Someone had slipped a church bulletin under the study door. When I spotted it after the morning worship service and saw some notations on it, I assumed that the writer had jotted down an announcement or a date to be included in the newsletter that was to go to press Monday morning. Reading the note scrawled across the ritual, I knew it was meant, not for the newsletter, but for me.

"Garbage!" the note read. "This is garbage and we will not tolerate any more of it."

That note of judgment was not aimed at the service in general, but only part of it. The unidentified writer was neither disagreeing with my interpretation of Scripture, nor any of the content of the sermon, nor even the hymns selected for the service. The note was written across the congregational prayer of confession and certain …