(This blog series is not intended to be a critique of the churches we visit, but rather an expression of our observances and how they relate to our quest.  We recognize the fact that each and every church we visit belong to Christ and His glory is on display to some measure in each one.  We also realize there are no perfect churches and we all rely on Jesus to clothe us with His righteousness.)

Last weekend we said "goodbye" to our church of 19 years.  This week, we began the mystery church tour.  It is a mystery because I want to blog about our Sunday experiences and keep the identity of each church anonymous.

This morning we attended a Baptist church in the area.  As we drove within a few blocks, I began to feel something I haven't felt in years.  It was the feeling of complete stranger about to walk into someone's house filled with other people who we had no connection to.  Now, I realize there is a trend in mainstream evangelical churches to identify guests and overwhelm them with hospitality, but I can tell you from my perspective, that is the last thing I wanted this morning.  I wanted to blend in with the crowd and slip in the back door and find my seat.  My prayer as we approached the parking lot was that there would be a crowd big enough to do so. 
This church is not a large church, however they do have 3 services and we attended the 9:15 service.  (talk about getting a jump on the lunch crowd!)  When we walked in the front door we were confused by the layout of the building.  There were two doors and there seemed to be many people going through either one. We took the one on the right and noticed we were walking down a hallway leading to offices and classrooms, although there were many people traversing them.  We thought maybe we were going the wrong way, but we soon found that this hallway included entrances into the semi-circle shaped auditorium.   As soon as we sat down in the back right corner, we smelled coffee to our great relief! There was only a few minutes till start time so I went on a short expedition to locate the source of the aroma.  I walked out into the hallway again and knew immediately I didn't know where to go, so I flagged down a guy to ask about the coffee and he pointed me up the hallway to the kitchen.  Once I got to the kitchen I saw some coffee pumps on a little bar.  There were a few people getting their coffee and some ladies behind the counter.  As I listened to the small talk at the bar, I was reminded of my old church and had a mixed feeling of familiarity and self-consciousness.  It was surreal.  It was like the people around the coffee bar had been substituted by other people. 
After taking our coffee back to our seats in the auditorium, the music was ready to begin.  We took a couple sips and placed our cups on the floor and participated in worship.  The worship team consisted of a pianist, drummer,  bass, two acoustic guitars, lead guitar, and 4 worship singers.  The lead worshiper was a guy with a guitar who did a very nice job and had a calming effect.  The mood was worshipful and the song selection was good.  SInce this is palm Sunday, there were many songs about the Cross which I loved, and frankly I think every other Sunday should have a heavy dose of the Cross.  There were scripture readings, two to be exact,  which I appreciate because this time should not be just about music.  If I regret one thing in my time leading worship, it would be that we didn't read and meditate scripture more.  The only negative is that the flow was broken up a little too much with the two separate readings, but I won't complain too much.  Overall, I was able to connect with God and focus on the cross!
 I have to say, there is a huge challenge to keep from being distracted in a worship service when you have an evaluating attitude as I did.  That will be hard for me to overcome as I visit around.  I found myself thinking about little things that could be improved.  Here are a few:  volunteers to help guests find their way, lighting in the back corners of the auditorium (where we sat, there were no lights so I had a difficult time reading, I guess that's what we get for being back-row baptists 🙂 , an over the ear or lapel mic for the pastor (he used a hand held mic for his sermon and at times I couldn't hear him)
That brings me to the preaching.  This by far is the most important aspect of the service.  Preaching is central and although the church has many activities, preaching is its primary function.  The pastor seemed personal and with a healthy sense of humor.  His sermon was packed with scripture, and most importantly he preached what the text was saying.  I never had the feeling that he was trying to find scripture to support his topic, it was the other way around.  He began with the text of Isaiah 53 and communicated it's message. 
The downside?  Most of the sermon was read and felt like it.  He used a personal illustration where he could break away from his notes a little, but then it was back to what was more of a lecture than a passionate sermon.   To me, there are pastors who spend a lot of time compiling information for a sermon, and then there are pastors who spend hours meditating on the information. That is a huge difference.   If you've ever enjoyed a great home cooked meal, you actually appreciate all the time and effort that went into the preparation even though you didn't see it.  
Although the sermon this morning was packed with truth, it lacked passion.  It was a going-through-the-motions experience.  Despite that, it was Gospel, and it was Christ-centered, and God's Word is powerful in spite of our lack of passion. 
At the end of the message, there was an invitation which is standard Baptist fare.  As a personal aside, I think it's time to put this tradition to rest.  I prefer something more like the Village Church as their messages come to a close, people are invited to stay and pray, self-examine while the exiting crowd is asked to step out quietly.   Then again, I think the focus and content of the sermon preached has a lot to do with this.  A good sermon always convicts and challenges self-examination.  The natural effects of a gospel driven message is that God's holiness is revealed, our self-righteousness is exposed, and the question is asked "what will we do? bow down before Him or continue in our ways?"