One of my favorite websites is 27bslash6.com. It is a hysterical and well-written website about the banality of little things -- little things that bug us, little things that nip at our heels, little things that make up the bulk of our lives. In one fictional exchange between two coworkers, one of them is punished for questioning a corporate policy. He replied with the following parable:
"I once read about five monkeys that were placed in a room with a banana at the top of a set of stairs. As one monkey attempted to climb the stairs, all of the monkeys were sprayed with jets of cold water. A second monkey made an attempt and again the monkeys were sprayed. No more monkeys attempted to climb the stairs. One of the monkeys was then removed from the room and replaced with a new monkey. New monkey saw the banana and started to climb the stairs but to its surprise, it was attacked by the other monkeys. Another of the original monkeys was replaced and the newcomer was also attacked when he attempted to climb the stairs. The previous newcomer took part in the punishment with enthusiasm. Replacing a third original monkey with a new one, it headed for the stairs and was attacked as well. Half of the monkeys that attacked him had no idea why. After replacing the fourth and fifth original monkeys, none had ever been sprayed with cold water but all stayed the f*ck away from the stairs. Being here longer than me doesn't automatically make your adherence to a rule, or the rule itself, right. It makes you the fifth replacement monkey. The one with the weird red arse and the first to point and screech when anyone approaches the stairs. I would be the sixth monkey, at home in bed trying to come up with a viable excuse not to spend another fruitless day locked in a room with five neurotic monkeys."Today is a big day in the protestant calendar: Reformation Sunday. This is the Sunday when people commemorate Martin Luther nailing 95 theses to the doors of a Catholic Church, or -- in modern terms -- this is the Sunday when people remember Martin Luther tweeting 95 DMs to @Pope2YouVatican. This is the Sunday when one lone nut dared to question the largest religion in the course of human history. Luther questioned authority, and for that alone I can relate to the guy. Luther's actions not only led to the foundation of new forms of Christianity, but it ultimately led to certain reforms within the reluctant-to-change Catholic Church itself.
In my previous review, I stated rather emphatically that I was not a fan of modern forms of worship, but I'd like it known I am not against change. What I am against is change for the sake of change. I see a modern service and in my mind I picture the organizers thinking to themselves, "We can do this differently," but I don't envision them questioning why things were done the way they were, or why different equates to better. But the other end of the spectrum are those churches that are so set in their ways that Martin Luther could walk into them today and feel at home. Tradition matters. But a tradition devoid of meaning or intent is just as distasteful as a change made without purpose or forethought. In my travels, I have encountered churches with congregations merely going through the motions -- congregations so locked into doing things a certain way that they are done without thought. In short, churches do things, and they never know why, and they never question it.
Immanuel Lutheran Church in Riverside has existed for over 100 years. My family is actually a part of that history. Both of my parents worked there at various points in their respective lives. Two close family friends whom I referred to as my aunt and uncle were longtime members. As a child, I worshiped there on a few occasions, mostly during Christmases spent with my aforementioned aunt and uncle. This is a church I once knew. I called myself Lutheran for most of my life; now I call myself Christian. Over the centuries, there have been divisions and splits within the Lutheran church itself. Presently there are two main branches of the Lutheran Church: LCMS and ELCA. Immanuel is an LCMS church. Immanuel is one of those churches that Luther would recognize.
Much has changed at Immanuel, but much hasn't. This Sunday was set aside to appreciate and thank those who have served as ministers and deacons, and that was when I learned the senior ranking member of the ministerial team had only been there 10 years. The head pastor was in his fourth year of service to the church. As the opening processional took place, 10 people in robes and sashes made their way down the aisle, some holding candles, one holding a cross, but -- oddly enough -- nobody holding a Bible. Odder still, instead of a Bible, the book being raised up for all to see was the Lutheran Service Book, a.k.a. the hymnal. This was peculiar to me for many reasons, and by peculiar I mean I stood there thinking, "What the f*ck!" Considering we didn't even follow the order of worship found within the hymnal, it seemed beyond odd that we ought to revere it in a way I normally reserve for the actual Bible (and a few books by the late Douglas Adams). But nobody seemed to question it; everyone droned through their 1,500th singing of "A Mighty Fortress."
As the droning of "A Mighty Fortress" drew to a close, the droning of three pages of calls-and-responses began murmuring through the sanctuary. Sigh... talk about phoning it in. Last Sunday I was in a church where over 1,000 people phoned it in, many holding their actual phones as they did so. Now, in an entirely different style of church, apx. 100 people stood or sat, going through the motions, none of them asking why. On this of all days, what the Lutheran Church needs is another Martin Luther to awaken their spirits and embolden their voices. The Bible tells us to "make a joyful noise," but I couldn't hear any joy at Immanuel. Mostly, what I heard was a tired congregation, and while I can in many ways relate to that, the function of the ministers being honored is to breathe life (and faith) into the pews.
I liked that the pastor preached from the pulpit; I liked that there was a pulpit. I was excited to see no trace of projectors for PowerPoint slides upon my entry to the church, only to be saddened to see a giant screen swing out and drop down from out of nowhere so a PowerPoint could go on during the sermon. The candles and vestments were nice to see, but I didn't -- for lack of a better phrase -- feel it.
In his sermon, the pastor drew a parallel between a story in Matthew 13 and Confederate currency at the time of the Civil War. Looking at the average age of congregants, I guess the pastor assumed a Civil War analogy would be something they could relate to? But I did appreciate that the (by comparison) young pastor emphasized the need for continued reformation within the church. "Reformation is meant to go on," he said, adding that we should all continuously "rediscover, reevaluate, and recommit" to God and faith and all that implies. In an LCMS church, such talk is practically blasphemous -- I half expected to see a gang of monkeys try to drag him down the stairs.
Amen.
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Sunday Scorecard:
Immanuel Lutheran Church
5545 Allesandro Blvd.
Riverside, CA 92506
951/682-7613
http://www.immanuelriverside.com/
What was the denomination?
LCMS Lutheran
What Bible verses were referenced?
Matthew 13:44-46, 51-52
What are the demographics of the congregation?
Mostly seniors, a few families
Was the atmosphere formal or casual?
Formal church environment
What was the music like?
Organ, choir, lacking in oomf
How was the use of PowerPoint?
Sneaky... screen slides out and unfolds as the sermon begins
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