Let’s Do This!

Colossians 3:15-16

A few months ago I sent out an invitation for a walking partner.  I needed the exercise and wanted to lose some weight.  Times and schedules were arranged with the respondents and the journey began. Six months later and twenty pounds lighter my walking regimen has been a success.  Looking back, there were lessons learned.

As you might guess, a partner who encourages and provides accountability is an important key to keeping it going. Of the starting group, one stayed with me and got me out of my chair on those days it just wasn’t in me to get up and out.  I don’t know if I would have stayed with it without my walking partner.  There were days when I was the encouraged and days when I was the encourager.  I am sure many of us can recall a time when a coach, teammate, or co-worker stepped alongside and kept us focused and moving forward.

   

It did not take a large leap for this student of worship to draw some parallels between Christian worship and what I learned from my exercise experience.  I believe the most neglected part of our worship is what I call the “encouragement factor”. I believe we fall short of a more complete worship time because we miss our responsibility to one another.  Commonly, in congregational worship, we strive to focus on God but are much less aware of the presence of others.  Ironically, we strive to close out our fellow congregants.  This is sometimes reflected by our seating pattern in worship which reflects an effort to be alone with God. We spread ourselves across an auditorium as though we are carriers of a deadly virus.  I admit there are other cultural forces at work here, because the “spread formation” is not unique to seating patterns in group meetings. What is disappointing is our seating pattern is truly alien to Christian worship. Corporate worship is about God and us, not God and me. Without going into a long explanation, let me add we gather to do what we cannot do alone. We are called to gather for a reason. (See my blog post: Why We Worship Together)

The “encouragement factor” has a dual role in worship. We can either assume the role of one who encourages or the one who is encouraged.  I hope we can all admit there are times we don’t feel like worshipping. Sometimes the liturgy does not include our favorite song or scripture passage. Other times our minds and hearts are other places and we are just going through the motions. We need to be reminded worship is an intentional act involving more than a passing feeling or moment of inspiration. Corporate worship is a team effort that involves an upward focus as we embrace one another.

Our time of worship together is when we renew our relationship with God as a family.  Our homework should already be done (time alone with God). Intentional worship means we don’t wait for the “feeling”, but we reach out and assume the role of either the encourager or the encouraged.  Embracing and sharing with one another cannot be done if we are spread across an auditorium at “safe distances”.  We need to be close enough to hear each other sing and pray. Our mantra should be, “let’s do this!” and turn to God together in unity.

As a good congregant, don’t be the distraction; be the partner that challenges. If you are the tired or discouraged walker (worshipper) who is ready to quit, seek out a partner who will take you by the hand and pray, sing and seek God with you.  Let’s do this!!

the friar

Flash Mobs and Rock Concerts

Flash Mobs and Rock Concerts

Luke 19: 37-40

When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:  “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”  Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”  “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

I am not a social scientist by any stretch, but I am a student of gathered worship and have tried in recent years to help Christian worshippers rediscover the purpose and meaning of what is commonly called the Sunday morning worship service.

In recent years, a new social phenomenon has emerged dubbed the “flash mob”. Nearly everyone has experienced a flash mob, either live or by video. Some of you may have actually participated in one. Webster's New Millennium Dictionary of English defines flash mob as "a group of people who organize and then assemble in a public place, do something bizarre, and disperse”. The bizarre activity varies from acting, dancing, singing or coordinated demonstration that initially appears spontaneous. It is, in fact, a well rehearsed and choreographed few moments that gradually grow from one or two participants to sometimes hundreds of people in a unified message. I have seen flash mobs that carried patriotic or religious themes, as well as simple celebrations of joy.

I believe flash mobs have an unusual element of social magnetism. They draw us into the experience as a concert or theatrical presentation but uniquely take us by surprise because they occur outside the concert hall or theater. For a few moments we experience our world the way we wish it was; a place where we all know the words and have the audacity to share them out loud (a bizarre thought, indeed).  

Those that followed Jesus into Jerusalem before his crucifixion may have appeared as one of our 21^st century flash mobs. Their declarations and praise were absurd and defiant given their political circumstance. They had little reason for joy while living under Roman rule. Yet they broke out in spontaneous chants of praise. It is also important to note that this group experience was not rehearsed. Their uninhibited joy was born out of inner hope for their future. They erupted in a unified, spontaneous response to a long anticipated event; a new day was here and their king was here to bring it! Had they stopped, the first “rock concert” would have begun.

