Opus 2019-197: Worship Alternatives

Recently I was attending a Sunday worship service and got distracted.  It is not unusual for me to get distracted.  I remember in years past when the church had a great pianist.  I could get lost in the fifteen minutes of prelude that she played.  I would already be deep in worship when I realized that someone was standing in front of me trying to engage me in conversation.  It didn’t bother them that my eyes were closed and my head was moving in time with the music.  Since it was before formal worship began I was able to be polite.  During worship is different.  It is hard to concentrate with some of the entertainment offered.

The first thing I noticed was a young couple giving each other back rubs a few rows ahead of me.  They were married so it was fine to be touching each other but they were also young enough that I knew the young man was not paying any attention to the sermon.  I began to wonder what everyone else was doing that was distracting.

It is amazing how many people are just looking around.  I guess they are looking for friends or counting.  Maybe they are wondering if they are dressed in the proper style.  Some, as they look around, have some silent communication going on with friends.

Some were checking their phones.  I would like to think they had a Bible ap open but if they did they were reading very fast.  In this category would be ladies reorganizing their purse or cleaning out their pockets. 

It also amazes me the number of people who can’t make it an hour sitting in a cool room without taking frequent drinks from their water bottle.  And of course the same people seem to have weak bladders.

There are many people who could tell you how many lights there are in the sanctuary and where all the cracks are in the floor. 

Some ladies are redoing their hair or fixing their lipstick. 

And what is startling, there are actually some people listening to the sermon.  Maybe I need to get back to that.

homo unius libri