By JJT (written for ThinkChristian.net)

Record Store Day persists in a digital age because it reflects our desire for tangible, spiritual experience.

As thousands gather at small, defiant, independent retailers for this year’s Record Store Day (April 21), there will be much more going on than the procuring of limited-edition vinyl and cassettes. For many, Record Store Day has become a treasured holiday, an annual celebration of music and community. While I realize that my Nashville experience of Record Store Day—with live music, food, drinks, and often some kind of Jack White circus experience—might be a bit skewed, it’s hard for me not to notice a sacramental quality to the proceedings.

In The World, The Flesh, and Father Smith, Scottish author Bruce Marshall, via his protagonist, offers the brilliant observation that “the young man who rings the bell at the brothel is unconsciously looking for God.” I think the same could be said of many record collectors scouring the bins. How might the church meet this sort of yearning? To help us work our way toward an answer, here are six ways Record Store Day is like church.

Record Store Day is Inconvenient

Record Store Day is a pain in the butt. If you want to find one of the really rare records, you’d better get in line early. In my neighborhood there are three different stores to choose from, and they all open at 10 a.m. The lines will start forming around daylight. Keep in mind, these are rock and roll people. Many have not seen sunrise on a Saturday since this time last year. But Record Store Day is important. Sure, Amazon is more convenient. Many of the songs we will be buying will be streaming on Spotify for free. But still, we’ll be there, coffee in hand, chatting with strangers about what we hope to find when the doors open.

Church is also a pain in the butt. I’m not just talking about getting somewhere on a Sunday morning. I’m talking about the profound inconvenience of having people complicate your life, ask for your help, and wondering where you are when you’re missing. Being alone, autonomous, and independent might be much more convenient in general, but convenience is a terrible value to live by.

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