I had this past weekend to myself, so I decided to go to the Lutheran church close to my home church so I could make it to a meeting at my home church after the Lutheran church let out of their service.

I have an infatuation with the Lutheran liturgy I grew up on, and I try to make my rounds once or twice a year to keep my “peace be with you” fresh and energetic.

I like the Lutheran liturgy that the ELCA uses in weekly services because there are several instances of silence built into the liturgy.  One of my complaints against the evangelical service I regularly attend is that there is never any silence---there is always some noise of instruments or voice during the service, and I cannot always meditate and worship in prayer.  I just cannot plain here myself think at church.  And I think there is a problem with that.

So when I have the weekend to myself and can relax I choose to go to a service I know I can rest in God and “be still” so that I know him better.

I was pretty disappointed with the service I went to yesterday, because every time the litany said “pause for silent prayer and reflection” the reader or pastor blew right by it.  There are four or five key designations of silence at certain times in the service, like confession, communion, offering, intercession---those moments really need spiritual reflection and conversation with the Spirit of Christ in a powerful way.

Yet each time as I followed the litany and bowed my head to spend time in silent prayer the reader or pastor skipped it and kept going with the service.

I felt bewildered.  What is the point of entering into corporate confession if the same words are just muttered every week and no personal reflection is done? 

Liturgy is only meaningful if it is reflective and interactive.  Without the opportunity for a person to enter into conversation with God in the midst of others, and to participate in worship with a community of believers there is no substance to it.  It just becomes a dull noise, the din of Pharisees saying memorized prayers instead of locking themselves in the closet and praying earnestly before God.

Living in evangelical communities for most of my adult life, I have often heard, and then corrected, ignorant arguments against liturgy as dull, boring, and repetitive.  Didn’t these people realize liturgy is one of the best opportunities for a person to interact with God in the midst of other believers---to be the local body of Christ? 

I guess I had always taken it for granted that every liturgical church I have attended has been focused on using the liturgy in lively and reflective ways.  Until now.

I must confess I was a tad frustrated with the whole experience.  The reason I had gone to the Lutheran church was to have silence in worship---and the service had the quality of reading a training manual: read this page, read that page, say this, say that.  Go home!

The message was powerful, as was the communion experience, yet what was missing was an interaction with God and reflection of the message and communion (the lady next to me was a little surprised I stayed to pray after I took communion and felt bad getting up ahead of me (I guess that is an unwritten rule in that congregation: you must head back to your seat as soon as possible---others are waiting, they have places to be!)

I am writing this in Starbucks as Bright Eyes plays in the background wondering why the world is no longer silent.  What happened?  When did the world turn up the volume?

I guess I should just start carrying around ear plugs.