Glory Be To the Beat!

A while back I helped lead a worship service off site. We were in the fellowship hall of a larger church, and rows of chairs faced the stage, which was backed by a black curtain. On the center of the stage was a lectern in front of a shiny drum set. It was an interesting setting for worship since the drum set was not used at all. In the absence of anything else on stage, it seemed as if the drums were the focal point of our worship. "Glory be to the beat!" I thought to myself.

The service was lovely—music, scripture, reflections, prayer. It made me wonder what difference it would make if there were a cross on the stage instead of a drum set. Obviously we had managed faithful worship without the cross. Why is it important for our worship in the sanctuary?

No doubt there are many reasons; here are just a few. First, people who visit our worship have a wide diversity of backgrounds. New people to our congregation may find it helpful to be reminded of who we are. There is nothing magical about the cross, it simply points to our Christian heritage. Not everyone who worships with us would call themselves Christian. We have a wide range of doctrines about Jesus, but as a community, we follow Jesus. For many people the cross also serves as a reminder of Jesus' life, death and resurrection (it is an empty cross in our tradition!).

When we gather in a space like our sanctuary—so defined by the cross—there is an immediate sense of the sacred. We don't need to spend much time defining the context or purpose of our gathering. Such explanations may even get in the way of a more transcendent awareness of the divine.

So while worship may take place anywhere, we are blessed to have the sacred space of our sanctuary. It's not the only appropriate place for prayer and silence, for music and encouragement, but it is certainly a fitting place.

With great hope,
Rev. Nate

P.S. The pile of dirt is completely gone now!

The Spire

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