Jonathan Griffin - Church Visit 1

Church name: St. Michael Catholic Church

Church address: 310 S Wheaton Ave., Wheaton, IL 60187

Date attended: 13-Sep-2015

Church category: Significantly more liturgical

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?

Upon entering the church, there were many things that seemed normal to my typical church service I have attended growing up. There were greeters, bulletins, and even a couple signs offering donuts in attempt to get more involvement from the church body. Other similarities included the congregation rising and reading the Bible together and worship through singing hymns (although there was no “worship band”). Surprisingly, many of the people around me were very casually dressed displaying many outfits of jeans, t-shirts, and even some hoodies. Apart from these similarities, there were many differences when compared to my typical Sunday morning service. This was the first time reciting a creed during a church service (and I was one of few in the room using the hymnal to remember the words). Many common phrases were recited throughout the service, many of which I was unfamiliar with. It was also very interesting to see genuflection before people entered their respective pew.

What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?

To me, the incorporation of long standing was strikingly fascinating. In a sense, this experience reminded me of God’s holiness. Often times at my regular church, it is not uncommon to see people drinking coffee, whispering to their neighbors, or eating their breakfast. The seriousness of tradition at this church reminded me of the respect God deserves and it stirred feelings of shame as so often I view church as a casual meeting. I enjoyed seeing and experiencing the long-standing traditions and liturgy of this church. The most interesting part of my experience was when the entire congregation knelt to pray. Overall, the aura of respect through tradition stuck me as an aspect of my faith I need to take more seriously.

What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service?

Although all of the traditions and liturgy foreign to me were fascinating, it was difficult to grasp the meaning within many of the rituals and to understand what was happening when. Many of the short phrases that were repeated throughout the entirety of the service affirmed biblical truths I was familiar with, but the entire congregation recited them easily as if they had been doing the same thing for their entire lives. I attempted to follow closely the order of the service by following the bulletin and watching the people around, but I was inevitably lost with the lack instruction of when to kneel, when to stand, when to sit, and when to kneel again. Overall, the majority of my experience was very pleasant and enjoyable. Despite not knowing what exactly to do and why it is done, there is much value to be found in experiences outside of one’s comfort zone. This particular visit pushed me outside of the bubble I have grown up in.

What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context?

Interestingly, the passage of scripture came from James 2:14-26 talking about how faith without works is dead. Specifically, the primary emphasis of the sermon was about the necessity of works and how crucial they are to one’s faith. Alternatively, this illuminated how important faith plays into the equation as well. The entire service was filled with traditions and rituals. Very easily, one could fall into the trap of going through the motions. James 2 needs to be coupled with Ephesians 2:5; although faith without works is dead; we are still saved by grace – not by any of our own actions. Being raised in a church where “saved by grace” is incorporated into a majority of sermons, its absence was evident in comparison to my personal church upbringing. Particularly, the contrast between this service and the tone of sermons I have heard growing up shed light on the importance of both faith and works.