Sunday Comes Every Week, it Seems

Posted on May 10, 2010
Viewed 3503 times
(35) comments

I'm sure many of you have seen this video, produced by the production team at North Point. It's really funny; and really true...

I think it's good when we can laugh at ourselves.

I wonder what this video would have looked like in 2000, or 1990, or 1987 when I took my first official church job.

The thing that makes parody funny is the shades of truth.

I have two questions for you today. Take a moment and post a quick comment below...

1. What about "Sunday's" today bother you?

2. How many of the points in this video were part of your worship service yesterday?

Have a great week!

Todd

Comments

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Dave on Mon, May 10, 2010

This is great, but the real chuckle in my heart is remembering about 20 years ago as the �contemporary� folks ridiculed the traditional patterns. Three hymns, offering, prayer, sermon, and go. Yep, it was pretty much the same everywhere then, too. What goes around comes around, I guess.

The truth is that it is easier to create patterns and traditions that work than to try to do things differently each week. Of course those patterns should be second to the leading of the Spirit and, of course, they should be evaluated often. But it is okay to find a comfortable groove and default to it. Just remember that the pattern isn�t holy and undefilable.

24 years ago I visited with a pastor who had left his denomination to connect to Vineyard, then a new movement. The buzz at that time was that the evangelical church was stuck in tradition and something new had to come. But he was already disillusioned. He said, �I�ve learned that Vineyard has its traditions also.� Ya think?

God bless Vineyard and everyone who tries to do new things and God bless those who continue in �the way it has always been.�

And, Brian, get back on the meds man.
bishopdave on Mon, May 10, 2010

Seems there’s some patterns in Leviticus as to how to carry out various sacrifices, day of Atonement ritual, etc. It’s losing the heart that is the worry.

I thought the vidoe was hilarious. And I think the comments about how contemp. has come full circle to becoming it’s own tradition and not the edgy creative thing it started out as—spot on. Once something becomes common enough to be the norm, it becomes tradition.
jud on Mon, May 10, 2010

Brian… step away from the ledge.

Great video. The “Contemporative” church is over due the satire it has wrought on the earlier traditions it poked fun of along the way.

I am saddened when I think of all the different churches I have been in that used all of these mediums to manipulate people emotionally to the point where they actually believed they had a Spiritual experience. Meanwhile the Gospel is replaced by works based righteousness…er…. Social Justice.

I know the people behind these churches. Their hearts are in the right place but their talent, charisma, style and likability when placed ahead of the simple unadorned exposition of the Gospel lead to examples like what we see spoofed in the video.
obvs on Mon, May 10, 2010

Oh Brian, I saw through this stuff when I was 14, you don’t need to be an “insider” to see through manipulation. I could easily pick out the difference between God’s presence and just a bunch of people trying to be cool, and I was cringing all the way back then.

This vid is amazing, so funny!! and it reminds me that no matter if church is enjoyable or painful it’s still where I worship God.

I’m gonna spread it
Brent on Mon, May 10, 2010

We could use this same idea to caricature ANY worship style. It simply shows that it’s the content that matters. If you don’t have a message you’re simply wasting everyone’s time, no matter what your worship style is. To use this video as your chance to slam contemporary churches is disingenuous. At least NP has the thick skin to make a video like this. I don’t expect to see something similar coming from the traditional service of a “deeper” church down the road any time soon.
CS on Mon, May 10, 2010

Brent:

“I don’t expect to see something similar coming from the traditional service of a “deeper” church down the road any time soon.”

Why the disdain towards traditional/deeper churches?

—
CS
Brent on Tue, May 11, 2010

Sorry, CS. No disdain intended towards traditional/deeper churches, just irritation that a light-hearted video becomes fodder for another argument in a blog’s comment section. I guess I should have minded my own business.
Peter Hamm on Tue, May 11, 2010

So traditional = deeper? Uh… yeah… right… whatever…

If you can’t laugh at yourself, you shouldn’t laugh at anybody, that’s what I say. And this video does both real well.
CS on Tue, May 11, 2010

Peter:

“So traditional = deeper? Uh… yeah… right… whatever…”

I didn’t make the comparison, I just rode along with it.

But, I would be curious to see the relationships between churches that follow a more traditional format and how deep they go into material versus other formats of church services and their depth of study.

My own experience and superficial evidence I’ve come across would seem to indicate that traditional churches do get more in depth with God’s word in both study and practice than those churches that are, “contemporvant.” For example, at my, “growtivating,” last church, while 800 people would pack the seats every weekend, we’d be lucky to get two dozen people in Sunday school where we’d get more in-depth.

