Pew Activities

The 2008 Festival of Homiletics was wonderful. What great preaching! What great singing! What great fellowship! It was simply terrific.



Wow! The Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis is absolutely beautiful. That combination English-French neo-Gothic architecture that by its vastness diminishes the importance of the human certainly humbled me every time I entered the sanctuary.



To feast upon the Word proclaimed by some of the most respected preachers in the world was an experience that is unforgettable.



And to engage in fellowship with pastors from almost every state in the Union as well as several countries and a large representation of denominations, and especially the Rev Gals, was uplifting.



Now, having said this, please allow this old man to ask a few questions of contemporary worship practices. I admit it; I’m a product of the last century. I may be out-of-touch. Certainly, it’s been over forty years since I had any extended experience at pew sitting. So, maybe some of you younger folks could educate me.

First, is there a standard ritual that says the person who shows up first gets to sit on the outside of the pew? Is the need to climb over the earlier arriving outside pew sitters punishment for not getting to the church on time?



Is there a preacher in the world who loves to hear a cell phone ring as the sermon is reaching its climax? And if so, why would any preacher not turn off the cell phone, or at least put it on vibrate prior to the beginning of the service? Okay, okay, I’ll give it to you. Sometimes the preachers are so new to the pew sitting experience they forget. Having admitted that, is there some reason why a person who hears a cell phone ring during point one of the prominent preacher’s sermon would hear his own cell phone ring during point two?



When a preacher pulls out the cell phone and begins to text message with another preacher on the

other side of the cathedral, is that because they can’t wait to share their reactions to the sermon with each other?



Has anyone reading this ever witnessed a congregant die of dehydration during a sermon? Does proper etiquette limit the number of times a person can gurgled down water from a giant economy size bottle during one sermon?

I’m just curious. Maybe I’ve been in the pulpit too long.

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Comments

[Anonymous Visitor]

Unless someone is on medication that requires them to drink water often,I would that the drink could wait. I have seem more and more coffee cups in church on Sunday morning. Makes me wonder how the preacher feels when they need the continuous caffeine! doodlebugmom