When I visited my grandparents’ home with my family, I slept on a small bed in the corner of the living room next to the stove. The stove sat on a metal mat covering the linoleum floor. I remember waking up in the night and feeling the warmth of the stove and hearing the clock ticking. Soon its nice, comforting “dong” would chime.

That was one of the most comforting sounds in the world. It made me feel safe, content, and happy.

Maybe that is one of the reasons I bought a grandfather clock. My grandparent’s clock was only a fireplace mantle clock but it made the same kind of comforting sound.

Not long ago I was lying awake in the middle of the night. I began to pray about my family, my friends, my church, and even my enemies. (Thank God the latter were not any of the former.) Then I prayed for my country. I began to fall back to sleep when I heard the “dong, dong, dong” from my grandfather clock. I was half asleep and thought for a moment that I was at my grandparents’ house.

My childhood security and peace came back into my soul—so beautiful, so nostalgic, and so comforting. Good memories are such a great comforter. I hadn’t thought about that feeling for a long time—it had been over 60 years—but the security of the thought flooded over me in ways I would not have thought possible. I found myself wishing the clock would have chimed a dozen times instead of only three.

Why am I telling you this? Because it’s a good illustration from my life. I preferred that the chimes would have been wrong so that I could hear it chime 12 times. It is pretty sad when one prefers that the chimes prolong their comforting and beautiful sound rather than achieving the purpose of the clock by telling the correct time.

I wonder if many a churchgoer does not prefer the comforting nostalgia of his childhood worship rather than having biblical truth, faith, and practice. I have met many people who prefer their childhood memories of church over a doctrinally correct church.

Some churches want only the old hymns. Some remember the robed choirs, the singing of the doxology after the offering, and the repetition of the Lord’s Prayer.

Some churches want their Sunday tradition of “Who had a birthday or anniversary this week?”

Some feel they have not experienced church if these things are not part of the weekly program.

Form, familiarity, and the soothing sounds and sights of their childhood church services take precedence over what God really wants us to experience.

Kids today raised in junior church may have a problem when they get older because they have heard contemporary songs all their youth and they want to import the songs into the adult services. They expect their kind of music to continue. If it does not, then they drop out of church because the “old fogies” are dead and singing only funeral dirges.

They know little about meaningful hymns and quiet worship. Their songs must be repetitious and loud. They like the sounds and decorum of the worship of junior church. Their attitude is like mine in listening to the chimes of my old grandfather clock. Who cares if the clock is correct? I just want to hear the chimes sounding out the beautiful and calming childhood memories. Likewise, the oldsters will not welcome anything but their nostalgic hymns. Both are in error. Even those who use no music can fall prey to this selfishness. A chiming clock is for sounding out the correct time. Worship is toward God and not for our nostalgia. The grandfather clock gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling. So does the worship of one’s childhood.

Worship should sound out that “Now is the time of salvation.” We may have to lay aside the type of service we like and let the worship of God be pleasing and true to God instead of our own feelings about what constitutes “good and pleasant sounds and memories” to us.

Let worship edify the listener and glorify God! |L

OTHER COLUMNS:
November 15, 2009 - Bringing Christ to French Guiana
November 1, 2009 - Walking the edge
October 18, 2009 - Watch what you say
October 4, 2009 - Proposing a new proverb
September 20, 2009 - Fear and trembling
September 6, 2009 - Elwyn
August 23, 2009 - Where did the Bible go?
August 9, 2009 - The public school: a local mission field
July 26, 2009 - Astonishing the judges
July 12, 2009 - Letting the past go
June 28, 2009 - Line up
June 14, 2009 - The path to spiritual growth
May 31, 2009 - A tribute to one of my heroes
May 17, 2009 - Silent soldier
April 19, 2009 - Operation Resensitization
April 5, 2009 - The temptations of ministers
March 8, 2009 - Conversation over shoes
February 22, 2009 - By their plurals you shall know them
February 8, 2009 - What is missing from your retirement plans?
January 25, 2009 - Turn the page
December 28, 2008 - Abba, Father
December 14, 2008 - Elementary truths
November 30, 2008 - The illusion
October 19, 2008 - Acting like a toddler
October 5, 2008 - Don’t miss this
September 21, 2008 - Foolish schemes
September 7, 2008 - God’s hand is everywhere
August 24, 2008 - The dance
August 10, 2008 - Strange land
July 27, 2008 - God’s amazing grace
July 13, 2008 - A best seller
June 1, 2008 - Reclaiming the name
May 4, 2008 - God is not our fairy godmother
April 6, 2008 - Success: what is it and who can measure up?
March 9, 2008 - Need to know
February 10, 2008 - The top three myths of singleness
January 13, 2008 - By invitation only
December 5, 2007 - Yes, Abbie, there is a Jesus
November 18, 2007 - 10 Ways to be a good Christmas customer
October 21, 2007 - The dividing line
September 23, 2007 - What do you fear?
September 9, 2007 - A life well lived
August 26, 2007 - To murmur, or not to murmur
July 29, 2007 - The cross and the Christian
July 15, 2007 - Turning the other cheek: still a valuable biblical principle
July 1, 2007 - Why the tie?
June 3, 2007 - The death of a son
May 6, 2007 - A prayer for the dying
April 8, 2007 - The omnipresent God
March 11, 2007 - Do the Amish have superheroes?
February 11, 2007 - What’s your black history?
January 14, 2007 - The split branch
December 31, 2006 - The house of regret
December 10, 2006 - The redemption of the innkeeper
November 26, 2006 - Too many choices
November 12, 2006 - Break the bashing habit: Learning to love the unsaved like Christ does: November 12, 2006
October 15, 2006 - Be ‘salt and light’ this Christmas!: October 15, 2006
September 17, 2006 - Who is a legalist?: September 17, 2006 Issue 38
July 23, 2006 - God speaks through our brokenness: July 23, 2006 Issue 38
June 25, 2006 - 'What I am looking for in my church leaders'