...the only thing worse than actually worshiping is being in a church full of Christians…
…at least, that what you’d think looking at all the other things people choose to do on Sunday morning. It’s easy to understand why some think that: the music in church is sometimes insipid, the sermons can be dull, and the language incomprehensible. Given this, the funny papers do seem like a more entertaining way to spend Sunday morning.
Except for this: worship isn’t supposed to be entertaining. Worship isn’t about us, but God. That doesn’t mean it has to be insipid or dull or incomprehensible: it shouldn’t be, because God isn’t insipid or dull (He IS, admittedly, incomprehensible!).
Worship is boring because our beliefs about God can be boring. We want God to be boring, cause that way He’s safe and controllable and predictable. We don’t really want God; we want Santa Claus. It’s not terrifying to fall into the hands of Santa. When we encounter God, when we really encounter Him, our hair stands straight up. He’s not what we expect, or want Him to be.
If we worship God with music from a rock concert and talk to Him with the same language we use to order at McDonald’s, should we be surprised if it bores us—or God?
This Christmas, go to church. Go to worship God, not to be entertained by the music or “get something” out of the sermon (nothing wrong with any of that, but neither one is worship). Go to worship the One Who made the far-flung galaxies but Who became a helpless Child for love’s sake. That isn’t boring—it’s unbelievable. But that’s for another time.
A holy Christmas--Fr Gregory Wilcox
This is the as St Joseph's ran in the New Braunfels newspaper this Christmas
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