There’s a learned verbal tic I often make use of during Sunday worship that I’d like to cease. When making the announcements, I say, “Before we begin worship, a few announcements.” Or, “before we continue worship, here are a few announcements.”
In saying this, I’m implying the announcements are not worship. But that’s not right.
All it takes is brief consideration to realize the announcements are most definitely worship, intrinsic to it, because in the announcements we remind ourselves as a community how the life of our community extends into the daily.
The announcements link worship to the rest of the week. They tell us, during worship, who we intend to be as a community.
I love announcements. They might even be my favorite part of worship. They’re often unscripted, sometimes awkward, even haphazard. Sometimes they’re quite serious, other times funny. Someone might stand up and make an announcement from the pews that no one can hear. Hopefully the person at the microphone repeats it.
But announcements illustrate the life of the community, and oftentimes highlight the profound way in which the community is, in practice, the hands and feet of Christ in the world.
I also love announcements because they are verbal. I’m reminded of the many council meetings and non-profit board meetings I’ve attended. If you ask the participants if they read all the material sent out prior to the meeting, you’ll be met by a lot of blank and nervous stares, because honestly even when people get the material in print, there is little guarantee they’ve read it, or even if they did read it, that they remember it.
Kind of like some book groups.
A lot of us need to hear it said, have it repeated in person, to truly clue in. That’s why even if you haven’t read a book, if you attend the book group you’ll come away with relatively good knowledge of the book.
The announcements may have been printed in the bulletin or sent in a church e-mail, but there’s something living and breathing about the announcements being spoken during worship.
So for today, I’d like to make the argument that you should attend weekly worship for the announcements. To hear what the community of which you are a part is up to, committing their resources and time toward.
Even if you have some doubts about theological content or wonder about the efficacy of prayer, even if you can’t sing in tune or struggle with the liturgy, you can listen to the announcements. Heck, you can even make an announcement. And if you’re watching via the livestream, you can post an announcement in the chat or e-mail the pastor and ask them to announce something for you.
The announcements are not, as far as I am concerned, just a little extra something the church fits into their Sunday worship. Rather, they are an anchor point for authentic community.
So for this week, go to church for the announcements.
It does help if announcements made from the congregation are repeated especially for those of us that have a hearing problem.
Amen!