Worship is a topic of conversation in
most mainline congregations. This is the
case because everyone comes to church on Sunday mornings looking and/or hoping
for something that appeals to them in the worship service. Usually, the conversations focus on the
music, but I have also heard a lot of talk about many aspects of worship, like
how we “do” communion, the liturgy we use (or don’t use) in worship, how the
Prayers of the People is done, how the service is ordered, etc. Some get tears in their eyes when they sing
“The Old Rugged Cross” — others rejoice with a song like God of Wonders (a
contemporary Christian song by Mercy Me). Some like the dignified pace of a
responsive call to worship — others crave an invitation to silence. Some
believe that the most appropriate way to worship is quietly in a pew. Others
feel that they can only worship standing on their feet and clapping. It’s very
interesting to see what people hold on to as non-negotiable in worship. For
some, it’s the style of music or prayers or preaching. For others, it’s about
seeing lay leaders up front or having children and youth involved.
My sense is that making room for each
other during worship is crucial for community. And, this is why the PNC sought a pastor for
First Presbyterian Church who had experience with and passion for different
styles of worship and a pastor who had particular experience with “blended”
worship”, which is a worship service that blends many different styles of
worship into one service. The point is
that we are all worshipping God regardless of the way we worship. Naturally,
it’s hard to get away from bringing our worship preferences into the sanctuary. We all do.
But rather than being picky, I’d like to encourage us to be passionate.
Sally Morgenthaler in her book Worship
Evangelism writes: “Worship is the
most powerful tool for satisfying the hunger of famished, injured souls, for
breaking down spiritual strongholds of pride and unbelief, and for ushering in
the gift of true joy.”
But how can we have meaningful
worship and make room for each other? My theory is that our learning style
gives us a clue to our worship style. Educators have discovered that people
learn in three different ways: audio, visual, and kinesthetic/tactile. Each of
these styles addresses how we receive and give information.
Audio learners have the easiest time
with the way worship has been conducted through the years, because the Church
has mainly focused on hearing the word of God. If you’ve been in a church where
there are no stained glass windows, no banners, no pictures — just white walls
and a cross up front, then you know that the worship style they stress the most
is audio listening. Often audio worshipers will close their eyes to really hear
what is being said.
Visual worshippers appreciate stories
in sermons. It gives them a chance to see what is being said. Many churches
have beautiful stained glass windows and/or colorful banners to help tell the
story of faith.
Kinesthetic/tactile people move in
order to learn. In worship, they will be the ones who enjoy standing while they
sing — they enjoy clapping with the music.
They will lift up their hands in praise. To worship for kinesthetic/
tactile people, is to do so with their whole selves: body, mind and spirit.
I find it helpful to understand how
our learning styles influence our worship. Remembering this has often freed me
from the delusion that worship is about me and my desires. Am I focused on
those around me, or am I focused on growing closer to God?
Deeply immersed in meditation during
a church service, Italian poet Danté failed to kneel at the appropriate moment.
His enemies hurried to the bishop and demanded that Danté be punished for his
sacrilege. Danté defended himself by saying “If those who accuse me had had
their eyes and minds on God, as I had, they too would have failed to notice
events around them, and they most certainly would not have noticed what I was
doing.”
Worship is not about us — it’s always
about God. I’ve often heard people say “Well, I didn’t get anything out of that
service.” But that assumes that we are the audience and God is the performer.
It’s so easy to have this attitude because we go to the movies or to a play or
a concert where it is true that we are the audience. But worship is different.
We are the performers — the worship leaders are the prompters — and God is the audience.
So the question isn’t “Did you get anything out of worship?, the question is:
“Did God get anything out of worship?”
There was once a great pianist who
was giving a concert in a large concert hall. When he finished the concert,
everyone in the place stood up and gave him a standing ovation — except for an
old man in the front row who didn’t stand, even though everyone else was on
their feet cheering. When the pianist walked off the stage, he was crying. His
manager asked him what was wrong and he said, “Didn’t you see the man in the
first row that wasn’t standing and wasn’t applauding?” The manager said, “Sure,
I saw him. But he was the only person who wasn’t standing and cheering. Why
worry about the old man?” Then the pianist said, “But you don’t understand.
That man was the composer of the music I played tonight. He is the only one who
counts. He is the only one who knows what the piece is supposed to sound like.”
In other words, it doesn’t really
matter what style of worship we are using — formal, informal, traditional,
contemporary, or blended — but it does matter where our focus is. Are we
connecting with God and allowing others to connect to God as well?
We are here to get to know God and we
do that through worship. We are here to allow the movement of the Holy Spirit
to grow us, to challenge us, and to open us to experience God at work within us
and around us. But, too often, we come
to worship with the intent of putting God in a nice little box with clear
boundaries. “God, this is what worship
needs to look like for me. Please, no
surprises!” Annie Dillard said this
about worship "Does anyone have the
foggiest idea of what sort of power we so blithely invoke [in worship]? Or, as
I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing
on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a
Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies' straw hats and velvet hats to
church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life
preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews."
Our God is not a safe God. He will sometimes surprise us and cause us to
squirm. But He will always be transforming
us into people who are more and more open to the movement of the Spirit, if we
will allow it. Worship is not a place
where God wants to accommodate our needs.
Rather, worship is where we open ourselves to the power of God in our
lives.
So, when you come to worship on
Sunday morning, instead of being picky, be passionate about meeting God, and be
glad when God is meeting others in worship, as well.
Know you are loved!
Pastor Loril