Another lesson

I learned something about myself yesterday. Recently I've been thinking that I needed to start going to early church service. Lately the music in the big service has gotten a little annoying to me. It's too loud, so I started thinking that instead of complaining (like an old lady) I would go to the mellower, acoustic service at 9:00. That service is usually an older crowd, but not everyone is older than I am. Many people just like to go early so that they have more time on Sunday after church to relax and enjoy the day.
Since I was going to a concert last night and wanted to leave fairly early, I went to early church yesterday. Ok, I'm not quite ready for that yet. The music was beautiful, but I really need to worship with a large crowd. I've done my share of being in a small congregation; the reason I drive 23 miles to church is because I enjoy worshipping with 400+.
When I first got into the service yesterday, there might have been thirty people in there. By the time it was over, maybe forty more had come in. The problem was that everyone was scattered out, so I couldn't hear anyone singing. I like to have people around me singing; I don't like to watch the musicians and singers on stage like they are performing. They are leading worship, not performing.
So...what to do?
I'm going back to the second service next week, but I'm taking earplugs. I may buy one of those packages that have several pairs and pass them out to the people around me. Recently I have been concerned about the babies I see in the service. Just because it is Christian music, it doesn't mean that noise level is not dangerous to our hearing.
It's not just the volume; as much as I love the new music, I occasionally like to hear a hymn. I didn't know this until I went to Sharon Warden's funeral and the pianist played a medley of hymns. I sang along in my head with every one. I'm thinking that young Christians in our church won't have those words in their arsenal. The words of those old hymns are embedded in my mind. I can pull up the truths of the songs in the hymnal to my mind anytime I need to.
"He Keeps me Singing" "He Set me Free" "I Shall not be Moved" "When we all get to Heaven" "This World is not my Home" "It Won't Be Very Long" "O How I Love Jesus"
Now, believe me, I love the new praise and worship music. I have CD's with songs that I have added to all of the old songs in my mind, but sometimes I just miss the old stuff.
I really just want the music to be music that leads people to Jesus. Whatever it takes to reach people for Christ is what we need to play. I'm already saved and on my way to heaven; if it takes putting the hymnals away to reach the lost, I'm all for it. I am going to try to preserve my hearing. I have enough hearing loss from my misspent youth; I don't need to do more damage at church.