What's the fun in having a forum like this if not to stir things up once in awhile?

I got mostly agreement to last week's diatribe against the wasteful expense for excessive flowers in church when there are so many worthier destinations for our funds.

(Mark well the adjective "excessive." Flowers certainly add to our praise of the Creator of beauty, but hundreds of them at holiday-time, destined to be discarded afterwards, represent poor stewardship of God's gifts.)

Several readers, all women, said they agreed wholeheartedly, and plan to redirect their Christmas memorial gifts to more worthy causes.

I heard from Don Jones of Omega Books in Peachtree City, who said the Methodists also mass poinsettias at Christmas time. He suggests that such ostentation may be intended to convince us that we are worshipping correctly.

"I'll never forget walking through the catacombs of Rome," he wrote, "where the only decoration is enough lighting to get by, and realizing that all religion is inside oneself and either it is or it ain't!"

Another was from my arch-conservative friend Mike Mehaffie, who is suspicious of appeals for money to save starving children in impoverished countries. Too often it is diverted to fat cat bureaucrats or corrupt leaders, he says, and he's right to be cautious it happens.

That's why it's important to check out nonprofit humanitarian efforts. Odds are that church-related charities are a safe bet.

Shall we try to stir debate on another subject? Or two? Or three? Why not? But with this apology: I'm really not picking on churches here. Maybe my concerns center more on worship protocol because it matters so much to me. Apply these same questions to most other arenas of life, and I'd have a hard time caring.

What do you think about the following?

Applause during a worship service.

One school of thought has it that a soloist or children's choir is leading the congregation in worship, and to applaud is to degrade their participation to a form of entertainment, a performance. Another view is that applause is an accepted means of thanking musicians or dramatists for a job well done.

One music director chides gently that it would be more appropriate to express appreciation personally after the service, because "applause during worship seems to focus attention on those who offer praise rather than on the One who is being praised."

A dress code for occasions like church, concerts, and funerals that separates those times from sports events or backyard barbecues.

Whoops. Sorry I let my bias show on that one, didn't I? I'm just not of the persuasion that it doesn't matter how people look when they go to church, and that what matters is what's in their hearts.

Of course, that's true. And of course God does not reject the scruffy worshipper. But I reject this just-be-grateful-they're-in-church philosophy.

We dress according to the regard with which we hold an event. I saw a young person attending Grandma's funeral wearing grungy jeans and a T-shirt with a rock star's picture on it. The rest of the family was so glad he was there that they pretended not to notice his dishabille.

Granted, it was about 15 years too late, but that kid badly needed to have his attitude adjusted, not to be fawned over just for showing up.

Christmas carols during Advent.

This one won't mean much to you if your church does not mark the Advent season as some do, but I have friends who would rather hold their breath and pass out than participate in the singing of Silent Night prior to Dec. 24.

Advent means a coming, a time of anticipation, and some believe Christians should abstain from singing Christmas carols until the Christmas season which does not begin the day after Halloween.

These purists will likewise hold off decorating their homes until Christmas Eve. The other bloc, whose boughs of holly have decked the halls since mid-November, will have the last of the glitter vacuumed up before sunset Dec. 25.

I'm somewhat middle-of-the-road about this one, but I do think the Church has conformed too much to the world when we capitulate entirely to the secular calendar.

When "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" bids us approach the manger on Christmas Eve, I'm stirred to the soles of my soul, and when "Gloria in Excelsis Deo" rings out at the midnight hour, I truly feel a part of the angels' chorus. To sing those carols week after week is to diminish their drama when the mystic night arrives.

We don't sing Easter hymns during Lent, nor do we celebrate the Resurrection with dirges. Why not practice anticipation during Advent?

And yet, and yet... Anticipation can be heightened by wreaths in yellow windows, driveways lined with luminaria, the spicy smell of hot cider on a chilly night. Cookies, fruitcake, eggnog too good to put off, they nourish us while we wait.

Perhaps, for some, so do Christmas carols. But not for me.

Let me know what you think: 127 Terrace Tay, Peachtree City 30269, or SallieS@Juno.com

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