When we worship together, unity can break out if we are individually audacious in our demonstration of joy, lament, hope or thanksgiving. This Sunday, respond to our Saviour as He brings a new day of reconciliation with God. Don’t defer to the rocks!  

the friar

“Why Worship Together?” Part II

Why Worship Together? Part II

Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  – Ephesians 5:19-20

Most often worship falls into four categories, each having its own unique features. There is what I call “lone worship”, which obviously is that time we spend alone with God. It can be characterized by a scheduled reading of the Bible, praying, meditating, singing and listening. It’s just God and one lone worshipper and is customized accordingly. The worshipper is not an intermediary….he is the worshipper; prostrate before God, seeking to maintain a relationship that clearly identifies who is Creator and who is created.

Second, there is “serendipitous worship”. This is an unplanned, un-orchestrated time that springs from the moment. It might be brought on by a miracle, a crisis, or an inspirational word of another (ex. written thought in a book). Serendipitous worship might involve only one, a large group, or all numbers in between. Its main attribute is spontaneity. It is a response to God in a moment when it was not expected.

Third, there is “lifestyle worship”. Lifestyle worship is characterized by ones’ daily habits that are markedly God-oriented. One sees God working in all aspects of life. The lifestyle worshipper lives in an expectancy mode that is watching for what God will do next.

Finally, there is what is commonly called “corporate worship”. Group or corporate worship has unique characteristics setting it apart from lone and serendipitous experiences (see my post, “Why Worship Together?”). Approaching corporate worship in lone or serendipitous mode is akin to trying a “solo” worship experience among a few hundred people; or waiting for God to show up when He is already there waiting for us. 

Corporate worship calls for an interaction between the worshippers as well as interaction with God. Fellow worshippers are part of our mission. They are not obstacles or distractions to our worship, they are an integral part of it. Our embrace of God should include them.

Christian worshippers are not to sprinkle themselves across a large auditorium or strategically maneuver to a select observation point. We are to move close together where our singing, amen’s, prayers, cries and laughter are easily heard. There is an accountability in worship that requires us to be inclusive not reclusive. Just as I placed my young children on my shoulders to assure they saw a passing parade, so we should elevate one another spiritually to see the activity of God. Our responsibility in corporate worship is not to “silo” ourselves into a holy cell, but to reach out, left and right, and hold one another up to see God in all His majesty. This Sunday, bring strong shoulders to worship and lift someone up, or be prepared to be lifted up.

the friar

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

The Personality of Worship

The Personality of Worship
Romans 12:1-5

As a reminder to readers, this blog is exclusively about Christian corporate worship and I make certain assumptions with each post.  I write this blog because I believe many Christians struggle with the collective or corporate experience of worship. There are obstacles to gathered worship that are both outward and inward and our societal emphasis on personal tastes has contributed to these difficulties. My hope is that my posts will help us all to recognize these challenges and overcome them.

When discussing worship, often the dialogue includes what I call the “personality” of worship.  The personality of worship pertains to the “how” of worship rather than the “who” and “why.”  When statements, such as: “I like it when we sing…”, I don’t like the band”, “I like when we all clap together…,” or “I am moved when…,” etc. dominate the conversation, we are focusing on personal preferences. Christians will generally agree on the particular acts of worship such as singing praises and hymns, reading Scripture or praying, but we demonstrate these acts in different ways. For instance, formal or traditional worship with pipe organ accompaniment will sound and appear differently than what is commonly referred to as contemporary worship.

Analyzing the personality of our worship sometimes becomes self-serving and leads to accessorizing our worship to an unrecognizable performance. Consider the analogy in how we clothe ourselves. In an effort to stay “in style” and relevant, we keep buying new outfits and throwing out the worn out styles of yesterday. In worship, our pursuit of relevance sometimes keeps us looking around more than looking upward. The greater need is not to re-outfit our worship but to rediscover how to worship as a community.

For as long as I can recall, people who know me and my father remark how much we are alike. Despite the fact that he was raised in Iowa in the 1930s and I was raised in Florida in the 1960s, my personality is very much like his (which is what one might expect). Within the Christian community it works much the same way. The personality of our worship should develop more out of our experience with God, rather than our experience with our environment. Being born of God means there is a genetic transfer that causes us to resemble our heavenly Father. As His influence grows, our preferences begin to be overshadowed and sacrificially given up as we become new creatures in Christ.

A congregation that is unified within the body of Christ will not find itself focused upon the wardrobe and trappings of worship, but will approach worship sacrificially, putting personal preferences aside. Examine your gathered worship and its focus. What does the personality of your worship reveal about God? Make sure the “how” of your worship is not obscuring the “who” and “why.”

the friar

How Do You Worship a Baby?

