Orderly Worship

While attending a government meeting the woman sitting directly behind me, who is a friend, allowed her internal dialogue to escape and become an audible running commentary. As a reporter I strained to hear the conversation taking place around the boardroom table and finally turned around in my chair and shushed her. When the meeting was over, I apologized and thankfully she was not offended. She explained she simply could not contain her frustration with the elected official’s discussion. I’ve had similar experiences in a movie theater and in the church worship service. Paul reminds us of why we need orderly worship, “What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church” (1 Cor 14:26 NIV).