Lea Gibson - Church visit #1

Church name: Church of the Resurrection
Church address: 935 W. Union Ave, Wheaton, IL 60187
Date attended: February 9th, 2014
Church category: More liturgical

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?
In general, Church of the Resurrection was not as different as I was expecting it to be. Having grown up in a Christian Reformed Church, I am used to some liturgy, though not quite as much as Church of the Res had. I was pleasantly surprised that much of the liturgy was the same as what my church back home and my church in Wheaton (Jericho Road) uses as it made me feel a little more comfortable and at home. I was expecting more traditional songs and hymns, and though there were some, majority of the worship consisted of contemporary songs. However, there were also many differences. Probably the biggest difference for me was that all the leaders wore robes. Also, although I am used to a certain amount of liturgy, the service was much more structured than I am used to. Especially the use of singing as a response was different than I am used to. Lastly, I have never gone to a church in which they use wine at communion, only grape juice, so the use of wine and a common cup was different for me as well.

What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?

I actually really like liturgical services. It feels much more interactive to me, and the use of traditional liturgy, confessions, and creeds is a beautiful way to express one’s faith. Liturgy adds much more structure to the service, and since it’s all written in the bulletin, one knows what to expect next. I also found interesting the procession before reading scripture. It draws more attention to the Word than what I’m used to, and makes the reading of scripture feel much more significant. We had to stand for many of the readings, which also draws significance and reverence to the Word, which I really appreciated.

What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service? 

The most confusing thing for me was the use of the sign of the cross. I've never been to a church where crossing oneself was a regular thing, but it was quite common throughout the service, but I never knew when to expect it or if I was expected to do it as well. Otherwise things weren't that disorienting or challenging. Things were different, but for the most part, everything was in the bulletin so I could just follow along. 

What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context? 

As I mentioned before, I felt that there was much more of an emphasis on Scripture and a general reverence for Scripture that I haven't experienced in my regular context. I really liked having to stand for some of the Scripture readings because I believe it shows respect and it also causes one to pay more attention than if they were sitting. I also really appreciated the sermon. He preached on the passage in Matthew about being the light of the world and encouraged us to think about our daily actions, especially in terms of media and reflect whether we really are shining the light of Christ. I feel like it can be easy for the church to accept some of our culture and not fight back as much as we should.