What is a typical Methodist service like?

[Plan 9]

That makes a lot of sense to me, too, HeatherJay.
We adults often teach children hymns and prayers which they don't actually understand, resulting in such renderings as

"Gladly, the Cross-eyed Bear"

and (a personal favorite of mine) :

"Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hello! What be Thy name?"

When you consider these mistakes, along with Carly's and my puzzlement over *ahem* "Casper, the Holy Ghost", I think they illustrate beautifully how very clear we need to be very when attempting to explain something to children as basic and vital to them as personal salvation.
...and don't we all, even as adults, love "that friendly looking guy holding the lamb" and think "Yeah, I want him in my life forever"?
After all, it was that friendly looking guy holding the lamb who said to let the children come to him, and if we don't accept the kingdom of God like children ourselves, we'll never enter it. (Mark 10:13-16)
The approach your pastor refers to is the one I prefer myself, for the simple reason that it was understandable to me at eighteen. I had "heard" the Gospel all my life, but since I couldn't comprehend it, I essentially hadn't heard it at all.
I was the first to respond to any altar call, and "renewed" my faith many times with zero results. Finally, a pastor who understood what I truly desired far better than I, and explained it to me in just that way when I responded to an altar call...for help in quitting smoking.

 

[ChiRho]

My pastor was discussing this a while back in passing. He said that one of the reasons that pastors today commonly refer to being saved (at least in mixed company) as "recieving Jesus into your heart/life" instead of "receiving the Holy Spirit" is because it's so disconcerting for children. As adults we know it's the Holy Spirit that dwells within us, not Jesus. But, Jesus, they get ("that friendly looking guy holding the lamb...yeah, He can come into my life")...the Holy Ghost ("huh??? There's WHAT living inside me???"), well, that's a difficult concept for little ones to wrap their brains around.

That may or may not be a common reason, but it makes sense to me.

This sounds almost anti-Trinitarian. Where there is One, there is all Three.

Pax Christi,

ChiRho

 

[ChiRho]

That makes a lot of sense to me, too, HeatherJay.
We adults often teach children hymns and prayers which they don't actually understand, resulting in such renderings as

"Gladly, the Cross-eyed Bear"

and (a personal favorite of mine) :

"Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hello! What be Thy name?"

When you consider these mistakes, along with Carly's and my puzzlement over *ahem* "Casper, the Holy Ghost", I think they illustrate beautifully how very clear we need to be very when attempting to explain something to children as basic and vital to them as personal salvation.
...and don't we all, even as adults, love "that friendly looking guy holding the lamb" and think "Yeah, I want him in my life forever"?
After all, it was that friendly looking guy holding the lamb who said to let the children come to him, and if we don't accept the kingdom of God like children ourselves, we'll never enter it. (Mark 10:13-16)
The approach your pastor refers to is the one I prefer myself, for the simple reason that it was understandable to me at eighteen. I had "heard" the Gospel all my life, but since I couldn't comprehend it, I essentially hadn't heard it at all.
I was the first to respond to any altar call, and "renewed" my faith many times with zero results. Finally, a pastor who understood what I truly desired far better than I, and explained it to me in just that way when I responded to an altar call...for help in quitting smoking.

As a mature Christian, what does it mean to "comprehend it"?

Pax Christi,

ChiRho

 

[HeatherJay]

This sounds almost anti-Trinitarian. Where there is One, there is all Three.

Pax Christi,

ChiRho

I assure you, we are very much a Trinitarian church. The idea being that for many children, the idea of a 'ghost' is either a scary thing or a completely foreign thing. When referring to 'accepting Jesus' with children, it's much more familiar and comfortable, and perfectly acceptable to God, I believe.

And we all do it to a certain extent, I think. Do you ever say a prayer to Jesus? I do, sometimes, even though it's proper to prayer to the Father through the Son for the Holy Spirit. And if you do sometimes pray to Jesus, do you also ever pray to the Holy Spirit? And if not, why?? Personally, I don't think I've ever said a prayer addressed to the Holy Spirit...even though the Holy Spirit is co-equal in the Trinity along with the Father and the Son. It's just something that is unfamiliar to me, though I'm sure, there's not a thing wrong with it in God's eyes.

It's just a different terminology...'accepting Christ' or 'receiving the Spirit'...for the same basic thing.

