“Ask Miss Grace” – A new addition to the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church weekly bulletin announcements, “Ask Miss Grace” is known for her wise and contemporary council to churches nationwide. She has recently come to our area and will be a feature article for the coming months.
Dear Miss Grace,
Among all the other things missing in our culture, where did silence go? And where did a sense of reverence and respect in worship go? Even at worship, the one place we might expect to escape the endless, noise of electronica, along with all the jabber and chatter that we are accustomed to, we seem to get interrupted by cell phones that have not been turned off, as well as people talking during the sermons or prayers, Egad! I so very much need to meditate and prepare my heart and mind for worship and while I worship! What am I to do? And by the way, when does the worship actually begin? Is it during the prelude music, when I enter the Sanctuary?
– Cy Lentz
Dear Mr. Lentz,
You are not alone! I think you are right in that we all need times of quiet introspection and meditation to get in touch with God in the deep places of our mind and soul as we prepare to worship and while we worship. I’m reminded that worship calls us to be both reflective and quietly introspective at times, but is also communal and filled with joyous noise!
One of the few times of sacred silence occurs during the Confession when we are asked to reflect on our sins and ask our Lord for forgiveness. Other times of silence are during Holy Communion and during the Prayers of the Church. We also experienced this silence at certain times on Wednesdays during Lenten worship in the Holden Evening Prayer service. True, the music and words are beautiful, but the service also provides at least a few times of extended silence that helps us to find peace for our weary souls.
While we may not be able to control the feedback from microphones or a loud motorcycle driving by outside, the children near us or even the coughing by someone near us, we do need to realize that some of our loud whispering and our cell phones can be controlled and certainly can be interrupting others. In fact, at Good Shepherd we welcome the joyful playfulness of our children with us in the Sanctuary!
When does the worship service start? At Good Shepherd, when the bell is rung, just before the Prelude begins, and before the pastor comes forward to welcome everyone, the private conversations should cease for a time of prayer and listening. Sometimes at the end of the welcome, the pastor invites the gathered community to intentionally stand up and meet others around them, greeting each other warmly. Our visitors, who often become new members, share time and again how helpful and warm this time is for them at GSLC. They feel received by others! After this welcome, the worship service moves forward in a combination of joy and reverence.
More often than not, either texting or whispering too loudly to a neighbor is done so innocently and without an awareness that we are bothering those around us. I think what I have suggested here is fair to all, and we simply need to become aware of our actions and the response of those around us, while also being patient with others.
– Miss Grace
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