass a lot of churches. A LOT of churches.  The first thing I notice are the messages these churches display on their portable signs. I chuckle at most. The next thing I notice are the times for their various services.  Although there is some variety, especially with contemporary churches, most signs advertise “Worship 11:00 am”.  The thing that strikes me is just how many churches of a multitude of denominations will be having their Sunday service at the same time.  The Southern Baptists, CBF Baptists, Independent Baptists, Primitive Baptists, Presbyterians, United Methodists, Methodist Episcopal, Unitarians, Disciples of Christ, Episcopalians, Church of the Nazarene and a multitude of others will be in “worship” at the same time.

Worship is a very personal thing. The dictionary definition is “The feeling or expression and adoration for a Deity.”  The synonyms include “reverence, veneration, adoration and exaltation.” No doubt many people are stirred during their respective church services

.

But what if you’re the Deity being worshiped? Do you adjust Your presence to each congregation at its particular system of beliefs and preferences? And no matter how bad the music and the sermon, are You obligated to attend and to participate?  And of the thousands of services going on simultaneously, how do You keep it all unscrambled?  The Methodists are singing “Peace, peace wonderful peace” while the Southern Baptists are singing “Onward Christian soldiers marching as to war.”  Which do You listen to? Then of course in the next time zone, You’ve got it to do all again. 

Over the years I’ve had many meaningful experiences with my Deity. Some of these experiences happened in church. Most of them did not.  But regardless of where and when these things happened, can I call it worship? There was that experience at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee during the Centrifuge youth weekend. I was touched so deeply, I put my head down and sobbed uncontrollably. But was that the worship of a Deity or was I just emotionally moved to my core? Is there a difference? As powerful as it was, it did not fit the definition of worship. What about that time I was sitting with friends overlooking a vast valley near Stockholm, Sweden.  I was filled to overflowing with the beauty and wonder of the moment.  But was that worship? By definition I have only worshiped once in my life. On June 28,1981 my Deity met a group of us one Sunday afternoon in a chapel at a 4H camp in Weston, W. Virginia. Our experience was intoxicating and simultaneous.  He “filled the temple” as surely as He did for the Israelites in Jerusalem—“reverence, veneration, adoration and exaltation.” There was even an agnostic among us who was as affected as any of us.

My question is are we being presumptuous to advertise “Worship at 11”? From my many years of spending thousands of hours in church between 11 and 12:30, my experience is that what happens is singing, praying and listening to sermons. But worship?  I guess truth in advertising would be “Church Service at 11”.

Some churches have gotten clever with things like,  "Worship at 10:59."  This not only gives God the opportunity to show up earlier, but the Baptists get a jump on  the Methodists to the Cracker Barrel.