An overwhelming experience

I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory (Psalm 63:2).

In the 1930s and 40s, going to a movie was a big deal. Theaters were large and elegant. Since there was no TV, movies and stage plays were the only way that you could see a story acted out—but only a movie could give you Hollywood stars or take you to a foreign locale. There was something powerful about seeing a story unfold on a huge screen—a dramatic shot could overwhelm your senses. And going to the movies was a group experience—a great movie could unite everyone seated in the audience. But advancements in technology have really diminished the movie experience. Theaters are no longer large and opulent; instead, they have been subdivided into smaller screening rooms so that several different movies can be shown at the same time. These days, more people watch movies outside the theater—they rent DVDs, download movies into a computer, and stream them to a cell phone.

But not all of these changes are good. Many people, used to having commercial breaks or being able to click a pause button, don’t have the attention span to sit through a movie, a classroom lecture, or a sermon. Because folks are used to watching movies in the privacy of their own homes, many don’t think twice about chatting with others during the show, even if their conversation is distracting to the others seated around them. Small screens and little speakers can’t deliver much in the way of dramatic impact; as a result, many people have learned to watch and listen with some degree of emotional detachment.

All this diminishes how much we enjoy seeing movies. But it also affects how we respond to what happens in church. During the early 1700s, Jonathan Edwards preached a sermon about hell so terrifying that some people in the room actually fainted out of fear. I doubt that any preacher, no matter how gifted, could achieve a similar result today—modern audiences just don’t get emotionally invested like that anymore. It’s a shame, really, because when a preacher talks about God’s wonderful love that is brought to us by Jesus Christ, most people don’t get all that excited about it; they don’t experience the incredible joy and relief that their ancestors did, nor do they feel like they have been united by sharing a very important hour together. I pray that the next time you go to church, the message of Jesus Christ will overwhelm you and everyone around you.