Well,
yes it is sometimes. Entered into with a spirit of willingness
and openness, time in church can mean that the spirit
of God bores a hole all the way into the center of our
beings.
Oh—perhaps
you didn’t mean THAT kind of “bore”
with the phrase “church is boring.” Instead
it meant, “I’m not being entertained in church.”
Hmmm—definitely
truth there as well. Although some churches do have “entertaining”
worship services, the church really isn’t in the
entertainment business. It’s in the transformation
business. It’s in the reconciliation business. It’s
in the forgiveness business.
At
the basic level, “church” is a group of people
who come together to learn more about God and to encourage
each other to grow in holiness. Holiness simply means
that we become more and more willing to live as God intended
us to live: aware of God’s grace which is given
freely yet costs so much, exercising our talents, receiving
disappointments and tough times with hopeful hearts, forgiving
others, wrapping ourselves and those around us in love,
actively seeking the well-being of the created world.
The transformative work of holiness is boring indeed.
It digs huge holes into most our preconceived notions
about what life really is about.
In
most churches, people sing songs together because there
is something about music that helps us to get beyond ourselves
for a while. Some of this music is ancient and unfamiliar
and boring but the act of at least trying to sing and
hear the words gives them an opportunity to bore into
our minds and thoughts.
In
most churches, portions of the Bible are read aloud. These
readings help us enter the lives of the people who have
sought from the beginning of recorded history to find
and experience God. As we enter into their lives, we find
a place to find direction for our own experiences of God.
Sometimes, people fall asleep while the Bible is being
read—but those words while boring can so beautifully
bore into the soul nonetheless.
In
most churches, people spend some time in prayer. This
time helps us to stop just for a while and really concentrate
on both talking to God and hearing from God. The action
of prayer can be a boringly mysterious experience that
sometimes leads us to fall into a holy sleep and sometimes
leaves us exhilarated by concentrated attention on the
Holy One.
In
most churches, there is an opportunity to give money.
This teaches us that life is much more than what we have—it
is also found in what we give. It becomes a physical act
that mirrors a spiritual reality: because we are blessed,
we have a responsibility to be a blessing. The boring
time when plates are being passed around the gathering
will often bore into our wallets as we consider both our
willingness and unwillingness to give freely.
In
most churches, there is a message or sermon or meditation
offered by the pastor or another person who has spent
disciplined time learning the ways of God and the words
of the Bible. This is done to offer instruction and encouragement.
Learning about God is a life-long process, and learning
to be a Christian and live like a Christian is also a
life-long process. This time of instruction and encouragement
offers ideas and hope that a person can take home and
ponder and seek to live from. Learning to be a Christian
is no different than learning any challenging skill or
area of knowledge: it takes discipline and work and good
instruction and much, much practice. Yes, sometimes people
fall asleep while listening to those frequently boring
messages—but they may bore into the soul nonetheless.
In
most churches, there are multiple opportunities for service.
These opportunities give people a chance to get to know
one another and work together and give good away to the
people around them. So as we boringly pick up trash and
feed the hungry and clothe the naked and visit the prisoner
and heal the sick, we find that such acts bore deep within
and find a well of gratefulness and renewed energy.
In
most churches, there are opportunities to receive what
are sometimes called “sacraments”—a
word that suggests a special meaning to what is taking
place. The most common sacrament is the experience of
communion, where we remember in special ways the gift
that Jesus gave to us when freely giving himself for all.
This is a focused time to be still and simply receive
the gift; to be quietly bored and let our minds wander
with contemplation of things generally ignored.
In
most churches, there is a time to talk about or think
about the places where we don’t measure up. The
church word for this is “confession,” which
means to agree with God about these things. This time
is not punitive, but refreshing. It gives needed space
to be honest about ourselves and to receive the power
from God to start again—as many times as is needed.
Confession, honestly practices, is rarely boring and also
overwhelmingly boring as light is shed on areas before
kept dark and hidden.
In
most churches, there is a time to greet people sitting
nearby. This time is a reminder that we are all in this
together. We are not alone—and there is great comfort
in this knowledge. It is a boring routine of shaking hands
and saying “hello” and “welcome”
except when you are feeling exceptionally lonely and then
the boring routine bores new hope and healing into your
loneliness.
In
most churches, many meals are eaten together. It’s
a boring routine of cooking, serving, standing in line
to get food, sitting with unfamiliar people, and cleaning
up afterward. Those times of communal dining bore warmth
into our lives because shared food means shared lives
and shared lives mean a community strong enough to withstand
any trials coming our way.
Yes,
church is boring. Thank you, Jesus, for boring your way
into my life and giving to me the words of life.
