The serious business of heaven

CS Lewis in one of his books describes "Joy as the serious business of heaven". Yet, a typical Christian is anything but joyful. There is always this sense of gloom and worry hanging over our shoulders. 

We rarely encourage any outward expression of joy in an Indian church service. Mega churches are at the other extreme, where there is almost too much of everything and noise, and then that may be interpreted as joy.

There is a solemness, almost insipid way of doing things in a traditional church. Maybe it's just me, but sometimes it feels like going through the motions. Not only do grown ups act this way, kids are expected to do the same. 

Kids must be obedient to their parents, the elders and follow all the rules of the church. They must sit in one place, not move or talk or do anything to distract from the church proceedings. 

Sometimes, I wonder if we teach our kids to go through the motions as well. It's like we teach them that the church experience is devoid of intellect  and there is no heart involved. It's like being in this state of vacuum and expecting something positive to come out of it, even if the kids don't understand or relate to a single word of what is said. 

Sometimes, church becomes like a clique where like-minded people form a group. If you agree with their ideas, you are in. If you don't, you are out. The leaders themselves are unaware of how to be inclusive and accepting of people. We are fed versions of "Ask not what the church can do for you, ask what you do for the church". 

People even point to Jesus and say that he observed Jewish traditions, went to the temple and was an "obedient" boy.

It's not uncommon for one church denomination to look down on the other. Papa's side is Marthomite and the people from his side of the family would say things like, "Marthomites have rejected the heresy from orthodox churches, and we are doing what our forefathers taught us to do well".   My mother's side is Jacobite and they feel the same way that they are somehow morally superior. It's not uncommon for Protestants to look down on Catholics and Catholics to think that their church service is "new and perfect worship". Isn't this all general silliness that we use to puff ourselves up? None of this has any semblance to reality.

We spend all our lives putting on masks to hide reality and our imperfections. We love to hear other people's stories so that we can "pray" for them but rarely does anyone want to talk about their own struggles. And, we are shocked at yet another "good" preacher who led a double life. He or she spent their entire life perfecting this mask. Do we want any different? I don't think so.

The early churches were more organic. I think children had the freedom to be children, to move in and out of their seats - they were not expected to act perfect. Corporate worship is sometimes just that - corporate. 

It makes sense that the preachers and people would want less distraction, but the whole idea that structure and order precedes everything else is somewhat ridiculous. The notion that we can somehow manipulate our children and people to act a certain way is short lived and delusional, at best.

I know this kind of fake obedience because I can do it well, if I choose to do it. I can easily go through the motions, do what appears right, and be a people pleaser. But, the direction of the heart and mind is a different issue in itself. 

Can obedience really be joyful? Can it be true? If my heart and mind is convinced that everything that God asks me to do is good, I would want to do it because I see sense in doing it, for my own sake. 

This kind of obedience is not concerned with putting on a show, or trying to meet people's expectations. It is the result of seeing, experiencing, and witnessing the work of God in my life and the lives of others. 

I don't want a lacklustre kind of obedience from my kids, nor do I want to raise them as robots. I am fully aware that they might not have any kind of faith without structure or being told what to do. 

At the same time, I hold on to the hope that when they do have faith, it would be genuine and heartfelt. May they never fall into this cycle of doing things in a mindless way.