Your Reactions to Church Yesterday, 12/14

Kent Larsen

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How did you react to Church yesterday? What did you notice? Did you end up thinking differently? [In case you missed this last week, I was ill and didn’t post.] Do you think your reactions were what they should be? Were they ethical?

This is the latest invitation for reactions to local meetings, continuing the spirit of my post on September 25th about how we receive what happens in Church meetings—sermons, lessons and anything else—and enter a conversation with them, magnifying what was said or adding what we think. In these posts I’m asking us all to think about how we listen and receive what happens at Church. If we only listen for mistakes, or things that bother us, what does that say about us? Is it most important to criticize others? Or to try to change ourselves?

The point here is that no matter how poorly prepared the speaker or teacher is, or no matter how what happens triggers us, or is objectively or doctrinally wrong, we can still find elements in what is said and what happens that inspires and edifies us. Even if church meetings aren’t conducted in a way that reaches us, we can take responsibility and find a way to feel the spirit.

So please, write down reactions and thoughts to what happened in Church. You might keep your own ‘spiritual journal’, or, if you like, you can post your reactions below. I’m adding my own reactions and thoughts as a comment to this post — instead of as a part of this post, because my reactions aren’t any better than anyone else’s.

Let me emphasize that this is NOT a place to criticize what is wrong with church or your fellow congregants. The point is to post what you learned because of what happened at Church or how that led you to think. It’s about the good things we can get out of Church, not the negative things that disturbed or upset us. It doesn’t have to be orthodox, traditional or even on topic.

If you like, make your response in the format, “They said or did this, and I said or thought that.” Even the things you dislike the most can be turned into lessons for what the gospel teaches we should do.

My hope is that these reactions serve as an example of a better way to treat what happens at Church instead of the perennial complaints about speaker or teacher preparation or ability, or complaints that the Church should do things differently.

Comments

One response to “Your Reactions to Church Yesterday, 12/14”

  1. Kent Larsen

    Here are my reactions to yesterday’s Church meetings (12/14):

    • My wife and I got handed a baby in Sacrament Meeting. Its actually delightful to watch kids, especially when they aren’t yours. Yes, its true that Sacrament Meeting is for worship. But it is also a social event. And in social events we show who we are by how we act. Its the gospel to worship. Its just as much, or even more, the gospel to help others.
    • One speaker talked about how the primary chorister was accustomed, at the end of the meeting each Sunday, to say the same thing to the kids. When the chorister missed one Sunday, some of the kids noticed. These kinds of structures give comfort, and not just to kids. Structures are like that. Our meetings are structured to give us that same kind of comfort and stability. Viva la structure!
    • One speaker talked about the family washing each other’s feet one Christmas. The speaker observed, “no one wants to touch someone else’s feet!” I couldn’t help but think, well, there are podiatrists!
    • Part of the meetings was our annual Christmas program. I was struck by the wide difference in the background of the performers—we have professionals and amateurs, experienced and beginners. And anyone who is actively listening can tell who is who. Balancing all the performers for a program is interesting. I love the variety. Too often I think our assumption is that performers must be good. But that assumption leaves many people out because they aren’t “good enough.” To me that seems completely contrary to the gospel. How do we learn to be like our Heavenly Parents if we can’t try?

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