Church Name: Naperville Presbyterian Church
Church Address: 943 Sanctuary Lane, Naperville, IL
Date attended: 4/6/2014
Church category: Less Liturgical
Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?
The worship service was quite contemporary. It was held in a well lit room with soft seats and an almost theater-like stage. The service moved through stages. Welcome, Exalt, Prepare, Encounter, Respond, and Blessing. We sang a mix of classic hymns and contemporary worship songs, led by a band of 30-50 somethings. The sermon was the center of the service, and used the largest chunk of time. The church is studying the book of Romans.
As I experienced the service, I was very aware of the structure of our time. I am used to a service that is led by liturgy. This service still certainly had a flow, but it felt different. The moments felt a bit less connected than the Anglican liturgy I've experienced at Church of the Rez, as well as in my church at home. There were moments of call and response. We read a Psalm together and responded to a section of the "New City Catechism". One thing that felt different to me in particular was a lack of a feeling of ceremony and ritual. I am used to a somewhat theatrical service littered with liturgy and gestures and even processionals. This service was more intellectual than embodied.
What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?
The sermon was wonderful. Pastor Hodge spoke on Romans 3:21-26. I loved hearing his ideas about the passage, as well as his fusion of the thoughts of great theologians. The sermon was very gospel-centered, which I definitely appreciated. Additionally, I was able to participate in a sort of a college after-party at the pastor's home. We ate a barbecue lunch and then discussed the sermon. That part of my church experience was very wonderful for me. I love discussion and tend to be a verbal processor. Discussing the sermon was a good way to interact with it beyond the sanctuary. Sometime I struggle with that.
What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service?
I missed the liturgy as well as the moments of embodiment that I'm accustomed to. Participating in the Eucharist really matters to me, so I missed that. It felt disorienting to have little time for personal reflection, confession, or thanksgiving. I love the structure of liturgy. And while this service had a structure outlined in the bulletin, I didn't really know where we were in the service unless I looked at what was coming next. There weren't any prompts to share that we were now in the "Prepare" stage, for instance. I am a theater major, so I feel very connected to the ideas of ritual and ceremony. I struggled to feel engaged throughout the service except during the sermon. But eating with friends afterward at the Pastor's home and discussing the sermon sort of counteracted some of those feelings.
What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context?
I loved the teaching of a specific passage from the Bible. I feel like I've encountered a lot of life-application sermons lately, that have been very Biblically rooted to be sure, but centered around a certain topic. It felt refreshing to have no topic, but rather to be intellectually engaging with a certain passage of the Bible. It was nice to not jump around the Bible, but to set up camp in one spot. It felt possible to wrap my head around what he was saying. And discussing it all afterward made it all even more accessible for me. This particular passage occurs right when Paul breaks out of the judgement section. All have sinned, yes, but all believers are justified. God is not angry with those who believe in him because of propitiation. This is the gospel, and that was crystal clear today. I appreciated that very much.
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