His Spirit is with us!

We have just been challenged in a foundation lecture. Good Anglicans amongst you will be familiar with the statement and response that follows:

Leader: "The Lord is here"
The People: "His Spirit is with us"

But what happens in your church when that second line comes along Sunday by Sunday? Do you shout it out, as if you mean it, or is it mumbled, as if you're rather embarrassed about it all? Does the rousing shout of the congregation cause the roof timbers to shift, or are the bats able to carry on sleeping undisturbed? Is it in bold, 40 point font? Do You Mean It? Or is it in pale grey ink, 8 point?

Even here at Ridley (where chapel worship is rousing and sometimes thunderous, and responses are usually quite loud) we sheepishly whispered our response on this occasion, and embarrassed ourselves. It doesn't matter that we weren't mid-service and therefore not expecting a bit of standard liturgy to be thrown at us - we weren't convicting. We won't be able to write 'be convicting here' in the margins of our sermon notes.

Leader: "Lift up your hearts"
The People: "We lift them to the Lord, but we'd rather he didn't know about it"


(with thanks to Paul Weston, whose thunder it is that I am stealing)