Those Boring Assemblies

I want to use something CL said as a launchpad to further a thought I have embedded in the comments of the last post. I said... "but I think a church that has a fairly boring assembly can grow like crazy if the people are living out the kingdom of God in their communities" CL asked good questions: "If people are truly living out Christ in every part of their life would our assemblies be boring? Or does tradition and fear just rule that strongly? Ultimately saying the grace is no more than a word in Romans and the Spirit is a third of the third of the trinity? Does that make sense?" Oh yes, it makes perfect sense. It's just that tossing around these terms leaves one to their own devices. After all, what is a "Boring Assembly"? Is it an assembly that is not planned with me in mind? Or is it an assembly in which I cannot connect because I have my focus somewhere besides Christ? What, after all, are our expectations for that one hour per week that has become the pinnacle of our Christian experience? Now CL has asked the right question. 'If people are truly living out Christ in every part of their life would our assemblies be boring?' The answer, as far as I can see, is "NO". The Christian's identification with Christ calls him to focus on the needs of others, not self. The Christ-identity moves us toward service, not 'the services'. The food upon which the Christian lives is not a great assembly, but daily Christ-likeness lived out in the marketplace and gutter. If we were 'truly living out Christ' could we possibly be bored by spending time together, joining our voices in praise (old new slow fast ), communing together, sharing a message from the Word? These mundane items take on new life because of the new life that is within us. I have seen the saints weeping as they communed ... and not because of a special song, dimmed lights, or a touching devotional ... just hearts inhabited by the Christ. Now in regard to my response...Is that a simplistic answer that buries it head in theological sand to escape a dilemma? CL's second question is 'the rub': Or does tradition and fear just rule that strongly? Does this question assume that if there were no traditional barriers and no fear about 'what might happen' or fear of 'abandoning the doctrine of Christ' or some such thinking ... that the assemblies would suddenly take on a new life and no longer be boring? We've all read an endless array of articles and books on the worship wars and I think there are only three potential conclusions (feel free to let me know if that is short-sighted): *We must serve our current brothers and sisters, showing them love by maintaining a consistent pratice of faith ... practices that are dear to their heart ... and have been for generations ... and that if we abandon some of these saints may feel forced out of the family. (Is that loaded enough for you?) In this case, the call to Christlikeness teaches us to put their needs above mine...after all... this does not keep me from serving Christ passionately in my daily life. *We must serve our community and culture by reaching out to them in an assembly that incorporates practices that might even make us uncomfortable. We may have to challenge our own concepts of what is acceptable, laying down our past traditions in order to accomodate those who are currently outside of Christ (and may not ever be interested no matter how much we try to wear the sweater of their values over the body of our values). In this case, the call to Christlikeness teaches us to pay any price to win those for whom Christ died (but yet remain unredeemed). Even in my discomfort (if I am uncomfortable) I am not stopped from serving Christ passionately in my daily life. *We must try to bless our current members ... and at the same time adjust acceptable items (?) in order to attempt to reach our culture. In this case the call teh Christlikeness teaches us to reach out as we have opporutnity, and also minister to those who have been called together in the Family. Churches are struggling with how to do this. Some are offering two services (contemporary / traditional) ... some are just going one way or the other and telling everyone who doesn't like it to get with it or take a hike. What does Christlikeness call us to do about those boring assemblies? Why are we bored? Why is this the biggest object in our Christian experience? With more questions than answers, (and a really really long post) john