Thus Saith The Text

Sunday even before I got the chance to draw breath and expound with my usual mellifluous treasures of wisdom… a cell phone went off with a ring tone with a rather 60’s seedy vibe. You would think that one would have the decency to wait until I had sufficient time to homiletically anesthetized the congregation (i.e. bore them to sleep) before interrupting such sacred ground? I can’t tell you how tickled I was to find out from the recipient of this cellular faux pas the story behind their untimely ring. They were surprised because they had faithfully silenced their cell phone before services. In fact, they received this ring tone because they were policing a certain calloused pewster who was in violation of the time honored song leader’s instruction, “Now, let’s give our undivided attention to the preacher’s message.” The person next to them was texting and so they texted them to “stop texting!” And though they had silenced the ring tone for incoming calls they had not silenced the ring tone for receiving texts so when they received a text back to mind their own texting business… well, cheesy ring tone here we come. Ugh…. hoisted on their own petard (I can’t tell you how much I’ve longed to be able to use that phrase correctly)!

To text or not to text that is the question. Is one’s right to multi-task in church by both listening and texting as dangerous as texting and driving at the same time? And what does thus saith the text have to say about all this? I learned very early on in my preaching career that you don’t know how people listen and absorb a message so don’t make too much out of what you think you see. My first regular audience had a good sister who set up close to the front who continually nodded her head to what I thought was agreement to what I was saying but found out later it was her way of staying awake. Likewise there was a good brother who sat toward the back and had his eyes closed the entire sermon who was far from sleeping but seriously concentrating on the sermon. So… it is entirely possible that one could text, doodle, nod or close their eyes and be absorbing with the help of the Holy Spirit all the message God intended for them to hear!

So, here is my ring tone to this common problem of cell phones going off in church, funerals, libraries, meetings and the like… “Ring out, the word, o’er land and sea…” James Rowe’s 1911 lyrics remind us that the important thing is for the word to ring out! I’m not as worried about each generation’s distractions as I am worried about them getting the message of His “saving grace, Make it known in every place, Ring it out, ring it out!” So if your cell phone goes off during one of my sermons I’ll be assured that you would like for the message to “merrily ring!” -DAN