Grace Institute News

June 5, 2013 

it's a Sunday....

think right when things go wrong

We have had a saying around the church on Sunday mornings as we would gather the praise team and leaders for prayer: "It's a Sunday." By that, we have meant that something has gone wrong like usual. There were technical problems, a key lighting has gone out, someone has turned up sick, the air conditioner isn't working, someone forgot to buy bread for communion, the coffee machine isn't working, etc.  Or after the service, the comment could refer to a server who went the wrong way and goofed up the offering collection to a collective gasp from the worship leaders, or a bird flew around the ceiling during the service (yes, that has happened to us on more than one occasion!) No matter how hard we worked at it, there was usually something that didn't quite come together on Sunday mornings. If you have ever felt that, you know what I mean. What really counts is how we react to those mornings.

 

Over time, I've come to believe that these Sunday morning glitches are often a gift. It is too easy to get caught up in making Sunday morning a production and measure the effectiveness based on what went "right." The glitches, if viewed a different way, can help us in a variety of ways:

  • We realize great worship can happen even when things don't go well.
  • Glitches can relieve the pressure on people to not be "perfect."
  • Glitches can remind us how much we depend upon God, not our own planning and execution.
  • And they remind us that God's presence is not dependent upon our perfect planning

None of this is to say that we skimp on our planning or not provide the best experience for our congregation and first-time guests that we can. But once we begin to realize that "It's a Sunday" kind of surprises are not always a bad thing, we might see the power of God working in spite of our weaknesses. 

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Michelle Jenks

Grace Institute

[email protected]

www.grace-institute.com