This past Sunday my family and I had the opportunity to go and watch Linda sing a solo in her church service. I had been to a Methodist meeting and Catholic vacation bible school in the past but never a decidedly Protestant service. The first thing I noticed was the immense size of the building. It was HUGE! The sanctuary was almost twice the size of our chapel and yet it was so... empty. I am used to the chapel being comfortably full of families. Children talking and coloring. Moms soothing tired babies. In the Nazarene sanctuary there were only adults and a few teens. The children all had their own classes so that the parents could focus on the sermon.
I was surprised by the amount of standing done in the first part of the meeting. The power-point presentation was also quite different. It was really neat though they have the lyrics and scripture references right there so, even though I was unfamiliar with the layout, I always knew what was going on. And the sanctuary had a sound and light booth! WOW.
Linda was awesome. You could tell that she was really nervous at first but once she settled into it she was absolutely beautiful. The thing that stood out the most though was how happy she looked. To use Maya's words she was "glowing." She was just happy. Happy she had the opportunity to sing. Happy about the song. Happy we were there. I have never seen her so radiant.
It took some time for me to get used to how the pastor taught. He was very animated and enthusiastic which caused him to pace. But after the initial raising of my eyebrows what he had to say was absolutely fascinating. He used a passage in the New Testament concerning being hot, cold and lukewarm in lifestyle. He expounded on that passage using a rich store of knowledge and was telling the congregation to rise up and be more then they were; to be better and more Christ-like. To allow the "hot water" of God to work in our lives and to "turn off the cold water" of the world. We found his analogy very amusing, and it came up jokingly during the day, but I found the sermon to be incredibly interesting.
The thing I really just did not understand was the manner of dress. A big part of the service was singing loud songs in worship of Jesus and in those songs they referred to Him as the "Lord of Lords" and "King of Kings." We share this belief. However, if I were to come before a king, any king, I would dress accordingly. Would you not want to show the utmost respect in dress and demeanor to the King of all Kings by wearing your "Sunday best?"
I really enjoyed the opportunity to learn of other religions and why people think the way that they do. But most of all I was happy to support Linda. I was happy to see her in that light. Radiant really is the best word.
1 comments: