Hillsong church, and why I'm no longer protestant...

[colliric]

As I sat watching this morning’s Hillsong program on channel Ten(which follows the Catholic mass program… go figure!) , I seemed to realize another reason why I’m not protestant anymore…

I personally don’t believe in 2 hour sermons… yep. I don’t believe in them. Why? because I think the Gospel to personal interpretation ratio is very very weighted toward the PI end of the scale… Very little gospel, very much of Personal Interpretations.

The best way to receive the gospel(at least during mass) is “Straight up” with no added ingredients…

This always brings to my mind the whole “False Christs and prophets” teaching.

I don’t like receiving the gospel and other readings/teachings from the bible in the middle of some gigantic 2 hour tirade which can oft fudge the simple message the writers tried to get across. i lkike the Straight up approach… the Catholic way of doing it.

 

[PatienceAndLove]

I don’t like receiving the gospel and other readings/teachings from the bible in the middle of some gigantic 2 hour tirade which can oft fudge the simple message the writers tried to get across. i lkike the Straight up approach… the Catholic way of doing it.

Not to mention that we have far more Bible in our hour than they do in their two

 

[Allweather]

Yes, you reminded me of one of the things that started irritating me about Protestant worship back in the 80s just before I went for my swim in the Tiber.

This afternoon I visited a local parish that had an incredibly “boring” Mass even by Catholic standards. The music was terrible, the elderly priest was feeble, the church was appointed in that 60s hippie-ish style that went out of style already (thank God, and good riddance!). Even so, the Mass was a thousand times better than anything my man T.D. Jakes could sweat out. When that nice old priest held the Host up for us to see, we knew that Jesus was there among us.

 

[kentuckyliz]

Some Christians at the Christianity Today website (comboxes) actually claimed that Paul nullifies Jesus! I said you aren’t Christians, you’re Paulines, and Paul condemned that. Any Apollonians here?

Catholic practice inoculates us from such a heresy. We process the Gospel (in procession that is), we incense the Gospels, we kiss the Gospels…well, the priest does this as a part of the Mass…and we sing Alleluia and stand for the Gospels–this is Jesus’ life and teaching! We’re on our butts for other NT epistles, but we stand for the King! See, no student can be greater than the teacher. How could Paul be greater than Jesus? No way! Paul isn’t risen from the dead!!! You can visit his relics at St. Paul’s Outside the Walls!

This Gospel emphasis keeps Jesus in the proper place. He’s the tops!!!

 

[exoflare]

I’m not making this up. One of my good friends had this Evangelical roommate who actually told him, “you know it’s a good sermon when it’s all incoherent!”

 

[kentuckyliz]

Didja know, Jesus was a screamin’ preacher?

 

[Jeanette_L]

I’m with you colliric!

It’s funny, but since becoming Catholic, worship means something so completely different and means so much more to me now. And since my eyes have been opened to the true worship that only Christ can offer to the Father, His own Sacrifice, I just can’t fathom ever returning to an Evangelical service again and come away feeling the way I used to.

My family remains Evangelical, and sometimes they’ll come home from church and say “they had a really good worship service today”, and all I can feel is sad for them. They don’t even know what “worship” really is. They think it’s a feeling they get when they sing moving songs or hear a stirring sermon. And those things are not bad in and of themselves, but they are not “worship”.

So, when I’m in my car, I’ll put on some inspirational music or listen to some really great teaching or prayer CD’s (catholic, of course!), but I no longer confuse them with the true worship of the Mass.

 

[ASimpleSinner]

The fact that a good number of priests are sub-par preachers in comparison to the dynamic preachings styles of so many of our Protestant brothers is very frequently a source of contention for Protestant folks comparing apples to oranges.

Many folks from without the Catholic Church find themselves attending a Mass for a funeral, wedding, or watching TV etc, and they feel confirmed in their fear that Catholics aren’t on fire because, well, “They don’t have good preachin’” which is a sure sign - in their mind - of God’s gift of a call to be a pastor.

For the record, I don’t want to see 30 minute sermon/homilies preached by dynamic priests wired with sound systems and fancy power-point demonstrations… But if we could demonstrate that our preaching style, in the context of the Liturgy, can be dynamic, instructive, and clear.

A few years ago I was at a Mass offered by a Hungarian priest - a fellow with a soft accent like ZsaZsa Gabor’s brother would sound like, if ZsaZsa had a brother - and in about 5 minutes, in plain unnuanced speach, without clever anecdotes, bad jokes, or impassioned dramatic stylings he covered 20 centuries worth of teaching in the plainest way, leaving us with mediations that, ten years on, I still think about.

