What Not To Do At Church

While my wife and I were away this weekend, we went to a church this Sunday that shall remain unnamed. It took us longer to get there than we expected, so we arrived late and slipped in the back for the end of the first service (you know, the earlier, hipper one with a drum set on stage). The service was average enough, though nothing jumped out as incredibly relevant or challenging to me. We didn’t get to sing very much, so we thought we’d stay through the song time of the second service (you know, the later, more traditional one with a full choir, an elaborate organ and no sign of the drum set).

Now, in between services, we did something we shouldn’t have done. We sat there and waited for people to approach us. I know, I know, I should have taken the initiative; but I was on vacation and breaking the ice is terribly uncomfortable for me. So we sat. And sat. And sat. And of the two hundred or so people there, not one person even greeted us with a hello, only sideways glances. Finally, I saw from the corner of my eye an older woman approach the row I was in and stop next to me; I turned for the greeting and instead got an “excuse me”. I was confused at first until she gestured down the row. So I stood up and let her by. As she sidled by us, she informed us: “There’s more of us coming.”

Far be it from me to keep them from their seats–wouldn’t want them to be uncomfortable! Then the irony of that statement struck me…