 

[Plan 9]

I assure you, we are very much a Trinitarian church. The idea being that for many children, the idea of a 'ghost' is either a scary thing or a completely foreign thing. When referring to 'accepting Jesus' with children, it's much more familiar and comfortable, and perfectly acceptable to God, I believe.

And we all do it to a certain extent, I think. Do you ever say a prayer to Jesus? I do, sometimes, even though it's proper to prayer to the Father through the Son for the Holy Spirit. And if you do sometimes pray to Jesus, do you also ever pray to the Holy Spirit? And if not, why?? Personally, I don't think I've ever said a prayer addressed to the Holy Spirit...even though the Holy Spirit is co-equal in the Trinity along with the Father and the Son. It's just something that is unfamiliar to me, though I'm sure, there's not a thing wrong with it in God's eyes.

It's just a different terminology...'accepting Christ' or 'receiving the Spirit'...for the same basic thing.

You know, Heather, I've been puzzling over ChiRho's post all day. I have no clue how he derived that from your post. None! Nada! Zilch!

 

[ChiRho]

You know, Heather, I've been puzzling over ChiRho's post all day. I have no clue how he derived that from your post. None! Nada! Zilch!

My pastor was discussing this a while back in passing. He said that one of the reasons that pastors today commonly refer to being saved (at least in mixed company) as "recieving Jesus into your heart/life" instead of "receiving the Holy Spirit" is because it's so disconcerting for children. As adults we know it's the Holy Spirit that dwells within us, not Jesus. But, Jesus, they get ("that friendly looking guy holding the lamb...yeah, He can come into my life")...the Holy Ghost ("huh??? There's WHAT living inside me???"), well, that's a difficult concept for little ones to wrap their brains around.

That may or may not be a common reason, but it makes sense to me.

this is how...

Pax Christi,

ChiRho

 

[HeatherJay]

this is how...

Pax Christi,

ChiRho

Ah, well, then I retract that sentence. I'll even edit it from my post, if you like. It was a gross over simplification. The point I was trying to make is made well enough without it. Sorry for the confusion.

But, and this is way off topic, if you recognize that each of the three co-equal parts of the Trinity have unique characteristics, then I fail to see the problem with what I said in that post. Recognizing the nature of the Holy Spirit in no way lessens the role of Jesus in the Trinity.

Love, Heather

 

[Plan 9]

Ah, well, then I retract that sentence. I'll even edit it from my post, if you like. It was a gross over simplification. The point I was trying to make is made well enough without it. Sorry for the confusion.

Now, Heather, that so easily proved from the words of Jesus that you should not retract or edit it out it, IMO.

But, and this is way off topic, if you recognize that each of the three co-equal parts of the Trinity have unique characteristics, then I fail to see the problem with what I said in that post. Recognizing the nature of the Holy Spirit in no way lessens the role of Jesus in the Trinity.

Agreed, Heather!

 

[Plan 9]

this is how...

ChiRho, there's already a thread on the Trinity here.

http://www.christianforums.com/t696071



This one is about church services, and has now moved into how children perceive what they hear and learn in church services.

If you'd like to post about what Lutheran church services are like, or how Lutheran children may perceive what they hear and learn in them, etc., then I, for one, would love to read such posts.

 

[Plan 9]

That makes a lot of sense to me, too, HeatherJay.
We adults often teach children hymns and prayers which they don't actually understand, resulting in such renderings as

"Gladly, the Cross-eyed Bear"

and (a personal favorite of mine) :

"Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hello! What be Thy name?"

When you consider these mistakes, along with Carly's and my puzzlement over *ahem* "Casper, the Holy Ghost", I think they illustrate beautifully how very clear we need to be very when attempting to explain something to children as basic and vital to them as personal salvation.
...and don't we all, even as adults, love "that friendly looking guy holding the lamb" and think "Yeah, I want him in my life forever"?
After all, it was that friendly looking guy holding the lamb who said to let the children come to him, and if we don't accept the kingdom of God like children ourselves, we'll never enter it. (Mark 10:13-16)
The approach your pastor refers to is the one I prefer myself, for the simple reason that it was understandable to me at eighteen. I had "heard" the Gospel all my life, but since I couldn't comprehend it, I essentially hadn't heard it at all.
I was the first to respond to any altar call, and "renewed" my faith many times with zero results. Finally, a pastor who understood what I truly desired far better than I, and explained it to me in just that way when I responded to an altar call...for help in quitting smoking.