Luke 2:8-20

The first worship gathering recorded in the New Testament was the birth of Jesus Christ. Shepherds and wisemen gathered to confirm what they had learned from messengers and Scripture.  Bethlehem must have been astir with news of the birth.

Childbirth remains one of the most awesome events in the human experience. Any parent who has been blessed with the birth of a child will tell you words fall short describing this common yet seemingly miraculous event.  To say it is life-changing understates the addition of a newborn to a home. For parents there is a new center of the universe. Babies require time, attention, and an emotional investment.

I remember the amazing moment each of my children entered the world. I was more spectator than anything else. Oh, yes, I coached my wife and held her hand, but there was an overwhelming feeling that all of us present, including my wife, were there for an event that was going to happen on a timetable we did not control.  As I have learned many years later from my midwife daughter-in-law, babies are caught, not delivered.  

After that all important “catch”, there is a new priority in your life. A baby needs all of you nearly all the time. Emotional and physical bonding begins and what was a womb relationship begins to become a meeting and bonding of hearts and minds.  It is an adventure like no other.

God chose to bring Jesus into the world from the womb and in relatively humble fashion.  Not only did the center of the universe change for Mary and Joseph, but also for the world. A broken relationship between God and man was reestablished and what had been promised, arrived.  

From the very beginning, Jesus was worshipped. Before stories and miracles, believers came to “see”.  It is interesting that in Dr. Luke’s account of the birth he writes, “shepherds were watching their sheep….” and upon hearing the news, went immediately to find the baby. We don’t hear anything more about the sheep.  Only moments before, their sheep were likely the most important thing in their lives. It was their life, their work, their financial security. Yet, they “hurried” to find the baby about whom they had heard and left their sheep. Shepherds and wisemen alike set out to “see” and their hopes found assurance in a new born child. A newborn baby was worshipped.

So how do you worship a baby? First, realize the promise. The shepherds knew the promise. They did not need a lengthy explanation of what God was doing. They were familiar with the promise and hurried to see. Worshipping Jesus as a baby means remembering all the promise He held. We need to worship Him for who He was as a baby, before the miracles and suffering He bore for us. Second, we should worship with abandon. The shepherds’ priorities changed and they were overcome with a curious yearning that brought them to Bethlehem. The worship of God as a baby needs to always be of singular focus that is born of a yearning for hope.  This Christmas, worship a baby by hearing and realizing God’s promise of peace on Earth and by His grace investing yourselves in goodwill toward men.

Have a worshipful Christmas!

the friar

Pep Rallies?

Pep Rallies?

Romans 8:37-39 (NASB)

One of my fondest memories of junior high school were the sports pep rallies. Pep rallies were usually a Friday phenomenon that preceded an athletic contest, i.e. football game. This was something new for this 12 year old. It seemed I had a new identity. I had a mascot, fight song, alma mater and sports team that represented me on the field of sports competition.

Next to the actual sports event, the pep rally was the greatest event of the week. Classes were suspended for this motivational and inspirational event that brought the student body, marching band, team and coaches together for a loud demonstration of school spirit.  

As I see it now, the underlying goals of these pep rallies were to build pride in the school and convince the football team and students that victory was within our grasp. The orchestration of these rallies was well thought out. The fight song blared from the marching band as the entire student body (packed into a reverberating gymnasium) cheered and clapped while the cheerleaders led the football team on to the court waving to their adoring peers. It was quite a rush of excitement. For a few brief moments we were the greatest students, in the greatest school with the greatest team and faculty in the world. After a few short inspirational speeches from team members and head coach, the band struck up the fight song once more, and the students cheered again with even greater frenzy.  Having heard the determined words from the team and coaches we were convinced victory was only hours away.

The pep rally ritual was a beloved tradition throughout my junior and senior high school years. I was fortunate, because most of the time our teams were successful in their campaigns. We hardly ever lost, but we did lose. For me, that first loss was a hard pill to swallow and pep rallies were never the same.  The assurance of victory was replaced with a definite maybe.  I wasn’t a sold out believer any longer, but a skeptic who needed more than a rally to convince me.

Worship is not a pep rally, as some would think.  In worship, jaded thoughts that entertain the possibility of defeat are replaced by a collective ‘holy gasp’ when we remember we participate vicariously in the ultimate victory over death (Romans 6:4) that is light years beyond our reach. The loud and bodacious celebration of a pep rally changes to humble worship when tempered by the realization that we are the most sinful congregation, in the most sinful church, led by the most sinful leaders and yet are draped in forgiveness and mercy. 

