Yesterday I went to the memorial service for a retired pastor who died last week. I ended up sitting with another retired pastor who's known for a somewhat irreverent sense of humor, but also for having strong opinions about matters great and small.
The service began with the great hymn of the faith, "God of Grace and God of Glory," which the congregation, filled with active and retired pastors and their spouses and lots of good singing Methodists, sang with gusto.
As we finished the hymn and began to take our seats, this retired pastor with whom I was sitting leaned in my direction and whispered, "I would never begin a worship service with that hymn."
'Here we go,' I thought, fully expecting a lengthy explanation of the theological reasons why he'd decided that was such a miscalculation. Instead, he quietly pointed to the end of the first verse -- a prayerful plea to God: "Grant us wisdom, grant us courage, for the facing of this hour, for the facing of this hour."
I'll never again begin a worship service with the hymn "God of Grace and God of Glory."
Or if I do, I'll do it smiling. :-)
2 comments:
Interesting! I certainly see where he is coming from...but worship should be disturbing at some level as it pushes us to become stronger disciples of Christ. So, if I'm going to be challenged, maybe I do need courage to seek Christ in the midst of difficulty!
Jeremy - excellent point! Okay, that settles it: "God of Grace and God of Glory" is back in!
And here's to worship that disturbs and challenges -- worship for which we need to pray for courage!
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