Beauty of Simplicity

I love visiting new churches.  I think its largely because I have no idea what’s going to happen next.  Two Christmas’ ago, I went to Midnight Mass for the first times and loved it!  I had absolutely no idea what was going on that night, but it was all very intriguing.  Tonight, I went to an Episcopal church for their Ash Wednesday service.  This time I was a little more prepared because I knew about the Book of Common Prayer, and I had “The Rev. Canon Dr. Neal O. Mitchell”, which is quite the title to pack on to a business card, sitting next to me to help guide me through part of the service.  The part of the service that I especially enjoyed was this part where the whole congregation confessed our sins and pleaded with God to forgive us and accept our repentance.  I really enjoy the creative process in worship to develop new musical styles and lyrics that reflect our culture.  But there is something truly in more contemplative service that are stripped of all the glitz and glamor that some churches aspire for today.  Sometimes simplicity is more beautiful.  Sometimes less is more.