the final post on "false dangers" - from The Dangerous Act of Worship, by mark labberton
6) worship that's unfamiliar
The unfamiliar spells danger. It might mean reexamining our faith. It might takes us into areas of feeling that can be awkward, or it might disrupt the statis of our community. The unfamiliar might mean having to cope with a more complex reality than we really want. It might cause us to be critical of where we have been and what we have believed or experienced. It is a danger, because it can be alluring, yet it can realign things in ways that that may be painful or disorienting."
"...we often leave our services with what we came for, which sadly and ironically means we have little more than when we arrived."
"...worshiper mostly already know what they want to know - they just want to hear it again. Many don't venture into unexplored or untested territory.
what would be considered "unfamiliar" in our context?
i think we might all agree that our services our pretty familiar. what "unfamiliar" revelations should we be giving consideration?
i'd be interested in hearing about any experience you've had when some "unfamiliar" revelation or event has enabled a unique worship experience...
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Hardware Upgrade Required?
great discussion this morning everyone! thanks for opening up and sharing your hearts!
I am constantly amazed by the human mind and its God-given capacity to not just take in so much information, but then to anaylze it (uniquely per individual, by the way), and sythesize those bytes into some sort of meaning (although for me the last part happens so infrequently). God is so ridiculous - in a good way, of course!
i've been pondering all the thoughts from this morning and i've perused all the blogs on the subject matter that i could find (including our own) and i am slowly coming to the following conclusion (still in process, mind you):
what if the Church needs a hardware upgrade?
take a walk with me here...
the argument has been made that the Church has generally strayed from its mission and purpose - now, not every fragment of the Church, but in many areas and forms - specifically the western or american expression of church. but its said that we've become business minded, consumeristic and too "seeker sensitive" (a friend of mine once said you can even take seeker out of that phrase - we've just become sensitive). we are driven by two things: 1)the need to draw people (believers and non-believers) into the gathering so we can "see" how successful we are, and 2) we believers need the emotional and intellectual high of the sunday morning gathering to "charge our spiritual batteries," so to speak. this creates a hungry monster, such that everything we say, do, and pursue has to support the sunday morning gathering and its growth (numerically, financially, and registering an appropropriate amount of conversions for the effort - mostly signified by raised hands or secret prayers).
think about this. let's say some people decide they want to plant a church (for whatever reason). one of the first things they try to do is secure a space in which to "worship" (ASAP they seek their own land and/or building, etc). then they form the structure of their local expression of church (staff/elders, etc), and seek the best ways to teach people to live the commands of Scripture (i am making a very generous assumption here).
now, i know this is a huge generalization, but for arguments sake, stick with me.
so typically we build a building to support a service on sunday (and maybe even another night or so of the week) for teaching and celebration. then we decide how best to use the building the rest of the week, maybe. it may just sit vacant for the rest of the week. we proceed by hiring a lead pastor, administrator and if the budget (read people in seats of the "church" giving money) allows, we hire additional staff for our unique expression of church, usually to support additional programs, because we feel people "need" them. you name the program - kids ministry, youth ministry, bible studies, counseling, addictions, single mothers, poetry support groups - all very important in their own right - well, most of them...as we become aware of a new need, we begin a new program. before you know it we need additional staff to support the growing number of needs in our community (and church). this is not so much a generalization. pick your favorite church and this is probably where they are.
chew on this:
alan hirsch suggests that one reason apple computers (yeah, yeah, yeah) is so successful is that it views development from three levels - 1) programs/software, 2) operating systems, and 3) hardware. apple is constantly developing at each of these levels, but unlike some lesser companies, it has been extremely innovative at the ground level - hardware. it is constantly looking at how it can improve the machine from the bottom up. all along the way it continues to develop a system that runs efficiently on the new hardware and programs that take advantage of both the hardware and operating system. what can the church learn from this concept. if nothing else, she should consider the possibility that the hardware may be outdated! she should then possibly return to the source (Jesus) and begin to "think differently" - or start with determining what Jesus wants to accomplish through her.
