Beepers, Cell Phones & Crying Babies

BEEPERS, CELL PHONES & CRYING BABIES by Ray Pritchard Technology can be a mixed blessing. Take cell phones, for instance. Or pagers. Or beepers. Each can be a timesaver that enables you to get your messages quicker and your work done faster. And these days, getting things done faster is what life is all about. All of us are under pressure to do more, do it better, and do it quicker so we can get on to the next thing on our never-ending list. Such is life in the 21st century. But there ought to be times and places where we can take a break from intrusive technology. A Sunday morning worship service is one of those times and one of those places. The guiding question in this discussion needs to be “Why are we here?” We are here to offer praise, prayer and love to God in worship and to listen to what he is saying to us through his Word. If that’s why we’re here, then we need to help ourselves and each other by eliminating all the distractions we can. It is a simple act of courtesy to others, and a mark of respect to the Lord, that we either put our beepers, our pagers, and our cell phones on “Silent” mode or we turn them off altogether. But there is more that needs to be said. In recent months there has been a slow increase of crying babies and restless children in our worship services. I realize this is a tender topic but the truth must be spoken. We have first-class, well-equipped, well-staffed nurseries where young babies can be cared for while you attend the worship service. We have excellent children’s ministries for your preschool and elementary age children during every service. If you choose to bring your young children into the worship service, we encourage your thoughtfulness by taking your children to the nursery or their class when they cry or fidget. This is a case where the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Again, we must help each other to worship by eliminating distractions. I’m writing this because I am the pastor of the whole church, not just of one particular part. It is easy for any of us to get so focused on our own needs that we forget those around us. But if we think first of others on Sunday morning, the worship time will be more meaningful for all of us.