What is important in our meetings? Immediately, most church members will say the sacrament—which implies that the rest of sacrament meeting is just context. It is true that the sacrament represents the most (or perhaps only) important, or truly great, element of our theology and our practice. But we should probably think about what we mean by a “great work”.
We use the word “great” all the time, but rarely do we define what we mean when we use it. In most sports, we determine great by statistics kept of what happened during competition, and the great is then determined by looking at those statistics. In sports the GOAT is usually something that can be calculated.
Even in the scriptures, when we talk about a “great work”, what is mean isn’t always clear. Esther’s “great work” was influencing a powerful king to save her people—certainly great for her people, but likely irrelevant for, say, the Book of Mormon peoples. For us today, her “great work” is an example of what we can do, not something directly relevant to our lives. “Great” is then relative to who benefits. I dare say that the sacrament, and the sacrifice it represents, is the only (or one of very few) “great work” that is relevant to everyone.
So then, what about the rest of our meetings? Our classes and services? Beyond the sacrament are they important? I think this is actually an important question, since it implies how we should react to what happens in those meetings. If what is important and “great” is relative to each of us and our situations, how do we judge what happens there? How do we know what we should pay attention to?
All that assumes that we do need to judge, and that there is some universal standard for what needs to happen in our meetings and classes. Often we make assumptions about what is important or great based on the culture around us — the ideas and assumptions of the world. We expect entertainment, or a particular style of delivery, or to hear about expected topics. But none of these determine importance or greatness for everyone.
Given all this, perhaps we should be suspicious of the assumptions made about what is important. Under the influence of the surrounding culture, we make assumptions about what is important and what makes our experience at church good. And when that doesn’t happen, we assume that the talks or classes are “bad.”
Fortunately, we don’t have to adopt these assumptions about what is important and what is “great.” We can choose how we think, and make our own judgments about what is important — and tailor those judgments to what we need.
So, what things do you see as important in Church? How do you participate? Are you thinking about things the way that you want to? Or are you just accepting the assumptions of the culture around us?
In these posts I am trying to suggest that each of us can have better experiences at Church if we take responsibility for our experiences, and if we are open to learning from what happens by pondering it — by thinking about it in many different ways. We can choose to learn and benefit from what happens regardless of whether it fits our perception of what is “good.” Thinking about our reactions and what we understand allows for revelation and for better understanding.
In this vein, I like the statement that President Hugh B. Brown made in a 1969 BYU devotional, President Hugh B. Brown declared that the Church is “not so much concerned with whether your thoughts are orthodox or heterodox as we are that you shall have thoughts.” We should be carefully considering what we hear at Church, regardless of whether what we heard is right or wrong, orthodox or heterodox.
A lot of our thought depends on how we look at it. It is not different from what many artists figure out—they understand that how you see the world before you is more important than what you see. You might call it ‘active listening’ or shifting perspective. It just means that you see differently. And seeing differently reveals a different world.
In my case, I tend to focus narrowly, thinking about groups of words or sentences, sometimes taking them out of context and thinking about what they say, even if the speaker didn’t intend what I heard. It’s not at all like what we’re taught in school, where the focus is on understanding accurately and completely what the speaker or text says. Its about pulling out useful or inspiring thoughts in spite of what was said.
So, if you aren’t thinking this way, maybe try it next Sunday, or the next time you are in a class or meeting. If you have already thoughts inspired by what happened at church, what are they? How did you react to what happened in Church yesterday? What did you notice? Did you end up thinking differently? Do you think your reactions were what they should be? Were they looking for what God had to tell you? Did your reactions make things better?
This is the latest invitation for reactions to local meetings, continuing a series of weekly posts that started with 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.
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