If you watch television much at all these days (which I don’t), count the vast number of reality shows about weddings. There are shows about buying wedding dresses, buying wedding dresses for women who are plus-sized, buying bridesmaids’ dresses, picking wedding venues, wedding competitions, and wedding caterers and ceremonies. We watch celebrities get married, ordinary people get married, politicians get married, royalty get married, fantasy weddings, wedding planners…
To be honest, I am tired of weddings on television. I don’t find them that interesting, nor do I find watching others discover ways to spend money that fascinating. They reveal to us, however, a key desire in people to return to traditions and concepts. While I see wedding shows as displays of opulence, others see family and friends gathering, dressing well, sharing meals, and the end of one thing while beginning something new. In those weddings, people connect with the past and find hope for the future.
We see the same at holiday time. People take comfort in knowing Christmas songs and hymns, gathering with others, getting dressed up, sharing meals, and finding that connection between years past and present. In other words: we enjoy church unplugged.
A changing world
It’s not a secret that the world we live in is far removed from the world we once knew. Most of us take comfort in remembering simpler times and the hope that maybe those values or virtues are possible, once again. We desire this feeling in church, as much as we do in a secular sense. There’s nostalgia s we remember our ancestors, sitting in a small church with a potbellied stove, singing the same songs people sing every year at Christmastime. They had less than we do now. Holidays passed without many gifts, without a tree, some without ever shopping. They lived through the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, on rations so soldiers could fight. And yet, in the midst of what they did not have…they had something we don’t have today.
Living in reality
No matter how much we want it, the world we live in today is not ever going to be the world of times past. Good, bad, or indifferent, society is not what it was when we were kids. We can blame any host of things on that fact. Whatever we assign the cause, the cause isn’t going away. We can’t ignore our world, its realities, nor its difficulties. Shootings at various venues have become so commonplace, many are immune to them. Materialism has replaced faith, even in church. We don’t see demands for material things just at Christmastime, but all year round. A general feeling of disgust and rage are part of daily life. People are impatient. Church is seen as an entertainment venue, not one of faith.
It would appear the days of church unplugged are gone. These nostalgic times of going to church just to sing His praise, see His glory, and rejoice in His love seem absent….
Or are they?
A sense of church unplugged
Remove not the old landmark… (Proverbs 23:10, KJV)
That familiar connection to Christianity throughout the ages that many find in hymns and holiday traditions do not have to be reserved for Christmas. We do not have to wait for Christmas to be grateful Jesus was born, nor do we have to reserve gratitude for the resurrection to Easter. Anytime we want to experience that connection, singing the songs of true faith and a time of true hope, we can get out the old hymnals and sing them.
Our ancestors of the faith wrote beautiful, powerful songs, that expressed their total trust and belief in God. Many are suitable for every season and every occasion. Anytime any one of us wants to connect to the old ways and draw on that history, where the faithful cloud of witnesses joins with us on earth and heaven, we can sing those old songs, and realize we are a part of something older than we are.
I have nothing against modern music trends. Hillsong’s music has played a huge role in my spiritual development over the past 30 years. From Robin Mark to modern Gospel and worship sounds, I love much of the modern worship scene. I believe in using modern songs, Bible translations, and understanding that God can be real today. But somewhere in all of this, we can benefit from unplugging our churches, music, and concepts. MTV’s Unplugged (a memory now) proved that behind loud, popular, and aggressive music styles lied talent and soul. What about the church today? Can we do “Church Unplugged” and find soul and purpose in what we do? If today’s churches had to unplug their sound systems, light shows, and often rather aggressive styles…could they rely on the faith of now to echo that of our ancestors?
Remembering the old paths
Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. (Jeremiah 6:16, KJV)
Our ancestors didn’t know everything. They were often superstitious and many were unlearned. Let’s not think, however, that we are better. Any number of modern Christians divine numbers and chase after false prophecies. (This is in the face of plenty of knowledge and information to contradict nonsense.) Despite our ancestors’ realities, they had a power in their lives, something that can only be described as faith, as they forged the harshness of this world.
They didn’t expect God to send them a new car or a million dollars. They just asked God to provide for their lives, while they worked hard. God was their source when they didn’t have other resources. They didn’t treat prayer like a drug, running from person to person for a word. Everybody didn’t need a “word” all the time. Faith is what got them through life. That was the beginning and ending of it. They might not have had it all together, but with God…they had what they needed.
Connection to past times
We need to be more connected to our ancestors. Let’s look to their experience, courage under fire, songs (even if we revolutionize them with a new sound), and purpose. We need to stop relying on all the wrong things. Stop trying to divine God’s plans via numbers or figure out what will happen in the future year via predictions of false prophets. Stop thinking that God should just rescue you from your problems because you’re a believer and you’re not comfortable. God never promised that you would be comfortable in this life. Start seeking depth, rather than shallow pleasure. Ultimately, don’t remove the old landmark from our faith. We didn’t invent faith in this generation. There’s much to learn from that old landmark instead of trying to throw it out.
Christmastime proves there are still many looking for the “Old Paths.” God is calling us to return to the Old Landmark. Maybe we don’t do it every day of the year, maybe it’s not something we go to all the time, but it is something always available to us anytime we seek it. Want some suggestions? Get out the old revival feel for Pentecost week. Have an old-fashioned revival style service at your church. Get together for a group sing or a homecoming. Instead of relying on instruments, use the beauty of the human voice. Watch God move in that setting, in that powerful place, even if there are only a few there. God has always moved in the praises of His people, not a floor show. Watch God show up, show out…and speak in ways we never thought imaginable.
To get there, however, we need a “Silent Night.”
Looking to a time to come
One of these days, God is going to call us to His wedding feast when Jesus returns. When He returns, it’s going to be “Church Unplugged” all over again. There won’t be amps and mixers in the new heavens and the new earth. All we will have are the victory praises of our voices, the promises of our faith, and yes, the ancestors from generations past, who rise up to sing the praises of God with songs from every era. We too can join in the song, right now…anytime we like…if we will simply join in church unplugged and sing the songs that transcend every age.
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