as i see it, Jesus lived out the commands of Scripture from the very beginning. He grabbed some guys "along the way," served and taught them (i am being overly simplistic here for times sake) and sent them out to do the same (make disciples). we've called it the great commission. Jesus interacted with the people He met "along the way" and served and taught them where they were, whether on the road, by a well, in a home, in a synagogue, by the shore...
hirsch says it this way:
our Christology (what we know about Christ) determines our missiology (our call or purpose) which designates our ecclesiology (how we do church). then to complete the circle, our ecclesiology should constantly be re-evaluated in light of our Christology.
makes sense to me...
in what ways does the current hardware of the church help and/or hinder people from living out the mission to which Jesus calls us?
or better yet, shouldn't we first be concerned with what Jesus wants to accomplish, then use that to develop our mission, and only then develop the structure that would best facilitate that?
craig
I am constantly amazed by the human mind and its God-given capacity to not just take in so much information, but then to anaylze it (uniquely per individual, by the way), and sythesize those bytes into some sort of meaning (although for me the last part happens so infrequently). God is so ridiculous - in a good way, of course!
i've been pondering all the thoughts from this morning and i've perused all the blogs on the subject matter that i could find (including our own) and i am slowly coming to the following conclusion (still in process, mind you):
what if the Church needs a hardware upgrade?
take a walk with me here...
the argument has been made that the Church has generally strayed from its mission and purpose - now, not every fragment of the Church, but in many areas and forms - specifically the western or american expression of church. but its said that we've become business minded, consumeristic and too "seeker sensitive" (a friend of mine once said you can even take seeker out of that phrase - we've just become sensitive). we are driven by two things: 1)the need to draw people (believers and non-believers) into the gathering so we can "see" how successful we are, and 2) we believers need the emotional and intellectual high of the sunday morning gathering to "charge our spiritual batteries," so to speak. this creates a hungry monster, such that everything we say, do, and pursue has to support the sunday morning gathering and its growth (numerically, financially, and registering an appropropriate amount of conversions for the effort - mostly signified by raised hands or secret prayers).
think about this. let's say some people decide they want to plant a church (for whatever reason). one of the first things they try to do is secure a space in which to "worship" (ASAP they seek their own land and/or building, etc). then they form the structure of their local expression of church (staff/elders, etc), and seek the best ways to teach people to live the commands of Scripture (i am making a very generous assumption here).
now, i know this is a huge generalization, but for arguments sake, stick with me.
so typically we build a building to support a service on sunday (and maybe even another night or so of the week) for teaching and celebration. then we decide how best to use the building the rest of the week, maybe. it may just sit vacant for the rest of the week. we proceed by hiring a lead pastor, administrator and if the budget (read people in seats of the "church" giving money) allows, we hire additional staff for our unique expression of church, usually to support additional programs, because we feel people "need" them. you name the program - kids ministry, youth ministry, bible studies, counseling, addictions, single mothers, poetry support groups - all very important in their own right - well, most of them...as we become aware of a new need, we begin a new program. before you know it we need additional staff to support the growing number of needs in our community (and church). this is not so much a generalization. pick your favorite church and this is probably where they are.
chew on this:
alan hirsch suggests that one reason apple computers (yeah, yeah, yeah) is so successful is that it views development from three levels - 1) programs/software, 2) operating systems, and 3) hardware. apple is constantly developing at each of these levels, but unlike some lesser companies, it has been extremely innovative at the ground level - hardware. it is constantly looking at how it can improve the machine from the bottom up. all along the way it continues to develop a system that runs efficiently on the new hardware and programs that take advantage of both the hardware and operating system. what can the church learn from this concept. if nothing else, she should consider the possibility that the hardware may be outdated! she should then possibly return to the source (Jesus) and begin to "think differently" - or start with determining what Jesus wants to accomplish through her.
