I went to a Jann Arden concert at the Jubilee several years ago, and honestly, I walked out of it thinking I had just been to a non-religious church service. There was singing, the mood was joyful, the stories were funny and powerful - deeply touching. It was a beautiful experience. I've seen her live a couple times since, and that same sense was never recreated, but I've always had a soft spot for her because of that concert.
One subtle aspect that is often missed regarding church services is the idea that going to church isn't really for my benefit. It isn't a show, we aren't there to be entertained. Instead, it's a place to give worship to God. The focus shouldn't be on ourselves, but on God. And in that giving, we receive.
At the Arden concert, though the focus was obviously on Jann, I left feeling a joy for humanity, a renewed sense of the collective good of all people, and a strengthening of my own desire to be good to others. That is what a good service can do.
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