something i learned from a group of muslims

not sure if you knew this or not but there was a recent muslim holiday, Eid al-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice) on dec. 19th... and well i joined several friends who were invited by the local imam to attend the morning prayer gathering and beginning of the celebration.

there were several things that stood out to me in this experience.

first, i felt like a fish out of water, or maybe closer to that feeling when i've done a controlled free fall of some sort while tied on to a rope, my body knows that it isn't supposed to be falling, yet my mind is attempting to get control of the instinctive bodily reaction to save myself from injury. at any rate i was in a situation, setting, and atmosphere i'd never experienced before. what made it so, were many things, including a language i don't speak, everyone dressed in a certain way (an attire that i wasn't in), everyone had a small prayer "rug" (and i didn't), a loud speaker system blasting out a repetitive phrase that i didn't understand, no women were present in the portion of the room i was in (they were in a different space), my shoes were off, and i certainly didn't know what to expect either. and that's just a few of the elements that combined helped me feel a bit out of sorts, including be eventually surrounded by close to 1000 muslim males.

as i took all this in i began to wonder what it is like for a person we in the christian world label a "seeker" to walk into a church gathering (some people call this a worship service) with no real previous church experience. since i've been involved with the north american version of christianity for most of my life, for better or worse, i believe i can walk into almost any large christian gathering, generally called a church service or worship service in current times, and get by without needing a translator by my side. because of this it is easy for me to forget the perspective of a "seeker" or someone that has no previous experience with a church or the christian culture (maybe more on that at another time). so i kinda relished the moment of being a bright-eyed newbie to this moment.

why is this important? i think this is important because what i think i learned there, and what i am still learning... worship gatherings are and should be designed for those that arrive to worship! so, then where do the folks "go" to find what they are seeking? maybe your dinning table, your living room, backyard, porch, maybe you bring them to a friends house, or an social outing with others in your tribe (the people you live life with). Or maybe you meet with them at your favorite brew house (beer or coffee, you choose), have them join you at the "small group" or bible study you are a part of, maybe invite them to join you in the service event you are doing, or join your softball team, or maybe you get creative and figure it out. the point is that those places or spaces allow for discussion, interaction, and exploration. and then when the "seeker" wants to worship, well have a party, 'cos that's what the angels would be doing (and if the place where you worship is a weekly celebration, well have that seeker join you).

all this to say, creating a seeker sensitive worship gathering just doesn't make sense, nor does it seems to help either the worshiping community or the seekers in positive way in the long run. maybe the local churches could create a place and space for the seekers, and maybe it's not on the property of the local church... i dunno.

oh, and btw, the invitation was originally to two friends of mine that have been in deep conversations with the local imam, they decided based on what they know of me to extend the invitation on to me. my understanding is that this is not a normal action (inviting strangers to a large gathering). and even though i felt like a stranger in a strange land when the formal worship
ended i was greeted and extended the peace by well over 30 men. needless to say, i felt welcomed (and that's a whole different issue to tackle another time [the way we welcome]).

would enjoy hearing your thoughts... thanks.