Note: I don't know if you've noticed this, Heather, but as some of us get older, we tend to repeat ourselves repeat ourselves.

 

[overnight]

there is a great gambit of service types. At my church we have two services. The first is contemporary which is more like a blended. We sing praise and worship music. We do hand out a small bullietin that has prayer requests and such but that is about it. In fact this morning I led the service and it was a good service if I say so myself. The Secound service is very traditional, robes, choir, organ, method.

 

[Filia Mariae]

Really, Carly? Weren't we the Tiny Trinitarians!

I love reading those books about what children think of God, but the Holy Ghost has never come up in any I've read, so I thought I might be the only one.

Did you ask your parents, or did you keep trying to puzzle out this weighty theological concept all by yourself?

I was puzzling over not only that, but who this guy who was apparently awake flying a plane in the Apostle's Creed (Conscious Pilot).

 

[wvmtnkid]

I was puzzling over not only that, but who this guy who was apparently awake flying a plane in the Apostle's Creed (Conscious Pilot).

 

[wvmtnkid]

We have two different services too. Our early one is more contemporary in style and our later one is more traditional. The tradtional one has a choir, responsive readings, 3 scripture readings, sermon, musical groups such as choirs, handbells, church band. Both services have childrens time. We have a liturgist (also know as a worship leader) that helps with the service with the readings and prayers. I don't know as much that happens at our contemporary service because I don't attend that one very often. Not that I don't like it, but I am a creature of habit-I like church at 11:00. I know that there is some talk of incorporating some of the contemporary worship into the traditional worship service so I am interested to see how that pans out.

 

[Plan 9]

I was puzzling over not only that, but who this guy who was apparently awake flying a plane in the Apostle's Creed (Conscious Pilot).

There's this guy hanging out in the Pledge of Allegiance, too. (Richard Stands).

Do Catholics ever find they've confused their children by trying to do right by them, or is it just us?

 

[Plan 9]

We have two different services too. Our early one is more contemporary in style and our later one is more traditional. The tradtional one has a choir, responsive readings, 3 scripture readings, sermon, musical groups such as choirs, handbells, church band. Both services have childrens time. We have a liturgist (also know as a worship leader) that helps with the service with the readings and prayers. I don't know as much that happens at our contemporary service because I don't attend that one very often. Not that I don't like it, but I am a creature of habit-I like church at 11:00. I know that there is some talk of incorporating some of the contemporary worship into the traditional worship service so I am interested to see how that pans out.

Overnight and wvmtnkid, I think the idea of having double services in different styles is a fun one.

That was done, in a fashion, at the Pentacostal church in which I began my Christian life. The Sunday service was just what you'd expect of you were attending a large AG service, but the Sunday night and Thursday night services were concert-like; especially the Thur. night ones.

 

[wvmtnkid]

We've tried our hands at a contemporary service several times and just haven't quite gotten it right. Plus we have a lot of opposition to it at the moment. So, here is the way around it. We only have early service in the summer. Gradually over the years, this service has gotten more contemporary where we "try out new ideas". For some reason, this is more accepted. Now, we still have our complainers, but they more or less will come on to the 11:00 service if the early one gets "too contemporary".

People are funny.

 

[overnight]

Overnight and wvmtnkid, I think the idea of having double services in different styles is a fun one.

That was done, in a fashion, at the Pentacostal church in which I began my Christian life. The Sunday service was just what you'd expect of you were attending a large AG service, but the Sunday night and Thursday night services were concert-like; especially the Thur. night ones.

It may sound fun but let me speak as a member of a church with two services we also have two differnt congregations. There tends to be little to no fellowship between the two congreagtions either. However, we have started trying things like having cookies and a drink between services, having one blended service now and again.
At my church my family and I attened the contemporay service which has really become a wonderful time. We have communion once a month (which has not always been done at the contemp service) We have baptisims now and again. The music is very worshipful. IT is also at 8:00 am which mean that when sunday school is going on we ussually get home by 10:00 or so . Just Joking I love my church and I love the Contemporay worship service. Even in our small town it is growing. In the year I have been there is has grown from around 115 average to about 125 average. Praise be to God.

 

[Celticflower]

And let's not forget Harold the angel who "barks" at Christmas time

A Catholic friend of mine sang "Ave Maria" at her father's funeral. Sitting in the front row was her young nephew. Part way thru the song the boy pokes his father and asks "Is Aunt Chrissy singing in a different language or did she forget the words?"

Celtie