Noisy Saints in Church

This post is not for sinners; it's for the saved. Specifically, the noisy saints who meet to worship each Sunday.

No, I'm not talking about those who may shout the praises or cry out "amen" when the pastor makes an especially outstanding point. I'm not talking about those who sing loudly in the choir or congregation or clap their hands when the beat of the music is really peppy.

I'm talking about those who think they are in the high school gymnasium during a basketball practice scrimmage and carry on conversations that never seem to end and go on and on through the entire service. Like those who are poking and prodding and flirting and cavorting with their boyfriends and girlfriends.

I'm talking about those who give their children anything to play with that's noisier than a pencil and piece of paper. The ones who give them rustling bags of crunchy food for snacks as if the child will starve to death without food for an hour, (not to mention the adults who go so far as to devour the snacks themselves.)

I'm talking about the ones whose child decides, like clockwork every Sunday, ten minutes into the pastors sermon, to start screaming and pitching fits and carries on like a wild animal for the next twenty minutes. Still, the parent will sit and fuss and fight with the toddler, saying, "shush" forty times, (as if the child wouldn't behave after the first twenty shushes, so try twenty more.)

I'm talking about the saints of God who just seem to think that everyone is as charmed by their noisy, rude child as they are. They think that four or five trips to the bathroom by their youngster goes unnoticed by the rest of the congregation. They seem to think that sinners can or will listen intently to the pastor even through some wild child's incessant tantrums.

Most churches have nurseries and Godly saints who gladly volunteer to baby-sit so that parents can worship and sinners can listen without the distraction of restless, spoiled brats. Yes, I'm aware that my language is strong, but lazy, disinterested, detached parents are the ones who inspire my feelings.

I know we all live in a world where courtesy is an archaic idea and taking pride in rudeness and being inconsiderate of others is the norm rather than the exception. Politeness today is laughable rather than laudable. Maybe it's time that Christian parents were more aware that we could be detouring sinners from the Good News they need to hear.

If a sound system causes a little feed-back during worship, we sometimes say, some more serious than others, that's it's the devil. Do the same people think that when they are "playing hands," flirting, munching, wrestling, getting up and down, chasing kids, rattling bags and causing a deafening cacophony of noise? Does the worship of an almighty, holy God require no more concentration than that?

Now, don't get me wrong. If I have only the two choices of noisy children at church or at home, I'll take them at church without a moment's hesitation. Yet, I know we can do better...if we care.

In a world where everyone who chooses simply to not pay attention is excused as having some "disease," we make excuses for what amounts to rudeness at best and, at worst, sin. No one is at fault for anything today and there is aways some excuse for what is simply bad behaviour.

So, show a little courtesy...that's all I ask. Might it be that the soul of a sinner is on the line?