Change, what is it good for?

St. Andrews Presbyterian Kirk is 200 years old. It is steeped in tradition but it is not stuck in tradition. Today, after a few weeks of technical difficulties we had a full service on our new projection screens. That meant, all the music, all the scripture readings, announcement and welcome screens. It was fantastic, I loved it.

People will always have preconceived notions of what church is like, once you know what to expect all the time you can more easily tune out and miss out. Sadly this predictability of church can influence our view of God. God, when explained without mystery, when talked about without passion and when God's people interact without love, all of that influence our view of God. God is so much more than what we can show in one hour on Sunday.

I do not like when we make God predictable, He is not. I do not like when we worship in predictable ways, because worshiping a Holy, Creative, Sovereign God is not something we can place into an order of service and expect to just happen. Our worship needs to be an active, dynamic overflow of who God is and how He acts in our lives. For me, a very visual and kinesthetic person seeing the screens as I was in church brought in a whole new dimension to my worship.

So why do I love when churches change things? Whether it be about their style, building, or programs, change done in a prayerful effort to glorify God in the community in which they serve, can bring about a whole new life breathe into a church as we learn to worship in new ways. Change shakes us up, it makes us evaluate our notion of the God we serve. Change, I hope, reminds us that our view of God is too small, that we need to stop confining Him into the spaces we are used to.

Shine on my friends, in old and new ways for our God cannot be contained!

p.s I would love to see you worship with us at the Kirk, Sundays at 10:30. God is doing some amazing things there through His people. Challenge your notion of who He is. Let me know when you are coming so I can sit with you and perhaps even find some conch salad after for lunch!