Rock of Ages

I grew up in the Southern Baptist Church.  Not the progressive churches we know today...... I'm talking about the old-fashioned, traditional, wear-a-dress-or-go-to-hell, bring-a-covered-dish-to-everything, never-sing-the-third-verse-of-any-hymn kind of Baptist Church.  In my day, we dressed for church. If we complained in the slightest bit about having to curl our hair or wear something nice, we were quickly, and not-so-subtly, reminded that Jesus died on the cross for us and the very least we could do to honor him was to put on our panty hose without complaining and get to church. My parents took that passage in Luke 18 literally when Jesus said, "Suffer the little children to come unto me."  I think they firmly believed that the more they made us suffer, the closer to God we were. We didn't have a fun and exciting youth service to attend  with music and messages from OUR generation.   We didn't have home groups with snacks and games.  We had the church service we attended with our parents and then we had Sunday School.  Period.  We also went back on Sunday night for the Sunday evening service and we showed up on Wednesday nights for Bible Study and the traditional Wednesday night supper served in the Fellowship Hall.


About a month ago, I got the most random text from my sister who lives in Arkansas.  The text simply said, "Page 212 from the old Baptist Hymnal?"  I smiled, and instantly remembered the feel of that cherished book in my hands.  I suddenly smelled the aged and musty smell of a much-used hymnal and without hesitation, I texted back, "Love Lifted Me?"  She confirmed that I was correct and I am guessing it also made her smile to think that I had remembered this even though I haven't had one of those Hymnals in my hands in over 2 decades.  It's amazing to me how often I turn to those old familiar hymns for the comfort and for the memories they evoke.  When I am out in nature and see something so absolutely beautiful, I find myself humming or singing softly to the tune of "How Great Thou Art."  What better way to put something indescribable into words than to sing, "Oh Lord, My God....When I, in awesome wonder, consider all, the world thy hands have made.  I see the stars. I hear the rolling thunder.  Thy power throughout, the universe displayed." 


So, my question is about this generation, specifically, MY children.  If you never have to SUFFER for your religion, is it going to be as meaningful?  We are taught that if you "Raise a child up in the way he should go, when he is old he will not depart from it."  But, If you never have to be home at 10 PM on a Saturday night because it's a church night, or if you never have to wriggle into panty hose at 7AM on a Sunday morning, or go to bed with pin curls in your hair because you need to look nice for church, can we still count on that Biblical promise without exception?  If you grow up singing praise choruses that appear magically on your church's jumbo screen and you don't hold the musty old hymnals in your hand and sing songs about Power in the Blood or the equivalent of the Baptist fight song, "Victory in Jesus," what on earth will you sing when your breath is taken away at the sight of the blue ocean crashing against black volcanic rock in Hawaii or the majesty of the mountains in Colorado from the highest vantage point on your hike? I shudder to think that MY kids will be rendered speechless, or worse, might have to sing a Selena Gomez number in those big life moments because the praise chorus just didn't "stick" with them like "The Old Rugged Cross" did with me!  


The Christmas Eve services I attended as a child were beautiful and meaningful. The church was decorated with Poinsettias everywhere, each one donated in the memory of a loved one.  There were choirs and handbells and we sang Christmas carols by candlelight.  This year, I attended two different Christmas Eve services.  As I arrived at the first service, much to my shock and horror, I was handed 3D glasses.  At various times during the service, when the sweater-clad Pastor should have been telling us the story of the night Jesus was born, he was instead saying, "You may now put on your 3D glasses." What the heck?  I arrived at my second service to see this sign....

Ok, so this turned out to be awesome because it was used by our Praise Team to perform a Trans-Siberian-Orchestra arrangement that brought me to my feet and brought tears to my eyes.  But still, not the Christmas Eve service I was looking for this year.  What I wouldn't have given to hear a handbell choir and see some Poinsettias.  And, I guess Lottie Moon must be set for money now because she was NEVER mentioned in either service.  

I have traded in my Southern Baptist roots, complete with my panty hose, my Baptist Hymnal,  my hell-fire and brimstone sermons and my pot-luck dinners.  I now attend an everyone's welcome, non-denominational, casual, feel-good Bible church.  And, I love it.  I really do.  But part of me misses the church of my youth.  Although I love how easy it is to get the kids to church when they know they can wear jeans and go to a cool service just for them, part of me wonders if they would be learning more or retaining more if they were suffering just a little.

We have a small local Baptist Church which keeps this message year-round on its marquee, "Old- Fashioned Church - The way it used to be." I have to admit to being tempted to check that out.  I think I would walk in and see the old wooden attendance board hanging up by the organ which shows just how many we had in Sunday School and the Worship Service the previous week.  I would find the Hymnals in the back of the pews, some might still have the previous week's bulletin stuck in to mark a favorite old hymn that was sung in the most recent service.  I imagine during the service the  suit-clad Pastor would have 3 points and a poem and each point would garner a hearty "Amen" from at least a couple of the Deacons in attendance.  We would sing two or three hymns and the first, second and fourth verses of "Just As I Am" during the invitation period.  Yes, I will absolutely make a point of visiting this church one day!  Hey, maybe I'll even go on Christmas Eve!