- Bibles Opening … The crinkling and rustling of pages means the people of God are finding a particular passage in the Word of God. This sound represents participation and engagement, and it means the people of God are about to hear from God himself. I realize that many people use phones and tablets to read the Bible, and I do not think that reading the Bible digitally is a right or wrong issue. However, the crinkling and rustling of pages is the sound of the printed Word. Unlike phones and tablets, the printed Word does not light up with Fox News alerts, fantasy football updates, or text messages from people sitting across the room. Those who are reading from the printed page are less likely to be distracted.
- Bible Reading … When the Word of God is read, the voice of God is heard. So many people in the modern evangelical world expect to hear the voice of God as some internal monologue that they hear in isolation from everyone else in the congregation. Others expect a human being to stand up and utter some sort of prophetic announcement directly from God himself. These are both mystical misunderstandings of how the people of God hear the voice of God. The Bible claims that the Scriptures are the very breathed out voice of God (2 Timothy 3:16), which means that the audible reading of Scripture is how the people of God hear the voice of God. It’s no wonder Paul encouraged Timothy to give himself to the public reading of God’s Word (1 Timothy 4:13). Reading Scripture makes God’s voice audible.
- Men Singing … Don’t get me wrong, I love hearing all people sing in a worship service. Our church has some remarkable female vocalists who help lead us in worship, and I am encouraged by the giftedness of these women. We also have a row of 3 year old children who sit on the front row during the first part of our worship service, and their singing (and dancing) is a great encouragement to me. Nevertheless, there is something particularly encouraging about hearing men sing in worship. I can remember hearing my dad and grandad sing in big church, and I remember how their example motivated me to sing even though neither of them was a particularly gifted vocalist. Show me a church where the men actively participate in congregational singing, I’ll show you a church where everyone sings.
- Children Being Children … Newsflash, kids make noise, even when they are in church. They speak too loudly, not realizing how easily their “outside voice” carries inside the sanctuary. They wiggle, drop things, and crumple paper. They often yawn and sigh loudly during the quietest parts of the worship service. Infants cry and fuss and get upset. There is no denying the fact that all of this noise can be terribly distracting, which is why our church offers a nursery and is working on a cry room. Still, I’m thankful for children being church in big church because that means children are in church. It also means their parents are in church even though being in church with children can involve trying to sooth and wrestle a toddler during the sermon. The next time you hear children being children in your church, rather than rolling your eyes, take a second to thank God for the blessing of that child and to pray for the future salvation of that child.
- Musicians Playing … With all my heart I believe the most important part of musical worship is the unified voice of God’s people singing gospel truths. Christians gathered together for corporate worship do not chant wordless mantras, nor do we rely solely on instruments being played without lyrical content. It has often been said that the most important instruments in corporate worship are not pianos or guitars or organs or drums, but the vocal chords of God’s people singing his praises. Of course, singing can take place without any musical instruments at all, and acapela singing is a wonderful thing. Still, the use of instruments in worship is a great aid to the worship of God’s people. I thank God for the instrumentalists he has gifted to play and carry tunes while the people of God sing the praises of God.
- Doors Opening … Particularly, I’m thinking about doors opening after church has started or before church is over. Of course, some of these opening doors are unnecessary – people getting up to take random calls or children getting up to use the bathroom for the 13th time. Most of these open doors, however, represent something far more exciting. Often, the doors that open a few minutes after church has started are opened by families who are running late or guests who didn’t realize what time church started. It’s a blessing to have these people show up to worship, even if they are slightly late. Usually, the doors that open a few minutes before church is over are opened by people who are rushing off to work. These folks could have made the decision to skip church altogether, to stay home and watch online. Instead, they showed up and worshiped with their church even if they had to cut out a few minutes early. I say let those doors open and close.
Regular Pastor 