Good, Better, Best

Good, Better, Best

2 Chronicles 5:11-14

I have read many articles on worship that refer to good or better worship that present a tried and true formula of liturgy (liturgy = recipe) that will revitalize congregational worship.  Mix a bowl of well-blended music, add a sprinkling of relevant Scripture, insert the right amount of prayers and flavor with a tasty homily; bake it in a warm worshipful attitude and you can’t miss. Right? Well, maybe. Maybe not.

Before you read further, remember this series of blog entries are for the worshipper in the pew, not worship leaders.

In my pilgrimage of Christian congregational worship, I have come to learn the quality of our worship experience is not so much about our efforts to reach a perfect mix of ingredients as it is about overcoming an affection for our liturgy. As a congregation gathered for worship, we need to step beyond the recipe and worship God outside the limits we set with preferred styles.  Are we married to a tradition that defines us as footloose or straight-laced? Is our focus truly on the presence of God, or are we more concerned with staying between the “lines that bind”?
I believe our challenge in Christian worship is to take good worship and make it better, hoping for the best worship of all.

Good worship is intentional. Good worship involves  ingredients that are consistent with whom we honor.  Hymns, prayers and Scripture unify us and point us in a single direction.  Good worship is when our minds and hearts are remembering  who we are and who God is.  

Better worship is when we move beyond the recipe of good worship. We purposefully or accidentally deviate from our usual path or tradition.  (Maybe you wandered into the contemporary service when you meant to attend the traditional worship service.) Like children, our crayon sometimes strays  outside the lines or a tree might be colored blue instead of green.  I vividly recall when our refrigerator was covered with drawings and cards for Mom and Dad. What appeared as chaotic scribbles were cherished works of art by my wife and me.  Those young expressions of thankfulness were precious in our site. Better worship is more related to effort; not the effort of master craftsmen, but more like a stumbling toddler learning to walk.

The best worship is when the worship plan is exhausted and we recognize the greatest obstacle to the worship of God is prideful liturgy. A congregation worships best when they realize they cannot impress God.  The Scripture in 2 Chronicles 5 tells of one of the most meticulously prepared worship celebrations of all time and yet it broke down. The priests failed to complete their acts of service and what was meant to be a great showing of tribute fell flat. The irony of this narrative is there was no lament for the liturgical faux pas. God’s presence disrupted their worship and there was no regret. For a glorious moment God was so overwhelming they could not stand. 

When we worship, we are not dependent upon an undisturbed path that stays between the lines. Remember, our best efforts are as a scribbled crayon. 

Good worship is better when we hope for the best; a distracting presence of God that moves us beyond our favorite recipe.

the friar

Our Name

Psalm 139:1-6

Our Name 

Making your way in the world today

Takes everything you’ve got.

Take a break from all your worries

Sure would help a lot.

Wouldn’t you like to get away?

 All those nights when you’ve got no lights,

Check is in the mail;

And your little angel hung the cat up by its tail

And your third fiancé didn’t show;

Sometimes you want to go

Where everybody knows your name,

And they’re always glad you came;

You want to be where you can see,

Our troubles are all the same;

You want to be where everybody knows your name.

-          Gary Portnoy

You may recall those verses from the theme song of a popular television show from the early 1980s. The appeal was compelling; we all need a place where we can be unconditionally embraced and called by name.  Portnoy wrote insightful words that are sometimes closely associated with the call of the Church, but the unsettling fact is these words introduced us to a bar named “Cheers”.  It seems odd and uncomfortable for us to associate a dimly lit room of folks sipping brews with a gathering of Christians worshipping God, and yet we must admit we want to be known by name.

I live in a small town and one of my favorite moments of the day is being recognized and remembered at the places I frequent. When my banker, grocer, pharmacist and barber know me by name it allows me to continue my story where I left off last time. I don’t have to start over again with introductions.  “Cheers” was a place where folks were recognized and could start and continue their stories.

Our biographies start with our name. Beyond our given name, the Christian community shares many common names: sinner, forgiven, and loved, to name a few. These names help us communicate our stories. The stories we share have their own twists and turns but the story is common for us all.

Another song also reaches out with great promise.

   “Come, ye sinners poor and needy, weak and wounded, sick and sore.

                            Jesus ready stands to save you, Full of pity, love and pow’r.

                             I will arise and go to Jesus, He will embrace me in His arms;

                             In the arms of my dear Savior, O, there are ten thousand charms"

                                     -          Joseph Hart

A part of our gathered worship should be to tell our stories. We not only praise and worship God in unified chorus, but sometimes go solo, as others listen. These shared moments are not “spotlight moments”, but confessions of failure and success that are courageously and humbly shared.  Once shared, these stories heighten and deepen the congregants chorus of worship.

In contrast to the bar, or any other venue that brings us face to face, the proper posture when we gather for worship is shoulder to shoulder. We should be aware of the crowd but focused upon the Host. Worship happens when we hear our true name and answer. The embrace of God awaits us; the embrace of the One who knows our name and is always glad we came.

the friar