From Riki Schoppert, Director of Student Ministries & Worship Arts …
If you ask me, I think that “going through the motions” sometimes gets a bad rap. In times of ambivalence, doubt or even anger, going to church or Bible study might seem hypocritical or fake. Society encourages us to “keep it real” and to “go all in or not at all.” The problem is, if you can’t be “all in” through a particular moment, not going at all can feed the disconnect, which is the exact opposite of what you really want. Lucky for us, God’s grace is not linear. You don’t always know when it will sneak up on you. But I can say from personal experience that it helps to keep putting yourself in the path of where you’ve met Jesus before. I’ve been leading the Contemporary worship service at St. Andrew for nearly 20 years. There have been times when I was angry or hurting and the last thing I wanted was to be in front of people praising God. Sometimes I’m a little depressed (Hello, February…) Sometimes my doubts are stronger than my belief. And sometimes my grief overwhelms me. I can remember one service several years ago when my best friend’s father had recently suffered a massive stroke and I just couldn’t stop crying. I was hurting and angry but I still had to do my job. There I was, in front of everyone, trying to sing through my tears. And God showed up for me that day in a big way. After the service I was surrounded by people who just wanted to give me a hug or let me know I was loved. While I was rather embarrassed by my inability to hold it together, I learned from several people that day that my “going through the motions” in the midst of my grief sent them a powerful message about the overwhelming power of God’s love in our human inadequacy. I wasn’t feeling it at the beginning, but Jesus met me where I was. And I’m grateful. If you are going through a season where you just aren’t feeling it, sometimes going through the motions is all you can do, until by God’s grace there is more. And I know that St. Andrew is not just a place for people who have it all figured out all the time. St. Andrew is a place for the seeker, the doubter, the believer alike. Take it from me, because at different times, I’ve been all three.