So we spent the weekend in NYC and pretty much stuck to midtown and downtown Manhatten. Of course we hit some tourist-y attractions, like Rockefeller Center, Times Square, the Empire State Building, and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA - official site). The MoMA was featuring an exhibition called Pixar: 20 Years of Animation… it was really interesting, especially for anyone interested in computer animation.
While in the West Village we met up with Alissa. She took us to a most important stop… the Magnolia Bakery. It’s the West Village cupcake haven sought by the Narnia rappers in the SNL skit ‘Lazy Sunday‘ that I posted about in ‘The Chronic-WHAT-cles of Narnia!‘… and of course I had to partake myself. Delicious! As a note, Lazy Sunday now has its own Wikipedia article. 
Anyways, we also attended Alissa’s church this morning, The Village Church. The church was pretty cool, yet it was a conundrum of sorts. They are a group of young believers, dressed in a very casual yet modern style, made up mostly of creative, free-thinking artists… who then meet in an über-formal church building and submit themselves to weekly liturgy with instructions on what to say during the service and when to say it!? 
Ok, I can understand the old church building (it was pretty cool!)… but the roomful of creative minds reciting liturgy was freakin’ me out. Alissa, you’ll have to explain this to me some more.
I have to say it was great weekend excursion. I’ll be posting more about some of the artwork I snapped in the MoMA. You can find all my current pictures from the trip here: NYC Trip.
Web designer and developer. Loud discerner. Software engineer and 
Haha! Well that part of the liturgy is just spoken prayers, and they’re written out so that people are saying similar things aloud instead of just listening to one guy pray in spectator fashion.
I’m not sure if you missed the bits where people praise aloud in service without having it written down ahead of time, or if you were there for confession, etc.
You neglected to mention the creativity involved in things like offertories that ::gasp:: don’t involve music! I mean! What an idea!
And of course . . . the church building is merely a rented place to meet. Not much you can do in the Village to find space that will fit 150 people comfortably and some musical instruments!
Oh - and I should point out that it’s not a set liturgy, like some more formal churches - which means that what you participated in this week is not what happened on that week a year ago. The leaders put together a new service each week based around the sermon.
I realized on Sunday that what I like about this service format is that it forces you to be more engaged in the service. You sing, you confess your sins, you praise God aloud, you give, you greet those around you, you listen, you take communion by walking to the front. It’s a lot tougher to be a pew potato and just passively watch.
Steve,
Nice meeting you yesterday, and speaking together along with your wife. And I’m glad to see your heart moved by some of what you experienced at TVC.
Re: your unease with the somewhat formal liturgy (I say somewhat, because notwithstanding your impression, many historically formal liturgical traditions would make ours look like pentacostal tent meeting!), I would suggest you chaulk at least some of that up to unfamilarity. Granted, responsive readings, corporate confessions, singing pre-20th century hymns, weekly communion, etc., aren’t for everyone. But the value most of us get from these “means” of worship is incredible! Not to start a war, here, but regarding what words are more helpful in sending off Christians to their upcoming week, is there any comparison between a pastor saying - with arms outstretched, “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen!”, and - believe me, I heard this once - “All right, see ya.”
When our church was planted 11 years ago, our elders decided this was the kind of service they wanted. By God’s grace, it’s been maintained. Others are doing the same, as is evidenced by this quote from a pastor of another young PCA church plant:
“There is a clear return to the primacy and significance of Scripture and sacraments within this emerging generation of church leaders. Attend City Church, Red Mountain, All Souls or one of the other young church plants that characterize this emerging ‘return’ to orthodoxy and you’ll notice some curious things. You’ll notice a formal liturgy chock full of responsive readings, confessions, and creeds. You’ll notice a commitment to the sacraments, manifested in a frequent—often weekly—celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Each of these pastors will attest to a personal and cultural hunger for transcendence, for mystery, for deep engagement on an existential level with the Trinity. You’ll notice the word preached with a prophetic and honest edge, not showy but deeply engaged in the story of Scripture and the ongoing story being told in our midst.”
And John Piper writes the following in answer to the question, “Why do you put such rigorous formal limits on the poem?” (can parallel liturgy easily):
“A river without banks is a flood, not a river. A gymnastic floor routine without a mat with borders is just exercise, and not art. Throwing balls across a plate or kicking a ball through uprights or slapping a puck into a goal is more exhilarating than throwing and kicking and slapping every which-a-way then trying to dignify it by calling it “free.” The most passionate book in the Bible is Lamentations, and it is the most rigorously limited in form: three of the five chapters of gut-wrenching agony are poured into the narrow container of four acrostics, each verse beginning with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet. There is something glorious about the freedom and power of truth flowing deep, and somehow naturally, between the banks of rhyme and meter.”
