Went to church yesterday - a small, charismatic church that meets in a school. It was wonderful to be in such a relaxed atmosphere, sing some songs that were obviously Hillsongs because a) I didn't know them, and b) they were about 'me'.
One thing I certainly enjoyed about the service was the sermon. Now, I'm all for deep, challenging, theological treatises on most subjects, and I've come to expect long sermons in India. But Pastor Ernest surprised me. He read the passage in Matthew about the tax collector and the Pharisee, then asked the congregation the difference. It was refreshing. I wanted to pipe up, but didn't have the bottle.
A couple of things that made me think in the service, too. Communion was shared, and the bread was broken with the words 'Jesus said, 'this is my body, broken for you.' Jesus didn't say any such words, because his body was never broken. He was the perfect sacrifice. Not a broken one.
Also, we sang a song with the chorus 'I lift my worship up to you'. I can't remember what the rest of the song was, but that line struck a chord (ha!) with me. Did they mean the sacrificial living of our lives in an God-honouring way, or did they mean the singing of songs, y'know, the bit before the sermon? And if they meant the latter, how does one lift it up? Despite my slight cynicism, I am actually looking for an answer - is this just lazy song writing, or is there something more to it?
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