Are We Having Fun Yet?

When we come to a church worship service, are we looking to have fun? I can remember a time about 12 years ago when church had gotten boring and dead to people. They were looking to be refreshed, to have a reason to smile in church, maybe even laugh......We as church leaders thought, if movies, plays and comedy clubs can pack them in, than we could also, IF we could just make it "fun". So we recreate the Sunday service, combining humorous sermon illustrations (mostly taken from Readers Digest "Laughter Is The Best Medicine" columns), comedy skits (which were worse than post-Chris Farley SNL), and happy-clappy songs about Father Abraham, "scratching the back of the one next to ya", and feeling overly intelligent when we could all spell, "I am a C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N". And strangely enough, I think it worked. Churches were filled to the steeple with happy, laughing, orthographically impressive, back-scratched Christians. Done, we did it. Now all we have to do is keep them laughing for the next 50 years, or they'll go somewhere else.

Well, I'm noticing them going somewhere else, and it ain't always First Funny Church of Giggleville.

You see, I think they have enough events to go to in life. Baseball games, football practice, tae kwon do, the neighborhood playhouse and cinema, the local microbrewery, kareoke, all in enough time to get home to watch Survivor, Earl, and The Office. They don't need one more place to go to be entertained. They need Christ and community with His Church. They need opportunities to sing, pray, and learn the Word. This must be our priority.

Now before you start getting all jumpy and threatening to beat someone bloody, I'm not saying every Sunday has to be a Good Friday service, in silence, with black curtains, music in minor keys, a worship leader that looks like Robert Smith, and a moody, self-deprecating preacher. What I am saying is that people are changing. I don't believe they are looking for Pastor Jim Carrey, they are looking for someone to be real, reflect Christ, and teach the Word. If that particular teacher is funny, that's great. I think it's healthy for people to laugh, at themselves and at others. Seinfeld taught us that. I'm not teaching a course on public speaking, sermon preparation, or church psychology. I'm not saying don't tell a joke, perform a skit, or crawl through the legs of a fellow pastor if it crosses your mind. I'm am talking about reassessing our intentions and priorities. If your first comment on Sunday morning was "it was fun" and not "it revealed Christ", you may want to turn in your rubber chicken for a Bible.