Fresh Wind

There must be value in predictable worship since it seems to be the norm across the Christian landscape. It can also be boring.  It can become something which requires only the activation of our mental autopilot.  As a pastor arriving in a new appointment, I can remember looking through the files of one church and seeing that there had been no change in the order of worship for over a decade.  There was no need for a printed order for Sunday worship in that place as all the regulars carried one in their head.  

It is not that there is something wrong with the Apostle's Creed, or the Doxology, or the choir anthem, but why is it necessary for it to be in the same spot every Sunday?  What would happen if the congregation was greeted with the Affirmation of Faith instead of "Good Morning?"  And on those Sundays when the sermon and the choir anthem fit together like a glove, why not end the service with the choir's musical offering?  The point is that there are different ways of doing the same thing.  

While it is true that worship can be made boring and uneventful regardless of any changes, it is also a possibility that doing things differently from time to time might enable people to stay awake longer.  It would also justify printing an Order of Worship.  It might even make worship less predicable which would seem to be a good thing since predictability has no intrinsic value.  Who knows?  It might even open some windows for some fresh Wind to blow.