Anyway, hope that helps to explain some of our thinking. Again, not for everyone, but definitely worth considering.
Peace to you and your wife as you endeavor to be faithful to God’s call on your lives,
Scott Greider
I actually really liked the building… and it’s a great symbiosis with the 7-Day Adventists!
I was thinking today… you could make an argument that the liturgy and the very formal church structure almost ADD to the sense of emergence, because they are so counter to the mega-church craze of the 90’s. Yet somebody else will say that many feeling pulled to the emerging church are being drawn to less structure, less churchiness… with almost anti-liturgical sentiments (like recovering Catholics). But then people might point out the return of hymns, and general reverence and spiritual mystery that permeates many emergent church services… similar to liturgy.
We could go on forever.
Someone very well could call Terra Nova and The Village Church emergent churches… but the churches are near opposites. It is a testament to the wide berth that “emergent” has taken on.
Okay, I’ll have to learn to moderate my comments before I respond to one.. because, lo and behold (that was definitely a blatant use of liturgical-speak), I had two comments waiting for me AFTER I responded to Alissa’s first. *sigh* Ok…
Alissa :: You bring up a good point. I thought the specific calling for prayers of confession and such were spiritually rich. Did I mention I liked the service?
Scott :: You’re funny… before I begin, let me remind you that my first impression of you was when I mentioned that I was surprised by the liturgical nature of the service (because I was already aware of the large portion of artists and young adults in the church)… to which you heartily bellowed with subtle sarcasm, “Heaven forbid Christians read together.” Not sure I still make the connection… but you seemed to enjoy yourself.
Did I mention I liked the service?
I didn’t mean to miscommunicate “unease” with the liturgy… I was surpised… not uneasy. You see, I’ve been to enough traditionally liturgical churches to see a bit of numbness that comes from rote recitation or repetition. It usually has meaning the first few times… but soon the substance washes away from the symbolism and only automation remains. In contrast to Alissa’a point… the most absolutely DIS-engaged church goers I’ve ever seen have been in liturgical churches. If I had a nickel for every half-hearted “And also with you” or “Lord, hear our prayer” that I’ve heard I’d be able to buy you guys St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
…wouldn’t that be ironic… Now of course there’s always exceptions, and your church… with its youth of creative vigor… is definitely one of them.
Did I mention I liked the service?
Oh, I wanted to add that it’s a temptation to categorize the sentiments of others into the “unfamiliarity” realm when they differ from ours.
And I’m probably more familiar with Protestant liturgy than you think… How many times have YOU been baptized? 
By the way… nice Piper quote!
Holy smokes… I get tickled when artists read liturgy and everyone wants to get defensive!
If I wanted defense I’d bring up relevance to Loudonville’s leadership. 
*let’s out hearty chortle*
I apologize for my self-seeking sarcasm at our first meeting, and I shouldn’t have disparaged your Christian experience by suggesting your “freaked out” response might be the result of unfamiliarity. Please forgive me.
Again, may God bless you and your family and your ministry.
No apology required.
I’ll be more careful with my use of the phrase “freakin’ me out”… perhaps by including more smilies.
I look forward to reading your blog!
I agree with Scott, that a lot could be said about putting strong, deep thoughts and emotions into a form in worship. The danger, of course, is letting the form become a routine and then a ‘mindless routine’. At that point, we loose the essence, and thus liturgy becomes meaningless repetition. If it is maintained, however, it is quite powerful. Spontaneity (and creative spontaneity) is also important in worship, but not to the outright exclusion of form.
Mike :: Obi-Wan was right… you have changed! Oops… sorry… had a Hollywood moment. Hope you’re enjoying your B-day present.
I found an interesting blog entry from a female Anglican priest speaking of just the balance I think you touched on.
maggidawn.typepad.com - planning vs spontaneity
Right, and in the world of “traditionally liturgical” churches, that’s certainly a huge danger - though I’d argue that it’s less the fault of the form of worship, and more the fault of the leadership for not challenging their congregation.
At any rate, I think it is only a “mindless routine” when you know what to expect. Hardly a problem around here.