(no subject)
On Friday, 7/7/06, I attended the wedding of my Godparents daughter; I reckon my Godsister. After a very emotional greeting by my Godmother and my Godfather’s greeting, which seemed to calm down my Godmother a bit, my Mom and I went into the sanctuary of the United Methodist Church where the wedding took place. As with anything my Mom attends, we were there early. My Godfather, who met my Mom and Dad while stationed in Mississippi and Arkansas (where I was born), said to my Mom, “I see you still follow the military motto: hurry up to wait.”
As I waited for the ceremony to begin, I was reading the beginning pages of the Hymnal. I have learned that by reading these first few pages you can learn a lot about the beliefs and emphases of a given church. The first page of note was to the effect of “The Rules for Hymn Singing.” There listed was a thorough set of directions that were to be adhered to, numbering 5 rules as follows:
1. Sing all. See that you join with the congregation as frequently as you can. Let not a slight degree of weakness or weariness hinder you. If it is a cross to you, take it up and you will find a blessing.
2. Sing lustily, and with a good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength. Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of it being heard, then when you sing the songs of Satan.
3. Sing modestly. Do not bawl, as to be heard above, or distinct from, the rest of the congregation, that you may not destroy the harmony; but strive to unite your voices together, so as to make one clear melodious sound.
4. Sing in time. Whatever time is sung, be sure to keep with it. Do not run before, not stay behind it; but attend closely to the leading voices, and move therewith as exactly as you can. And take care you sing not too slow. This drawling way naturally steals on all who are lazy; and it is high time to drive it out from among us, and sing all our tunes just as quick as we did at first.
5. Above all, sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing Him more than yourself, or any other creature. In order to do this, attend strictly to the sense of what you sing, and see that your heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually; so shall your singing be such as the Lord will approve of here, and reward when he cometh in the clouds of heaven. (http://users.mstar2.net/brucewrites/rules.htm , 7/9/2006)
Looking further in the Hymnal, I noticed that the confessional was different. It was so action oriented! Everything was “what I have not done,” “what I will do better”, none of which had to do with God’s gifts to us, His children.
It reminded me of how legalistic some Christians have become/have always been. The influence and mindset has been around since before Christ, ever prevalent in the Pharisees. I can rest easy knowing that it is only by the grace, mercy, and love that God alone offers through his Son, Jesus Christ, that my sins are no more. (This was echoed and substantiated today in church; 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 (http://www.carm.org/kjv/2Cor/2cor_5.htm , 7/9/2006).)
I suppose there are, have been, and always will be people that will sing/live as Christians in this way. For so ever long as that may be, there will be those of like mind to John Wesley to venture to the other extreme. The extreme of man and the extreme of God converged in the Messiah. It is in this gift that we must all remain and call upon to calm our storms in life; Job 38:1-11 (http://www.carm.org/kjv/Job/Job_38.htm , 7/9/2006), Mark 4:35-41 (http://www.carm.org/kjv/Mark/mark_4.htm , 7/9/2006).
The ceremony was nice, very similar to other weddings I’ve attended, Lutheran and others alike. The reception was dominated by older people, which created a more subdued atmosphere. We sat with three retired couples who all attended the church of the groom, resulting in little conversation and awkward silence. The silence gave me time to draw into my own thoughts of my future: What will my wedding be like?