Observations from a Lutheran Church Choir Loft

1. No one likes to sit in the first four pews.  Although God can see you wherever you may be, the first four pews in church seem to be reserved for the very brave and those celebrating a baptism only.
2. The more upbeat the music, the stiller the congregation grows, unless children are present.  Adults will eagerly hide behind the undignified dancing of a child and enjoy the movement of the music themselves.
3. Most people do not bring Bibles to church.
4. People turn the page while in the middle of a prayer.  Although we are praying to our God Most High, our Savoir, our Holy One, people still know when to turn the page.
5. The sudden outburst of a young child bothers no one but the parents of that child.  Young children bring joy and smiles to our faces including when they coo or giggle something during the sermon or a prayer.   However, when teenagers giggle and talk through the entire Lord’s Prayer it is not so funny or cute.
6. No one wants to be the first to stand after the sermon or offering, as if the first one to stand has volunteered to sit in one of the first four pews.
7. We often sing about lifting our hands, but very rarely are anyone’s hands lifted.
8. The children’s message is just as valuable and enjoyable to the adults as it is to the children.
9. When the Pastor sits in the congregation to watch the Vicar’s sermon, those he sits next to sit straighter and REALLY pay wide eyed attention to the sermon that day.
10. Passing of the Peace has become very social and people enjoy the chance to leave the pews to say hello to a neighbor, provided they do not mistakenly sit back down in of the the first four pews upon return.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)