Reverence in Church Services

(reprinted from The Primitive Monitor Feb 1966)

by Elder Edgar T. Aleshire
Some time ago we printed in the Monitor's pages an article on "Irreverence". Before
and since that time we have had many comments from our readers on this subject. We
have rejoiced to know that so many of our people earnestly desire to see a greater
degree of effort on our part when we assemble to worship our God, to do it in
reverence. We have had many requests for copies of the article, but have not had time
to duplicate copies. Accordingly, we are reprinting the article in this month's issue of
the Monitor, and are adding to it some thoughts that many of our readers have
mentioned from time to time.
When we consider the high and lofty place that our God occupies, we can hardly
comprehend the reverence with which He ought to be worshiped. It is a fault of many of
us (though sometimes it is an unthinking, rather than a deliberate fault) that we enter
and leave the church house at service time with a light-hearted and talkative manner.
When we enter upon the worship of our God, surely we ought to do so in a quiet,
reverent manner, and when we leave the service afterward, ought we not be still
concerned with the truths which we have heard proclaimed, and the beauties of God's
house? Rather, too many of us are inclined to talk about most everything else but our
God and His goodness right up to the moment the song leader asks for our attention.
There is often a buzz of voices that is distracting to those who feel inclined to spend the
few moments before the service in prayer and meditation that the Lord might bless the
congregation and minister with His presence.
The time before and after the worship services is not an appropriate time to check up on
each other's health and family's affairs, but rather is a time for self-examination,
thinking upon the Lord Himself, and bringing our wandering minds in to concentrate
upon the service into which we are entered. Elder N. P. Vandiver has often been heard
to remark that the prayer that we sometimes hear, "Lord, draw in our wandering
minds..." is an inappropriate one, because this is something we ought to do. We ought
to center our attention and our thoughts wholly upon the Lord as we try to worship Him
together in the church service. Courtesy alone would demand that we give the utmost in
attention to the speaker, and far more than that, we are commanded to take heed that
we hear, and how we hear. It is indeed a blessed sight to see all the members giving
their full attention to the song leader and the preacher, and not turning about to see
who is coming in late.
Lateness in arrival in the house of God is in itself an indication of a lack of reverence.
Were we to have an appointment with any high dignitary of our land, we would do our
utmost to be on time, yet many carelessly and habitually come late to the church
services. If one must be late, how much better to come in quietly, rather than to insist
on shaking hands, speaking to those around, and causing a general commotion. Leaving
the service, unless it is absolutely necessary is another way in which we show a lack of
reverence for our God, and every member ought to make every effort to avoid
disturbing the service in this way. Surely, it is not to much to ask, except for necessity,
that we sit quietly without leaving for an hour on an hour and a half. Ministers who
insist on holding the people longer than that are much to blame for a restless,
irreverent attitude on the part of the congregation. Such things as leafing through the
song book, permitting children to play with toys, and whispering, laughing, and looking
out the window all show that we have forgotten in Whose august Presence we are.
Moreover, there is much that parents can do toward developing a reverent attitude and
behaviour on the part of their children. All of us realize that there is a stage through
which young children go when they are too little to understand clearly why they must
be still for a while, and yet are too "old" to sleep through the service as tiny babies do.
However, when children are old enough to understand instructions at home, they are
old enough to be controlled in church. If they are permitted to play with coins, noisy
toys, tear books, or to climb up and down on the seats, run from one parent to the
other, run down the aisle of the church, or out of the auditorium at will, it is not only
distracting to those who want to be attentive but is also poor training for the child.
Young babies should not be brought to church dressed in clothes that include bells or
other ornaments which make a noise every time the child moves. Neither should
children be played with nor permitted to dominate their parents about taking them out
of the service or permitting them to go out except when necessary. It is certain that if
children have to learn to sit still in school, they can do so much earlier at church. Many
of our readers have expressed appreciation for mothers who are courteous enough to
sit a little to the back of the main body of the congregation, so that their babies'
movements and the attention needed for them do not distract others. A young preacher
brother of our acquaintance who has since married, told his congregation on occasion,
"I know that you are thinking, 'Well, he doesn't have any children, so how does he
know how hard it is to control them?' But I can tell you that I know what worked on me
when I was a young child!"
