When the funeral seemed like a church

One of the most negative things that could be said about a church service: "That service seemed like a funeral." It is not really meant to criticize funerals or funeral homes, as they have their special place. But, if someone says that the church service seemed like a funeral, it usually means it was boring, with no excitement, no enthusiasm, no life. That is not a good thing to be said about a church, where the Holy Spirit is supposed to be present and people are filled with joy, as they worship their Lord and Savior.

What happened here, this last Sunday, was unexpected, was a lot like a funeral; but turned out to be a most special time of worship. Because of a variety of unforeseen circumstances, I arrived Sunday morning, at 6 a.m. to a building that had partial power. Most importantly, there was no air in the worship center or educational areas and lights only in parts of these areas of ministry. A couple hours of trying to figure it out led to calling the power company, which would take most of the day to fix the problem.

We were scrambling, to see if we could have a morning service, anywhere. On a hunch, I walked next door to the funeral home, and called the phone number listed on the door. The director called back and said that they had nothing going on that day and would be happy to allow us to use their facility. That led to more scrambling, as we moved chairs, equipment and many people helped get everything ready for the service.

So, our service was a lot like a funeral, only in the sense that we held the service in a funeral home. There was a sense of excitement, as though we were a church that just began meeting in a rented facility. Everyone did their part, to make sure that we did everything possible to lead a meaningful time of worship. People adjusted, and focused on what was, rather than what was not. That was refreshing and encouraging. The smaller room (than our worship center) was packed with chairs and people filling them. The service was simple, with one guitarist leading the singing, a message, with no power point, and no extra videos that were planned.

And yet, we worshipped, we fellowshipped, we sensed a move of the Spirit of God. I won't say that I will be disappointed to be back in our facility next week; but I can say that I will thankful, for the funeral home who allowed us to come; and for the time of worship to our God that we experienced there one Sunday morning!