After months of prayer and preparation, The Table Community Church was born. The dream of five young Christians disillusioned by the politics of church committees and drowning in meaningless social gatherings substituted for real fellowship, our first meeting was far from perfect. Just half an hour before our first service was scheduled to start, we discovered that our CD player was apparently an atheist, and had devoured the worship CD I had painstakingly created for our historic day. Its grip was like the grave; five months later, I still haven't managed to get it back. Luckily, I had an extra copy... just in case. My husband sped (I mean, "maintained the legal speed limit") all the way to the nearest Wal-mart and bought us a new stereo system, complete with remote control. We started a little late, but the sense that we were fulfilling a calling that would lead us outside of ourselves carried us through a service very different from what we had all grown up with.
Most of us grew up in the Baptist tradition, known for committees and potlucks, but we all knew that something was missing in the worship we were experiencing in our quaint, traditional churches. The Christian faith has a rich history of meaningful traditions, some tracing as far back as the first and second centuries after Christ. But sadly, many Protestant denominations ignore not only this heritage, but the present state of society outside of the church walls as well, stuck in a mindset of 30, 40, or 50 years ago, impotent in its ministry to young people who haven't grown up in the Christian tradition. We felt a need for a worship platform that accessed the jewels of our history and set them to advantage in the present--a sort of "future history" approach. What we now have is a strange chimera of Christian traditions... a theology basically Baptist, with a worship service modeled on the liturgy used by Lutherans and Episcopals, and music settings varying from 16th century settings of the creed (in Latin) to contemporary Christian artists like Third Day and Casting Crowns. And the worship is good.
I don't mean "How was your day?" good, I don't mean "I just had lunch at Chik-fil-A" good. I mean "wedding night" good. I mean "Momma's homemade fried chicken, mashed potatoes and biscuits with honey and sweet tea made with real sugar" good. I mean "I don't care if I look like a fool, I finally know what it feels like to be the real me" good. And I fully acknowledge that it has absolutely nothing in the world to do with me, because I know by now that I only get in the way. And that's what real worship essentially boils down to... me getting out of the way, and letting God accomplish His desire in me.
Oh Lord, let that be my constant prayer, to step aside and place my pride at Your feet, allowing You to show me who You are, and how You love.
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