Quiet And Respectful In The Worship Service (March 27, 2005)

Sometimes on this page I address weighty matters of life and death, heaven and hell. This week I want to address something unbelievably stupid.

I would like you all to go to the bathroom before the worship service starts.

I do. Those of you who attend the church I preach at may notice that I disappear briefly at 10:54 and reappear at 10:56 during the break between Sunday School and Worship. The reason I make myself scarce then is to ensure that I won't have to during the service. I am sure you would all be terribly embarrassed if I stopped half way through my sermon and said, "I am sorry people, but you'll have to excuse me a minute. I gotta go."

Be like me. I have set an example for you to follow. Do whatever you have to do before 11:00 AM to make sure that once the service starts, you can stick around until it ends. Of course there are some good reasons for walking out (sudden nausea, a coughing fit, your kid is disruptive, your pastor is a heretic) but your own failure to plan ahead for bladder concerns is not one of them.

I am asking you to do this not out of personal pique but because the yo-yo shuffle of people going in and out of the sanctuary has become a distraction to those who are trying to worship God. I'll be specific: a friend reports that at our Good Friday Service no fewer than six people walked out and later returned. As St. James would say, "My brothers, these things ought not to be." Such disruptive behavior sticks in the craw of sincere believers who are trying to meditate upon the blessed sacrifice of our Lord.

It also puts a stumbling block before a seeker. On Easter I attempted to preach the kind of sermon I would have wanted to hear as a teenager - a rational defense of faith in Jesus' resurrection. I can't say that sermon was any good, but I was gratified to hear about a young person who was asking many questions afterward. Listen, for the sake of such an individual, you must be quiet during the service. Don’t call attention to yourself. You may be bored out of your skull. You may hate sitting in that pew, and you may only be there out of duty. Fine. I would only ask that you not make things difficult for someone whose heart is wrestling with the profoundest of all questions, "Shall I believe or not? Will I follow Christ or not?" By getting up and walking around, you send the message, "Whatever the pastor is talking about here is less important than my need to be away." That example discourages sincere worshippers and tempts wavering seekers.

Be mindful of how your behavior during a worship service affects other people. Thank you.