2x6 Pews

Excerpt from a book I'm reading:

Culture is the anthropologist’s label for the sum of the distinctive characteristics of a people’s way of life. All human behavior occurs within particular cultures, within socially defined contexts. For example, in America, worship occurs in a specific context with distinctive characteristics. A church building, chairs or pews, music, readings from the Bible, a sermon, an offering, and prayers are all part of that context. The social organization of worship includes pastors, musicians, ushers, a seating arrangement by families, and a schedule of activities. If one were to go to Saudi Arabia, the context of worship would differ dramatically. The mosque would have no chairs, musicians, Bible, or sermon. Removing one’s shoes, kneeling, prostration, and prayer would be the primary elements of worship. The sexes are carefully separated, and leaders and learning have only minimal significance. A Moslem entering an American church would not understand what happens there as worship. He may even deny that worship is possible in such a context.
(Ministering Cross-Culturally by Sherwood G. Lingenfelter, 18)

Could you worship in a cinderblock building, where you are packed like a sardine, sitting on a wooden bench, in the heat with no fan, for four hours? Would you be as excited as everyone else is to come to worship their creator and savior? Would you clap? Would you dance? Would you be humbled by their enthusiasm - while you’re wondering when it will be over and what you’re going to have for lunch? I finally figured out that comfort is not in their context of worship. What if I am not comfortable in church, does that change my purpose for being there? What if I can’t understand the music or preaching, does that mean I can’t worship or learn? When will I learn to sacrifice “my context” and worship?