BLOGGING TOWARD SUNDAY…

I had promised to write a series of reflections on lessons learned from reading The Shack.  As so often happens with our best intentions, life has a way of throwing something at us that can cause us to reorder our priorities.  i had such an experience last night.

Our church hosted the North Carolina United Methodist All-State Youth Choir for its second performance of this year’s tour.  The music was fantastic, and that is probably an understatement.  My wife and I have heard this group for the last ten years of its existence, and we both agree that this particular edition of the choir is one of the best ever. 

Their repertoire was varied, including a well-balanced mixture of classical, contemporary, and spirituals, truly something for every taste.   During several of the pieces, I found myself deeply moved, not only by the excellence of the performance and the beauty of the music, but also by the dedication and enthusiasm of the young singers who made up the choir.  I have said before that I gauge the beauty of a musical performance by the chill-bump factor, and last night I found myself very chilly during many of the songs.

Here’s the rub, though.  After advertising the performance in our bulletins, newsletter, and even in the newspaper, fewer than half of our active congregation chose to attend.  The church was nearly full, thank goodness, but less than half of those present were from my church.  That, for the life  of me, I cannot understand.  Opportunities to hear such wonderful musical performances in our area are rare, and why anyone would choose to stay home completely dumbfounds me.

The church sanctuary should have been “standing room only,” with the majority being from our own congregation.  If not for the music, then for the young performers at least.  If I sound ticked-off, it’s because I am.  Every preacher has the right to be…when it’s justified.

Filed under: Blogging Toward Sunday