Entitled

Finish, then, Thy new creation;
Pure and spotless let us be;
Let us see Thy great salvation
Perfectly restored in Thee:
Changed from glory into glory,
Till in heaven we take our place,
Till we cast our crowns before Thee,
Lost in wonder, love, and praise.

Love Divine SDA Hymnal #191 


Shortly after Chapel had commenced, the screen above the pulpit flashed a slide featuring a brief biography of the day's service provider. This week we were privileged to have a Music Director leading us in a medley of hymnal staples in lieu of a sermon-based service. His bio included his Doctorate studies as well as his official title of Pastor as he was attached to a local church through his music ministry. After briefly running through a very brief introduction to the order of the alternative service, he retreated to the organ as the church rose to its feet. And there we sang the hymn above.

In a room filled nearly to capacity with students plucked from the mission field across the world, all singing these words in unison to God above in praise. While there is nothing out of the ordinary about this scene, there is something strange about the moment outside of that which is visible or auditory. It is the presence that is a bit off, and it would not surprise me to find that I am the only one feeling this sensation in the room.

I'm not so sure we are understanding what we are singing out to God.

It was as I sang the last verse that it hit me, we are emotionally tuned to this familiar melody and reading the words directly off of the page, but there is a disconnect between what we are saying and what it is we are all doing. If we were sincere with our tuned words of praise, then what's keeping us from acting it out as well? A fellow contributor to this blog once volunteered as a choir director and explained a very similar sentiment in the following way, "If we are going to sing about our hands lifted high, we should be lifting our hands."

The choir sounded fine, the harmonies were flowing, and the church was standing in unison, but suddenly were all singing out instructions. Except no one was following the words as they arrived at our lips. I imagined for a moment a group of people singing the Hokey Pokey stock still but hitting all of the right notes along the way.

If we are to be looking forward to a day when we cast aside our crowns, our accolades, our earthly possessions, and our individualism, then what in the world are we doing beginning every service by naming the people in the room who have a degree in Theology? To introduce a person with the title of "pastor" in a room full of pastors makes very little sense. The title of pastor is a distinction best suited to provide a classification of formal settings of a religious nature as needed. But suddenly the title of pastor is being passed out to people to impress and flaunt. But when seated in a room where God has been invited to sit in on the service, our titles don't seem to hold much weight. Especially when singing out about casting out crowns with the desire to turn earthly glory into heavenly recognition, restored, pure and without spot.

For such a loud noise speaking out otherwise, we sure do seem to enjoy our spotted crowns.

There is a basic assumption that everyone in the Seminary is a Christian and a devoted member to the Gospel message. While not everyone in the room has been graced with Conference badging and not everyone has been working as the head of a church. But when a majority of the room fits the exact same category as one another, it's like walking into a crowded medical symposium in a conference hall and saying "Doctor?" out loud. Not everyone will crane their head around, but when almost everyone does turn around, it's time to be more specific.

I believe that the direction of specificity is best suited in the informal direction. I think as a group, we can all accept that anyone designated for public speaking at the pulpit for Chapel is an important person and qualified for the service in whatever regards they are placed. And if the qualification is not in question, then I believe that their first name alone is perfectly acceptable as an introduction. No need to announce that they have a degree, have worked in a church, or had a job in the mission field. You can come as you are; crowns cast aside. And from there, you can bring the word of God with you as a woman or as a man with a vision. And that will always be good enough.

Let us leave the world of credibility in the academic world if only for a moment and instead let the holy word of Adonai be lifted as the crown. Let us see the title of God be lifted higher than everything else. Let us follow the words of God's children because they lead to God and not simply because the words were penned by a relative of J.N. Andrews, Uriah Smith, or Sebastian Bach leave us star-struck and amazed. Let us end the practice of name-dropping by first dropping our own ranks and begin a pile next to the crowns.

Let us briefly experience what is like to sing out the words lost in wonder, love, and praise as people truly lost in a crowd of unclassified Christians. And then let us be okay with not trying to shepherd in sheep's clothing. And then, let us sing:


Finish, then, Thy new creation;
Pure and spotless let us be;
Let us see Thy great salvation
Perfectly restored in Thee:
Changed from glory into glory,
Till in heaven we take our place,
Till we cast our crowns before Thee,
Lost in wonder, love, and praise.

Because in the end, we are all entitled to a love divine.