Maddie McGinnis- Church Visit #1

Maddie McGinnis - Church Visit #1

Church Name: St.Michael's Catholic Church
Church Address: 310 S. Wheaton Ave. Wheaton, IL 60187
Date Attended: February 16, 2014
Church Category: Significantly more liturgical

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context? 

I attended mass at the catholic church and it was the first time I had ever been to mass. I come from a nondenominational background so this experience was completely different in everyday than what I am used to. The service started out with a sister talking about her work with an organization called Little Sisters, which is an organization that works with the elderly who have no one else to care for them. She was asking for prayers and donations which would later be taken up during a second offering. After that the service officially began with a processional hymn during which the priest and the altar boys entered and made their way onto the stage. A prayer was read from a giant official looking prayer book and the congregation recited a series of call and response liturgy in the form of a prayer and a recitation of some creed-sounding statement of beliefs. The rest of the service consisted of hymns, prayers, lots of kneeling and standing, and communion. The most different aspect of this service was how liturgical and structured the entire service was. 

What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?

I found observing the congregation extremely interesting. Most people entered the sanctuary after the service started which, while the is not unusual for for few here and there to trickle in after it starts in my church, It was interesting to me that it was the majority of people. It was also interesting observing them as they entered the pews. Most people stopped to kneel on one knee and cross themselves before entering the pew. Not everyone did this however, so I am not sure what the purpose of this was. I also found the blessing of the Eucharist extremely interesting. The priest rang bells in the process of it and some liturgical sounding statements were sung while he was in the process of blessing the Eucharist, or so it appeared. While I don't know in detail a ton about the Catholic denomination, I do know that how one approaches communion is a point of division, so it was interesting to observe how this aspect of the service was conducted. 

What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service?

Honestly, I really struggled with the lack of scripture or overall lack of message given. There were no bibles in the pews or to be found in the sanctuary which is very different from what I am used to. Some scripture out of Matthew was read, but apart from that, there was very little emphasis on the Word. I also was really challenged in the complete emphasis on works, good deeds, and being a "good person" throughout the service. There seemed to be little to no mention of the grace found through Jesus Christ, which struck me in a negative way. I kept waiting for the message and was pretty surprised when I realize it was the end of the service and there was no main talk. I think I would have an extremely hard time growing in my faith or being fed through this type of service because of the lack of exposure to scripture. 

What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context?

While there was not a whole lot of scripture or theology actually addressed in the service, there was one thing that illuminated an aspect of God that I don't get in my everyday context: the holiness of the God that we approach. I was clearly reminded during this service that we serve a holy God and that, although we are free to approach God whenever because of Jesus, He is still a sacred and holy God that deserves the utmost respect and glory. The kneeling in prayer and the way prayer in general was approached during the service was a strong reminder of how sacred our connection in prayer to the Lord is and how we should always approach prayer as the most powerful tool that we have. Sometimes I think this aspect of God can be lost in our attempts to explain Him as relatable and approachable, and while He is is those things, He is also a mighty and powerful and infinitely sacred God that deserves our utmost respect and worship.