Devotionals
If you want to make young kids smile today, it’s easy.
Just say to them, “Six, seven.” Their faces will immediately light up, and they’ll repeat the phrase with hand gestures.
Last week, I asked the children in our afterschool tutoring program what “6/7” means. Most shrugged their shoulders, but some wagered a guess.
“It means cool.” “It means dumb.” “It means, ‘I don’t know.’” The truth is that no one quite knows what 6/7 means. It seems to have originated from a song by rapper Skrilla. But even he says he doesn’t know why he said it. Some think it’s a reference to 67th Street in Philadelphia or possibly to a police radio code (10-67), but that’s only speculative.
Other “meanings” have sprouted up. Basketball player LaMelo Ball, who is 6’7” tall, has become associated with it. The hand gestures seem to indicate that it may mean, “So, so” or “Maybe” – kind of like saying, “Either six or seven; it doesn’t really matter.”
In the end, no one knows. And that seems to be the charm. For kids, it’s a nonsensical code. The fact that adults are confused by it adds to the appeal.
So, even though they have no idea what it means, kids just keep repeating it.
Some Christians do the same thing in church. My church, for example, is a “liturgical” church, which means that it follows the traditional order of service that Christians have been using for over 1,000 years. Though “liturgical” worship allows for an incredible amount of variety, certain elements are repeated – the creeds, the Lord’s Prayer, as well as certain liturgical songs.
The danger of liturgical worship is that we can go on autopilot. We can say and sing the words without thinking about them or understanding what they mean.
To be clear – repetition isn’t bad. Let me say that again – repetition isn’t bad.
In fact, liturgical repetition is biblical. The worship of the Old Testament – the way Jesus worshiped in the synagogue and the temple – was liturgical. Liturgical worship helps us to remember and deepen our understanding of the basic truths of the Christian faith.
But spiritual autopilot is dangerous – Jesus warned against “vain repetition” (Matthew 6:7). We can think we are being “spiritual” and serving God without ever learning or growing in our faith.
God calls us to worship with our minds and hearts – not only our mouths.
Understanding the words we say and sing in church deepens faith; mindless recitation becomes empty ritualism. It’s the difference between meaningless noise and meaningful praise. The Apostle Paul said it this way, “I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding” (1 Corinthians 14:15).
So, when you go to church, make every effort to think about what you are saying. If you don’t know what it means or why we say it in church, ask your pastor or priest. Chew on the truths you are saying and singing – read, learn, and inwardly digest them.
Because if we don’t think about or understand what we are saying at church, all we’re really saying is… 6/7.
Pastor Andrew Schroer has been a pastor for over 25 years and is currently serving at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Edna, Texas. You can find his latest books, “364 Days of Thanksgiving” and “364 Days of Devotion,” on Amazon.com.
