Bound to be Boring

Several weeks ago I was having a conversation with a parishioner about how worship becomes so routine. They were asking me how we could liven it up because it seems like we just do the same thing every Sunday. Church seemed a little boring to them. I really didn't have an answer for them at the time. I just listened and said I understood what they are saying. Which I do.
Thinking about it more however, I think church is bound to be boring. We have been doing the same thing every Sunday, for two thousand years. I've noticed that my own sermons start to all sound strangely smilar. They all sound the same because they are all about the same thing: Jesus Christ. This is what the church is about. That is why it is called the "Christian" Church. "Christian" meaning of or pertaining to Jesus Christ.

So for two thousand years we have been preaching and teaching Jesus Christ. We have been doing the same sacraments. We have been using the same Bible. I think anything that is done every week for two thousand years is going to get old.

For example: Imagine that you are huge U2 fan and you go to a U2 concert on Saturday night. There were thousands of people there and is fun and exciting. You like it so much that you go to their show again the next Saturday and finally decide to go to their show every Saturday night. You hear the same songs and see the same show week after week. Now imagine you just keeping doing this every week with a whole bunch of people. Eventually the U2 members die, but devoted followers continue to put on their show, just like they would every week. Then they start to do it in several different locations so that it is easier for people to go. And they continue this for two thousand years. At that point I think even U2 would be boring.

Church just can't compete with other excitements in the world, unless it sells out and becomes about something other than Jesus, which some churches do. A Sunday football game, hanging out with friends, or sleeping in will always seem more fun and/or exciting.

But maybe church isn't supposed to compete with these things. Maybe the Word and Sacrament offered at a worship service aren't supposed to be fun and exciting but rather profoundly meaningful and deeply significant. They can't compete with the superficial enjoyments of fun and excitement but they can carry profound meaning and dynamic truth. Football games, rock concerts, and sleeping don't compete well on that level.

So the church should stop trying to compete by being exciting and fun. Instead it should stay focused on the profound reality of Christ and delivering that to people. Sometimes ancient tradition can carry deep meaning. The Holy scriptures are powerful because they have stood strong for thousands of years. We keep talking about Jesus all the time because he is Truth. The church may never be fun and exciting but hopefully it can lead us to experience the profound truth of the divine mysteries. If not, I'm going to start sleeping in on Sundays.