my church dilemma of the day

So I have started attending the local lutheran church on sundays. I usually try to go twice a month. So I went this morning because I was a bum last week and was just to lazy to go. Why this church?...because it's not catholic and is about a 7 minute walk. It's also where I sing in the choir.

Anyways...I get there and I see at there are microphones set up at the front. Ok it seems there will be a choir..sweet I love choir music.

So the service starts and up tot he front come some kids wearing santa hats (pagans!) and then some adults come. The choir director then takes the mike and queues the music and some over produced prerecorded crap starts playing. It is clear that trumpets in that song where not in fact trumpets, but the trumpet function on someones keyboard. Then she started singing some call and response style thing with the kids singing backup. Which is fine - the kids sang fine, but she was just working it wayyy to hard. I looked around and could see others there sniggering as well.

Meanwhile as this is going on - parents...all over the place. Filming and going up for pictures.

On my list of big annoyances...taking pictures in operating churches...just don't do it. It is interfering with me coming to my place or worship. But I can't be that much of an asshole because everyone should be welcome in the church and God has these people here to sing for him (allegedly). But clearly not everyone else realized that because then we all applaud after they are done singing. I will never applaud during a church service. And I don't care if I'm "clapping for Jesus" - I'm not doing it.

It was clear that this was an outsider choir because I found the visitors were so disrespectful, and just didn't respect the sanctity of our service. Not only that - a mother of one of the kids gets up during the service and is on her cell phone texting at the back. But again, I should be able to focus on what is being said...but I couldn't!

Then the choir went up for a second time and sang perhaps the worst mashup of angels we have heard on high and some other christmas song I have ever heard. The fact that the choir was miked did nothing to help them. It was evident that they could not have heard each other. And I'm sorry kids, but your sing screaming was not comfortable to listen to. The prerecorded arrangement also had a nice little snare drum section to spice up this classic. They took what was ordinarily a beautiful song and one of my favourites to sing and just destroyed it.

The choir was finished after this and as they existed half of them left and were super disruptive. Then they had to take down all the microphones and everyone in the sanctuary sat in silence for 5 minutes and just watched this happen. I could not believe that was what was happening...really people!!!

And then we get to the highlight - the infant baptism....super!

But it wasn't just an infant baptism. They had that...and a blessing for parents who decided not to baptize their child.

The two side by side seemed like such mixed messages. And it could have easily been interpreted in different ways. Like the parents care more about their kid because they are letting the kid decide when they are older, which basically spits in the face of the lutheran church who prefers to baptize their children. I just don't understand how they can be ok with doing that. Like if you aren't behind infant baptism (which I'm not) I feel like it would still be awkward not participating in something. I'd be worried that some parents would think that I either love my kid less because I don't want them to be baptized and don't want them to be christian and that I'm judging them because they are doing it.

Heavy stuff.

Anyways I must say it was difficult sticking around. I just had to pray and be like God let me please try to enjoy what you have put before me today. I don't that everyone enjoys different things. Hopefully I'll get something from the message.

But I do feel pretty calm and good about going - so I'm glad I stuck it out...I guess.