What did he say? A lot. And he said it clearly, unapologetically and plainly. Why were we here? (Baltimire Catechism answer that is as plainly right and one can do!) “To know God, Love God, and serve God with all our minds and hearts in this life and he happy with him for all eternity in the next.” How are we to do this? By embracing the Church he gave us. How can we embrace it - by learning and living her Holy precepts, the ultimate of which was to make a good communion by keeping our souls clean in making good confessions. (If we weren’t ready this morning, please abstain from communion, and come see him after Mass to make a good confession!) Jesus wants us there, He is happy we are, we should share this joy with others and invite them to come to Mass.

It was plain, it was simple, it was not conventionaly dynamic, but it moved me.

With all due filial love to Joyce Meyers (whose main message seems to be "the Devil wants us to mope and what we really need to do is put on some make up and “be happy”) This humble senior priest speaking English as a second language (actually probably his fourth or fifth) gave a message that was clearer, more coherent, and then stepped down from the ambo gracefully to get unto doing more important things than listening to him - celebrating the Eucharist.

 

[Curious]

One thing I like about a Catholic homily is that the priest is “fits” his message around the text, instead of coming up with a topic and slinging around verses to support it. Unless it’s Bible Study, most Protestant preachers I’ve seen preach topically. I think I like the “expounding the scriptures” method better.

 

[NMJenny]

But if we could demonstrate that our preaching style, in the context of the Liturgy, can be dynamic, instructive, and clear.

I wish some priests would realize that it’s not necessary to ramble on for thirty minutes or more, bouncing from place to place in the readings, instead of giving a focused sermon. Once when I was in college, the priest gave a three minute sermon (literally!) on the Annunciation–this was clear back in the 1950s, but I have never forgotten the point he was making, and it had a profound effect on how I looked at spiritual things. Another 27 minutes of talking wouldn’t have added a thing to his message–after all, the sermon is for our instruction, of course, but it is only a small part of the Mass, compared to the Eucharist, a very small part…

 

[SORROWS]

I always look forward to the Catholic Homily at Mass. I’ve gotten to know each Priest personality and style and all are good. I always learn something and usually come away with WOW.

Some speak so beautifully that I memorize some of their quotes - so impressed I am.

The Priests usually go over the readings from the Bible and they allow me to understand parts I didn’t understand well before.

I’m so lucky to be Catholic!!!

 

[PatienceAndLove]

I think the best homily I ever heard was less than 30 seconds. It was summer in Omaha, NE, the air conditioner was broken and it’s was already 80 degrees outside at 9am.

Father came up and said “If you think this is Hot, imagine Hell” and we started the Creed.

You might say he was copping out because of the heat, but I still think of that quote, and it keeps me sane. No matter how hot the situation gets, I can turn to God and it’s all right.

 

[RobNY]

I think the best homily I ever heard was less than 30 seconds. It was summer in Omaha, NE, the air conditioner was broken and it’s was already 80 degrees outside at 9am.

Father came up and said “If you think this is Hot, imagine Hell” and we started the Creed.

You might say he was copping out because of the heat, but I still think of that quote, and it keeps me sane. No matter how hot the situation gets, I can turn to God and it’s all right.

Haha. That is classic.

I know a priest who gives 30sec to 2 minute homilies each and every time. My friends and I really enjoy it because it always leaves us wondering what exactly just happened.

-Rob

 

[Allweather]

My favorite homily is no homily.

When I was at West Point, I had a 0600 daily Mass habit. That’s a pretty early Mass time! Most often there wouldn’t be more than a half-dozen other people present besides the priest, and many times I was the only one there to be the congregation. I grew to love the lack of music and the times when father would simply forego giving a homily, sometimes saying he just had nothing to add.

 

[JohnnyReb]

As I sat watching this morning’s Hillsong program on channel Ten(which follows the Catholic mass program… go figure!) , I seemed to realize another reason why I’m not protestant anymore…

I personally don’t believe in 2 hour sermons… yep. I don’t believe in them. Why? because I think the Gospel to personal interpretation ratio is very very weighted toward the PI end of the scale… Very little gospel, very much of Personal Interpretations.

The best way to receive the gospel(at least during mass) is “Straight up” with no added ingredients…

This always brings to my mind the whole “False Christs and prophets” teaching.

I don’t like receiving the gospel and other readings/teachings from the bible in the middle of some gigantic 2 hour tirade which can oft fudge the simple message the writers tried to get across. i lkike the Straight up approach… the Catholic way of doing it.

I find that the homilies I have heard to be much deeper and to the point. Many evangelical sermons seem to make being long winded equal with being spiritual. Honestly, my mind would wander away half way through.