There are similarities in the rituals we share as part of gatherings such as pep rallies, but worship is not for convincing, it is for the convinced. Worship is remembering who we are and who He is. In worship we celebrate ultimate adoration for the ultimate adorer.

the friar

Change the Subject

Luke 18:9-14

In my first post, “Why Worship Together”, I wrote about the community aspect of worship. The most neglected part of Christian corporate worship is its communal nature.  We have forgotten how to worship together. Often worshippers are more dedicated to separating themselves across an auditorium than the acts of worship itself. Corporate worship needs an intimacy that is not only vertical, (between us and God) but also horizontal (between worshippers). We avoid one another because we carry that Garden of Eden virus called shame and would rather hide than be truly known.

The lack of community in worship does not go unnoticed by worship leaders. In an attempt to bring congregations closer together, worship leaders will sometimes use “icebreakers” to promote community.  At best, the leader will offer a time for the congregants to share a greeting with one another, sometimes called a “fellowship time”. At worst, something akin to a comedic monologue is offered to relax and engage the worshipper.  

More often, congregations will take matters into their own hands and engage in light conversation prior to a worship time to either meet their need for intimacy or satisfy curiosity. Subjects such as sports, clothing, weather and hairstyles are discussed at varying depths. Unfortunately, we have not shaken free of worldly cares and gained the courage to verbally share our common heritage (adoptees of the Creator of the Universe). We are afraid to get close to one another and share both holy praise and lament. Our pride keeps us strangers at the altar of grace.

The parable in Luke 18:9, contrasts men of different hearts who came to the Temple to speak to God. One stood proudly while the other fearfully cowered at a distance. One gave thanks for his supposed righteous stature while the other asked for mercy. One rejoiced in who he was not, while the other contritely admitted who he was.

This Sunday, engage fellow worshippers in more than small talk and shake loose from the language of the world that keeps us strangers. We need to change the subject.  We need to tell our stories and listen to the stories of others. The horizontal dimension of worship is realized when we recognize that God is the change agent in the stories of our peers. When we look into the eyes of our worship family and see the joy and pain of their stories, worship happens communally.  Remember the men in Luke 18: 9. Is our pride keeping us in separate pews or are we embracing others who are just like us; sinners in transition?

the friar

Climb a Tree

Luke 19:1-5

 A gathering can be chaotic. I’m not talking about a spontaneous riot, protest, or sale at a department store.  An organized, scheduled, and purposeful gathering can have distractions that disrupt its focus and cause us to miss the reason for meeting. A live sporting event with thousands in attendance is a good example of a gathering that has many distractions.  

My dad took me to my first professional baseball game when I was about 12 years old. I had watched baseball on television but had never seen the pros in person. The Minnesota Twins were playing and I wanted to see Hall of Famer, Harmon Killebrew. 

It was a night game and under those lights, the grass seemed greener next to the orange clay of the infield. I could smell the popcorn and hear the venders calling out their wares.  I could hear the crowd around me talking about the game, politics or yelling at the umpire. All the “live” sights and sounds of the event were overwhelming. It was challenging for a 12 year old to stay focused on what was happening on the field. I remember having to work to stay focused, so I could see “Killer” Killebrew’s every move.

Corporate worship also has its distractions. A tongue-in-cheek lament of many pastors is, “Christian ministry would be great, if it weren’t for the people”. So it might be said of worship gatherings. Worship can be messy. “When two or more are gathered, there are distractions” (4 John 1:1). Worshipping alone is simple. Worshipping as a group gets complicated. The gathering can become more an obstacle than an enhancement. I believe we have forgotten how to worship together.

We need to work at worshipping together.  (See my post, Why Worship Together?). Too often we approach worship casually, waiting for a spiritual tap on the shoulder to remind us why we are there. It is little wonder many will leave a worship venue with a consumer critique such as, “I didn’t get anything out of that”. 

Zacchaeus joined a throng that came out to see Jesus. He could have settled for a glimpse or second hand account of the event but instead he, 1) ran out ahead, and 2) climbed a tree, so that he could see Jesus.

We are missing the activity of God in the midst of worship because we settle for the cheap seats when we could run out ahead and climb. This Sunday, work at worship. If  Jesus sees you spiritually perched and watching Him, most likely, He will go home with you.  

 the friar