Last Wednesday I sat in chapel, listening to a story about a freshman named Greg and his eccentric habits. I tried to tune out the descriptions of this poor boy’s oddities, but nevertheless, I was still well informed about Greg by the time chapel let out. I was also about to explode with frustration, however. Not that Greg’s story was that offensive, but his storyteller happened to be the student behind me instead of the Baptist minister, the morning’s chapel speaker, on the stage. Throughout prayers, worship songs, and a fairly interesting speech (at least it seemed to be so from the little parts I was able to concentrate on), this student continued to explain the life of Greg to a loudly giggling freshman girl sitting next to him. After a chapel attendant shushed them once during the speech, their conversation switched to obscenities about chapel. They thoroughly whined about every aspect of the school requirement from the amount of time it takes up in a day to the concept of forcing students to attend a worship service. Ironically, they judged the poor minister speaking to be intolerably boring, telling stories “no one even cares about anyway”. Though I heard from others the minister did have some compelling points concerning Christ-centered living, normally I would have no problem with students expressing their opinions. However, these particular students were too busy informing the world of Greg and critiquing the other aspects of chapel that they did not even hear the minister at all, much less listen long enough to be able to fairly form an opinion of him.
By this time I was ready to throw a note with “shut up or find another school” at them. Obviously they just did not understand the concept of choosing a Christian school. Before I got out my pens, notebook paper, and arrogance, I thought about their point a little bit more. Do we really need to be sitting through this age-old tradition? Why do we hold this twice a week anyway? University Ministries must put excessive time and effort into this hour-long production for a reason.
Chapel is about stopping for one hour during the day and just devoting it to God. It’s about remembering the real reason we should be here, at this special university. Here we work not towards becoming an “American Idol” in our respective fields with an ungodly amount of financial success (pardon the pun) but towards something more, something that will last. We are here because this is the place we have been called to fulfill our purpose. Chapel is about not forgetting that purpose. Here in the spring semester it is easy to forget the passion we started with in August. Chapel is one tradition that can bring that passion back.
If we make taking time for God a priority, we can stay lit on fire with purpose. If we live as though we care about anyone else in this world besides ourselves, we might see we have a lot to learn. Instead the standard has become to do whatever we want, whenever we want to. What if that which we criticize before we have experienced proves to be favorable? Or even more shameful, what if we realize this mentality makes us hypocritical and disrespectful, not to mention childish? Maybe then we would decide we need to learn, listen, and remember why we are here in the first place.
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this is a fair enough complaint.
and i understand completely -- church services held at/during school hours are often interrupted by rude students.
at my school, popular hobbies during services include: note writing, homework, reading, sleeping, counting the each "um" and "uh" of the speaker/priest, sudoku, hair-braiding, in-depth gossiping (as well as other conversation) and making oragami. these hobbies are often irritating to the point of generally obnoxious.
however, some people are placed into church-affliated schools, and don't have the option of leaving. this might not be an excuse for obnoxious behavior, but some things can't be helped.
The worst is when people are in their own convo and they laugh soooo loud. I'll assume to their benefit that they don't know the speaker is often talking about the holocaust or starving children in Africa. It is still realy rude though.
If someone is not going to listen, I'd rather them take a nap or read than annoy others though.
I am impressed with your blog. If only more students thought as you do and take their walk more seriously. Thanks for the encouraging post.
I agree with what you are saying. We need to make more time in our lives to devote to God and to also help others besides ourselves. We live in such as self-centered world that we just need to take time to stop and think about someone else.
Thank you for your comments. Now I raise a question to ya'll- Should chapel be mandatory or should students be given an option?
Post away friends--I want to know what YOU think!
If that is a tradition for your school then yes, it should. People should know that it is mandatory when they decide to go.
I agree.
Thoughts, anyone else?? ;0)