I also have become jaded of the low church worship, hillsong style, the Jesus is my best friend songs etc… I cannot focus my mind on God during those services. During the mass, I am able to focus on what is being said and taught. I am able to worship God with all my mind.

 

[bluerose]

I think the best homily I ever heard was less than 30 seconds. It was summer in Omaha, NE, the air conditioner was broken and it’s was already 80 degrees outside at 9am.

Father came up and said “If you think this is Hot, imagine Hell” and we started the Creed.

You might say he was copping out because of the heat, but I still think of that quote, and it keeps me sane. No matter how hot the situation gets, I can turn to God and it’s all right.

When my husband was a young teenager, living in Lake Havasu City, AZ (read: this is the place that hit 129 degrees in July about twenty-five years ago!) their parish priest gave this homily:

“It’s hot here… but there IS a place that is hotter.” Then he continued the Mass.

Afterward, as my husband’s family left the church, Dad turned to his sons and asked, “Boys, do you know what place Father meant?”

And my husband’s older brother, Tom, said, “Yup… Phoenix!”

(BTW–Tom joined the Legionaries of Christ and was ordained a priest in 1991 ! As far as I know, he is not trying to keep souls out of Phoenix!)

 

[ASimpleSinner]

My favorite homily is no homily.

When I was at West Point, I had a 0600 daily Mass habit. That’s a pretty early Mass time! Most often there wouldn’t be more than a half-dozen other people present besides the priest, and many times I was the only one there to be the congregation. I grew to love the lack of music and the times when father would simply forego giving a homily, sometimes saying he just had nothing to add.

This would happen at a small Byzantine Catholic parish I went to daily liturgy at. Frequently it was me, the cantor, and the priest. Yes, the four of us sung it.

Sometimes for the homily Father would give the very briefest reflection, and then mention the fest of the saint. On the feast of St. Charatina - a Greek Martyr of the fourth century if I remember - he pointed out that “all her teeth were pulled out, her body mutilated, and than she was burned. We don’t have it so bad now do we? St. Charatina, pray for us.”

 

[jimmy85]

As I sat watching this morning’s Hillsong program on channel Ten(which follows the Catholic mass program… go figure!) , I seemed to realize another reason why I’m not protestant anymore…

I personally don’t believe in 2 hour sermons… yep. I don’t believe in them. Why? because I think the Gospel to personal interpretation ratio is very very weighted toward the PI end of the scale… Very little gospel, very much of Personal Interpretations.

The best way to receive the gospel(at least during mass) is “Straight up” with no added ingredients…

This always brings to my mind the whole “False Christs and prophets” teaching.

I don’t like receiving the gospel and other readings/teachings from the bible in the middle of some gigantic 2 hour tirade which can oft fudge the simple message the writers tried to get across. i lkike the Straight up approach… the Catholic way of doing it.

Also if you go to mass for 3 years straight you would have heard n understood the entire bible.
Somethign I love is that most of the times the writting letter, psalm and gospel of the day are united and they have something to do with each other.

 

[jujubee]

I have a very dear friend and neighbor who is Southern Baptist, from Texas no less, and we are all in California now. For a series of reasons she began sending her son to a very small and conservative/traditional Catholic school. On his first Friday mass, he got all dressed up in his uniform coat and tie. After he got home she called me up all confused. Her son wasn’t able to anwer any of her questions. She told me she had asked him (insert drawl here) “So what did y’all learn in mass today?”

I tried so hard to keep my smile from being too wide. And I know full well that you can come away from mass “having learned something”. But we know what she really was getting at. I sat down with her and tried to explain how the focus of mass is not the “sermon” but “communion”. And then I got a copy of the missal to kind of walk her through the order of things.

 

[mark_a]

As I sat watching this morning’s Hillsong program on channel Ten(which follows the Catholic mass program… go figure!) , I seemed to realize another reason why I’m not protestant anymore…

I personally don’t believe in 2 hour sermons… yep. I don’t believe in them. Why? because I think the Gospel to personal interpretation ratio is very very weighted toward the PI end of the scale… Very little gospel, very much of Personal Interpretations.

The best way to receive the gospel(at least during mass) is “Straight up” with no added ingredients…

This always brings to my mind the whole “False Christs and prophets” teaching.

I don’t like receiving the gospel and other readings/teachings from the bible in the middle of some gigantic 2 hour tirade which can oft fudge the simple message the writers tried to get across. i lkike the Straight up approach… the Catholic way of doing it.

We have a local priest who keeps the missalets in the narthex, not in the Church. You are free to take one in with you.

His reasoning is that the Gospel is to be proclaimed, not to be double checked as its being read.