The complete irrelevance of being relevant
This morning we had the most relevant of all our culturally relevant worship services to date. Let's see, we praised a modern hero of the State, we broke the RPW in probably every possible way, and we boasted about our enlightened understanding of male/female roles in the Church.

This is not the first time any one of these things has happened during a worship service, but I think it's the first time they've all happened during one service. We've tried really hard not to complain, but to serve, and we've bitten our tongues an awful lot.

Mike is the music leader in our "traditional" service, and in the six or seven months since the Nazarene chaplain took over our service, Mike has had three meetings with him to discuss theological/liturgical issues, and generally came away from these meetings feeling like the chaplain was uninterested in his perspective. Mike's biggest concerns have been the man-centeredness of the service, and women leading in worship. We regularly have women giving the Scripture reading, the call to worship, the invocation, the offertory prayer... The chaplain has answered these concerns merely by saying he wants everyone in the congregation to have an opportunity to "participate."

(Were you aware that when one is singing hymns, praying the Lord's Prayer, giving tithes and offerings, and listening to the sermon he is NOT participating? Neither was I.)

Now, when I say we've bitten our tongues an awful lot, I really mean it. We didn't say anything when The Battle Hymn of the Republic was sung in the middle of the service with everyone (except us!) saluting the flag.

We didn't say anything when the chaplain had a PowerPoint presentation of paintings of the life and ministry of Christ during his sermon entitled, "Who is this man?"

We didn't say anything when the chaplain dressed up as Paul to deliver the first message in his series on I Corinthians - in character, as though we were the church at Corinth.

We didn't say anything when the chaplain got to I Corinthians 11, and spent forty-five seconds saying that the whole head-covering issue was really obscure and most likely cultural and we couldn't really know what it meant, before moving on to the next part of the message - which, by the way, was the best communion Sunday sermon I've ever heard - and I told him so, too!

We didn't even say anything when the chaplain declared that if you believe in predestination, then you're wrong, just like John Calvin was wrong!

We also haven't said anything every time an individual has been praised, honoured, and applauded during the worship service - which happens about twice a month. Usually it's inviting a person who is going to a new assignment up to the front, so we can tell all his good deeds, thank him, give him a coffee mug full of Hershey's Kisses, and clap for him. Two or three times a year, we have a local music group come to "lead us in worship" which means that they play and sing, while we listen and applaud.

But this morning was a little different. So many things were so very wrong. First, the chaplain spent a good ten minutes praising and honouring a man who was a prophet and did many good deeds, but he was an immoral man, and unrepentant. I thought it was a little like praising King Saul in the midst of a worship service. That was bad enough, but it only got worse.

When it was time for the Scripture reading, a woman read the passage:

Well, my brothers and sisters, let's summarize what I am saying. When you meet, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in an unknown language, while another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must be useful to all and build them up in the Lord. No more than two or three should speak in an unknown language. They must speak one at a time, and someone must be ready to interpret what they are saying. But if no one is present who can interpret, they must be silent in your church meeting and speak in tongues to God privately.... So, dear brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and don't forbid speaking in tongues. But be sure that everything is done properly and in order. (I Corinthians 14:26-28, 39-40 New Living Translation)

The interesting part of this was what was left out - verse 34 says, "Women should be silent during the church meetings. It is not proper for them to speak. They should be submissive, just as the law says." Not to mention the passage earlier that says that when a woman stands up to prophesy, she should have her head covered, and naturally this woman did not.

After the pastoral prayer (to which I did not listen - I was too busy praying that God would have mercy upon us, grant us repentance, and forgive us. Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from thy ways, like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts.... Lord have mercy on us! Christ have mercy on us! Lord have mercy on us!), the PowerPoint flashed onto the screen announcing this week's topic: Fitting Worship.

Standing under this banner, the chaplain announced that he would be selling raffle tickets to help the students raise money for their weekly Bible study. He moved out into the congregation as if to take up the money, but then he stopped and asked, "Now is this a proper activity for a worship service?"

I've become terribly jaded. I thought, Well heck, why not? It's no more improper than anything else that's gone on this morning.

It turns out he was using that "raffle ticket announcement" as a sort of attention-getter to point out that some activities are not proper during worship.

Really now? You don't say!

By way of an introduction to the main topic, he spent several minutes explaining how that little thing about women not speaking in the chuch was all a big cultural uproar, and aren't we glad we can have a woman read Scripture in worship, and that if a woman chaplain ever comes here, well, that'll be just peachy keen. I can't even remember what he said was not "fitting" in worship. I think it was about intentionally segregated churches, but I hardly see how that applies to our congregation - our service, while not the most diverse congregation we've ever been part of, is about as integrated as the base itself is overall.

I believe it was Martin Luther who said that if you preach every point of the Gospel but that very point that is being attacked by your culture, then you are not confessing Christ.

It would have been much more to the point if the chaplain had recognized the myriad things being done in this worship service that are man-centered at best and idolotrous at worst.

So, if you think of us, please pray for us. Ever since we moved here, we've prayed about whether we should try to start a Reformed work. This morning it was made pretty clear that we can no longer attend the base chapel. We have already contacted several Reformed denominations about starting a church in our town, and we are eager to begin. Until we are able to do so, we'll be attending the local Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod.

Most gracious God, the Giver of all good and perfect gifts; Give thy grace, we beseech thee, to all the Ministers of thy word; and so replenish them with the truth of thy doctrine, and endue them with the innocency of life, that they may faithfully serve before thee, to the glory of thy great Name, and the benefit of thy holy Church. And to all thy people give thy heavenly grace, that with meek heart and due reverence they may hear and receive thy holy Word, truly serving thee in holiness and righteousness all the days of their life; through Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and Redeemer. Amen.