We are one of those families that looks forward to its summer vacation. Usually its one of the beaches on the East Coast. We seem to always check in on Saturday and then it's look for a church to go on the Lord's Day. This is always a challenge. There's usually at least one church that is trying to convey the message to Internet surfers, that they are a Bible believing church. The typical American church likes to advertise as a family church, or friendly church. Most have some sort of contemporary service. Maybe they'll let you know about the food banks or senior citizen care and certainly the nursery.
Oh for the day when I click on a church website and Christ Is Preached Here is the first thing I see! I can usually find a PCA (Presbyterian Church of America) which is the more conservative branch of Presbyterianism but they most likely will have contemporary worship which I try to avoid. I've found small Baptist churches that proclaim the gospel and that's probably why they are small.
This weeks search was typical of other vacations. There was a Southern Baptist church listed so the question was only are they the conservative or liberal Southern Baptists. John Piper's name was on page one so that question was settled. These beach churches we attend always seem to have a very friendly congregation that recognizes a vacationer and welcomes them. Being Memorial Day Weekend, this service was much more patriotic than even normal churches in America today. The Star Spangled Banner, God Bless America and the Battle Hymn Of The Republic were sung. There was one overhead screen praise song, one piano solo and a modern hymn too close to contemporary Christian music. I couldn't bring myself to sing even one song today. The pastor started off with a story about a new reality show where men are trying to get a spot on the Dallas Cowboy's preseason roster.
I didn't even blink, I've heard the references to sports so many times that it is almost expected. The message was application towards motivation to work harder for the goals of the Christian but in amongst this, there was Christ and also the gospel. The pastor's parting prayer was very telling in that it showed that he understands the difficulties of quoting Paul one minute, where Paul says that he is not trying to use his speaking abilities to persuade anyone, rather he is preaching Christ...and... realizing that using his own abilities to persuade is just what he (the pastor) was trying to do. His admitting this made the difference to me. I don't agree with the method but at least he did not think, as so many pastors do, that a motivational sermon is preaching Christ simply because Christ's name is mentioned as the object of the motivation.
It's not application that I recoil from, for I need applicatory preaching in my life, it's the failure to preach Christ, His cross and our condition before applying that which receives it's strength to change, from what happened on the cross and in the tomb. I don't sing praise songs because I did so for ten years and came to see that the music and the moment was the essence of the service, and also the lyrics and choruses tend to be either centered on the singer (me) or so repetitive that I might as well be giving a chant. I take the prayers seriously when I attend these vacation services and consider it a privilege to pray for their small and large ailments, a privilege to even be among fellow Christians, and probably the weakest one in attendance in spite of recognizing the modern day ailment in the church and its preaching. In this beach community, these believers did not seem to have sacrificed their faith to the sun and surf but I still look forward to going home (Lord willing) and hearing Christ preached and singing Psalms where even I would have difficulty messing up.
Oh for the day when I click on a church website and Christ Is Preached Here is the first thing I see! I can usually find a PCA (Presbyterian Church of America) which is the more conservative branch of Presbyterianism but they most likely will have contemporary worship which I try to avoid. I've found small Baptist churches that proclaim the gospel and that's probably why they are small.
This weeks search was typical of other vacations. There was a Southern Baptist church listed so the question was only are they the conservative or liberal Southern Baptists. John Piper's name was on page one so that question was settled. These beach churches we attend always seem to have a very friendly congregation that recognizes a vacationer and welcomes them. Being Memorial Day Weekend, this service was much more patriotic than even normal churches in America today. The Star Spangled Banner, God Bless America and the Battle Hymn Of The Republic were sung. There was one overhead screen praise song, one piano solo and a modern hymn too close to contemporary Christian music. I couldn't bring myself to sing even one song today. The pastor started off with a story about a new reality show where men are trying to get a spot on the Dallas Cowboy's preseason roster.
I didn't even blink, I've heard the references to sports so many times that it is almost expected. The message was application towards motivation to work harder for the goals of the Christian but in amongst this, there was Christ and also the gospel. The pastor's parting prayer was very telling in that it showed that he understands the difficulties of quoting Paul one minute, where Paul says that he is not trying to use his speaking abilities to persuade anyone, rather he is preaching Christ...and... realizing that using his own abilities to persuade is just what he (the pastor) was trying to do. His admitting this made the difference to me. I don't agree with the method but at least he did not think, as so many pastors do, that a motivational sermon is preaching Christ simply because Christ's name is mentioned as the object of the motivation.
It's not application that I recoil from, for I need applicatory preaching in my life, it's the failure to preach Christ, His cross and our condition before applying that which receives it's strength to change, from what happened on the cross and in the tomb. I don't sing praise songs because I did so for ten years and came to see that the music and the moment was the essence of the service, and also the lyrics and choruses tend to be either centered on the singer (me) or so repetitive that I might as well be giving a chant. I take the prayers seriously when I attend these vacation services and consider it a privilege to pray for their small and large ailments, a privilege to even be among fellow Christians, and probably the weakest one in attendance in spite of recognizing the modern day ailment in the church and its preaching. In this beach community, these believers did not seem to have sacrificed their faith to the sun and surf but I still look forward to going home (Lord willing) and hearing Christ preached and singing Psalms where even I would have difficulty messing up.
