Some of you know that I did not grow up going to church. I am not proud of that but it is just a fact of my life. The main reason I didn’t go to church is I didn’t like what I thought the church was. The fact that I didn’t actually know who the church really was didn’t slow me down. Besides, I was convinced that the fish actually did bite the best on
Sunday mornings.

When I was 22 years old, God saved me. That next Sunday I went forward during the invitation (because the pastor said I had to). He introduced me to the congregation and they voted on me. To this day, I am not sure what I would have done if they hadn’t voted for me. But I was in.

It was that first Sunday in church, that I quickly figured out that I was way out of my league. When I walked into church that day to look for a place to sit, it quickly appeared to me that most of the folks looked locked in on their pew position. I also noticed that further back you went, the more people there were. Those first few pews, however, were wide open.

Once I located a place to sit as far back as I could, I settled in quite unsure what was going to happen next. Soon some lady started playing the organ, but she didn’t seem too happy about it. When she finished no one clapped, and I felt a bit sorry for her.

Then a man stepped up to the pulpit, told everyone to get a hymnal. It was the red one (a 1975 model). Then he told us to turn to page 475. That was the grand old hymn, “Victory in Jesus.”

He started waving his arms around like there was a Yellow Jacket buzzing him. And then everyone started singing. Here is the amazing thing. I was able to join right in on that first line. But it was after we got that first line sung that things got a little sideways on me.

In every other book I had ever read, once you read the first line your next line is the second line. Oddly enough, the second line in that hymnal was actually numbered with a 2 (I guess for those who are hymnally challenged.) Anyway, I fell right in there and started singing that second line.

It only took about three words, when I realized no one else was singing the words that I was singing. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out where they were getting the words that everyone but me was singing. Not one to give up too easily, I moved to the third line which thankfully was marked with a 3 and started singing a little more quietly. Lo and behold, no one was singing those words either.

Before the song was over, the congregation finally caught up to me and for a brief but satisfying moment, we were all singing the same words. But then the congregation was off singing some words that, again, I couldn’t find.

That went on for about three more songs. Then a lady with a nervous chin got up and sang one by herself. I appreciated that.

There was more that happened on those first few Sundays that I went to church, but we don’t have time or space this time. Maybe if I don’t get fired for making fun of a church service, I can talk about some of those other things next time.

For those of you who may be questioning whether this actually happened or not, let me assure you that it most certainly did. It is a vivid memory to this day. That is one reason I am glad we put the words on the wall these days. As long as the computer guy stays focused, everybody knows what to sing next.

There is a lesson in it. Not everyone is as comfortable as we probably are with what happens in our church when it happens, and how it happens. We should be purposeful in helping them out.