One subscriber to the Monitor wrote us: "The very condition you write about
(irreverence) has bothered me quite a bit, and I have wondered if any one else felt as I
do. I love my brethren and sisters, and feel to be the least among them. I do enjoy
being with them so much, but at service time, I want to keep close to the reason for my
being there-that is, to worship and get as close to my God as I can, for the Good Book
says, "Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you.' Another thing I have noticed is
that in some of our communion and feet washing services, the pastor has to call for
quiet, even after singing, before communion can begin. We are instructed that, after it
was over, 'they sang an hymn and went out.' We don't do that. We stand around in the
church talking for quite a while, and somehow it has a tendency to draw us away from
the sweet spirit that we want to keep close to and take home with us."
Many of our readers have written us about this subject of irreverence, expressing the
desire that someone, preferably the pastor or deacons, would take the initiative in their
church to promote more quiet and reverent services. Too often we are afraid of
wounding people's feelings, and of having them say our services are "cold" because we
do not engage in much talk and handshaking before, during and after the services. Yet
we have found recently in three or four churches with which we are intimately
acquainted, an increasing appreciation on the part of the members and visitors for
observing these things, no matter what people will say. We do not go to church to see
our brethren, much as we love them. We go to church to worship God. This is such a
simple truth that it is often overlooked in our desire to be with the brethren.
J. C. Philpot, and English preacher, once wrote in this regard:
"Again, a careless spirit, a reckless, thoughtless, light and trifling spirit, is a spirit of
falsehood and a spirit of error. To trifle with God in a light and frivolous manner; to
profess the solemn verities and heavenly realities of our most holy faith, and yet carry
into the house of God that light, trifling spirit which we see manifested in the world, all
with eyes to see and hearts to feel, must see and feel that this is opposed root and
branch to the Spirit of Christ. And yet how rife it is in the professing church! How we
seem to be surrounded on every hand with a company of trifling, carnal professors, who
not only in their habitual life and demeanor, but even at the very moments when we
think their minds should be solemnized and their levity subdued, seem more give to it
than almost at any other time. Mark them as they come stumbling out of the house of
prayer; hear their light conversation with each other; watch their smiling countenances,
and their loud familiar greetings with which they hail those of the same spirit of
themselves; and see how all these solemn impressions, and that grave reverential
demeanor which become the saints of God after hearing the word of life are swallowed
up in an overflowing tide of almost rude merriment. Sure there is enough of what we
see and feel of evil in us, and of what the Lord suffered to deliver us from it, but instead
of this chastened spirit and of a grave and solemn recollection (which is a very different
thing from a mere sanctimonious assumption), in how many places is rather seen the
exuberant spirit of a worldly holiday."
We would not leave our readers with the impression that we feel there should be no
joyousness shown in our meeting together. We want, as David said, to be glad when we
go up to the house of God. But our joy, our attention, our conversation, our demeanor
and our attitude should be one of worship and not one of social intercourse. Neither will
the truly hungry and humble soul find any service "cold" where quiet and reverence are
noticeable in the service. It is the blessed Spirit of God which warms our hearts and
causes true love to flow from breast to breast in public worship. His influence is not
smothered nor stifled when we come in quietly, take our seats, pray for the service,
refrain from conversation before the service starts, give our full attention to all parts of
the service, and go out quietly, speaking of the goodness of our God. We can quench the
Spirit, if we give our minds and time over to worldly thoughts and conversation when
we go to church.
We as Christians would do well to emulate the Hebrew people in their practice of
observing their Sabbath from sundown on the preceding day. If we spend Saturday
night in foolish entertainment, go to bed late, and are sleepy and inattentive in church,
we have shown irreverence. It is nothing short of insolence to sleep habitually in
church, for thereby we show our indifference to the things of God. How pleasing it is to
god and how beneficial to us to think upon the coming services, pray for the pastor, and
read the Scriptures on Saturday evening, and get a good night's sleep.
"...holiness becometh thine house, O Lord, forever." (Psa 93:5) "God is greatly to be
feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are
about Him." (Psa 89:7) "Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved
[the church], let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence
and godly fear." (Heb. 12:28)-Editor
-From The Primitive Monitor, February, 1966