—
CS
h3 on Tue, May 11, 2010

well… we a more “contemporvat” than “traditional” and we have nearly 95% participation in our “Sunday School”...
Peter Hamm on Tue, May 11, 2010

CS, I love ya man, but give me a stinkin’ break.

With all due respect, your evidence that “traditional churches do get more in depth with God�s word in both study and practice than those churches that are, �contemporvant”” is based on prejudice based on your limited experience and not any kind of data that would support making that statement for any other reason than to stir up the pot and start an argument. I can’t debate your experience, no doubt, but what “superficial evidence”? Only what you look for with your pre-conceived notions.

I’d love to know how many traditional churches are more likely to be filled with congregants and often pastors that truly feel that head-knowledge of biblical teaching and understanding of theological terms is actually spiritual depth. I’ve heard too many in my neck of the woods who have felt they were right in making visitors feel out of place if they weren’t dressed properly. That truly feel that “us four no more” is somehow biblical. What kind of “depth” is that?

“Depth” is, in many of my experiences, a total crock. It lets people think that they’ve learned all this stuff and somehow they are better Christians, even thought they don’t love their neighbor and don’t make any kind of difference for Christ in their community. I know there are great traditional churches that are “doing” the life of following Jesus and not just learning more about it. I just haven’t seen ANY of those lately… (We are, it seems, as Andy Stanley likes to say, educated far beyond our level of obedience.)

Sorry if I’m coming across as harsh, this is a hot button for me, and CS, you know I truly do appreciate you.

Peter
CS on Tue, May 11, 2010

Peter:

“Sorry if I’m coming across as harsh, this is a hot button for me, and CS, you know I truly do appreciate you.”

I thought I’d start with the end first and work my way back. And I want you to know I appreciate you, too, and I can stand your heat. =)

“With all due respect, your evidence that “traditional churches do get more in depth with God�s word in both study and practice than those churches that are, �contemporvant”” is based on prejudice based on your limited experience and not any kind of data that would support making that statement for any other reason than to stir up the pot and start an argument.”

I agree with how much of this is, in fact, based off of my own experiences and that colors my perception, and even said that. But, it was not to stir up any argument, but merely to say, “I am curious.” Perhaps I should have remained silent here, but I wasn’t the one who was hating on, “traditional/deeper,” churches earlier.

“I can’t debate your experience, no doubt, but what “superficial evidence”? Only what you look for with your pre-conceived notions.”

The one piece I had in mind was the Reveal study which said that there was a, “huge gap,” with the people at the far end of their, “Spiritual Growth Continuum.” That they weren’t going deep enough. To which Bill Hybels said he would hire an old seminary prof and stuff them so full till they barf. (Their words, not mine.)

“I’ve heard too many in my neck of the woods who have felt they were right in making visitors feel out of place if they weren’t dressed properly. That truly feel that “us four no more” is somehow biblical. What kind of “depth” is that?”

That isn’t right, and you and I both know that.

“Depth” is, in many of my experiences, a total crock. It lets people think that they’ve learned all this stuff and somehow they are better Christians, even thought they don’t love their neighbor and don’t make any kind of difference for Christ in their community.”

And I’ve seen the total opposite where people are repeatedly given shallow sermon-in-a-box kits with all of the puppies, babies, and impoverished graphics and with all of the songs everyone knows, and seen people stay in spiritual infancy for years, never being challenged with the more tough things in the Bible.

Remember how I talked about Romans 8:28 and my wife’s miscarriages, for instance? Yeah, that was in a church that never went, “deep,” to explain things, and we got hurt. So I have the same sort of fire in my belly about this topic that you do, but from the other side.

—
CS
h3 on Tue, May 11, 2010

The problem is that there is a false dilemma being suggested - that to go deep, you must avoid post-modern expressions. I find that highly presumptous.
Brent on Tue, May 11, 2010

CS:

“But, it was not to stir up any argument, but merely to say, ‘I am curious.’”

Throwing word-grenades accusing me of “disdain” and “hate” causes me to question the truthfulness of that statement.

Time for me to get out of the mud and unsubscribe from these comments.
Peter Hamm on Tue, May 11, 2010

CS,

I really appreciate where you’re coming from, brother… Really… Just keeping you honest, and I definitely feel you…

btw, the video was hilarious, wasn’t it… I like stuff like this to keep ME honest…

I do think you’re mis-understanding the REVEAL study (I know about this extensively, btw, as our church was one of the ones from the first expansion) but you are not misunderstanding, as I already know, the link between faith and deeds, and I celebrate that!

Peace (I mean that),
Peter