as i see it, Jesus lived out the commands of Scripture from the very beginning. He grabbed some guys "along the way," served and taught them (i am being overly simplistic here for times sake) and sent them out to do the same (make disciples). we've called it the great commission. Jesus interacted with the people He met "along the way" and served and taught them where they were, whether on the road, by a well, in a home, in a synagogue, by the shore...
hirsch says it this way:
our Christology (what we know about Christ) determines our missiology (our call or purpose) which designates our ecclesiology (how we do church). then to complete the circle, our ecclesiology should constantly be re-evaluated in light of our Christology.
makes sense to me...
in what ways does the current hardware of the church help and/or hinder people from living out the mission to which Jesus calls us?
or better yet, shouldn't we first be concerned with what Jesus wants to accomplish, then use that to develop our mission, and only then develop the structure that would best facilitate that?
craig
Friday, February 22, 2008
False Danger Number Five
post five on "false dangers" - from The Dangerous Act of Worship, by mark labberton
5) worship that isn't comfortable
"Traditional churches and seeker churches alike have made an art form of figuring out how to make unchurched people feel comfortable."
hospitality is biblical, but where do we draw the line in our church?
when do we become nothing more than coddlers who do nothing but make the unchurched feel warm and fuzzy!
ok. I am sitting in Dayton, Ohio right now listening to author and theologian alan hirsch. check this out. he gives us this formula that I think fits very well with this danger:
Xty - x = religion
Xty is Christianity. x is Christ and the whole story of His life (including the tough teachings). religion is our general expression of church in America.
his premise is that most churches spend plenty of time on the cross and resurrection of Christ to secure people's salvation, but seldom spend time on the teachings and life of Christ that would cause us to reevaluate and realign our lives to be more like Him.
Jesus, friend of sinners and tax collectors, went where they were, met them where they were, spoke to them where they were, but never compromised His message or shied away from confronting people with their sin. "go and sin no more."
wow! more on this later.
craig
5) worship that isn't comfortable
"Traditional churches and seeker churches alike have made an art form of figuring out how to make unchurched people feel comfortable."
hospitality is biblical, but where do we draw the line in our church?
when do we become nothing more than coddlers who do nothing but make the unchurched feel warm and fuzzy!
ok. I am sitting in Dayton, Ohio right now listening to author and theologian alan hirsch. check this out. he gives us this formula that I think fits very well with this danger:
Xty - x = religion
Xty is Christianity. x is Christ and the whole story of His life (including the tough teachings). religion is our general expression of church in America.
his premise is that most churches spend plenty of time on the cross and resurrection of Christ to secure people's salvation, but seldom spend time on the teachings and life of Christ that would cause us to reevaluate and realign our lives to be more like Him.
Jesus, friend of sinners and tax collectors, went where they were, met them where they were, spoke to them where they were, but never compromised His message or shied away from confronting people with their sin. "go and sin no more."
wow! more on this later.
craig
Thursday, February 21, 2008
False Danger Number Four
post four on "false dangers" - from The Dangerous Act of Worship, by mark labberton
4) worship that isn't popular
"Popular worship services...up the stakes of congregational approval by regularly surpassing expectations and becoming the place with 'the buzz'."
wow! i've been there...i am so glad that "buzz" is not what we have to be about...
i mentioned earlier that people often approach me after a worship event and express how "great" worship was...well, another remark that often confuses me is when people approach me after i've taken a weekend off and say something like, "we missed you last sunday...so and so was good, but we miss it when you aren't up there leading us." how do you deal with that nicely? again, i shrug my stupid shoulders and say, "thanks," but what i want to do is shake them and say, "YOU DON"T GET IT! DO YOU?" i know they mean well, but...AAARGH!
hopefully you all know me well enough by now to know that i mention this not boast, but to point out that i know it's NOT ABOUT ME, YOU, or ANYONE ELSE ON THE TEAM...it's about where each individual worshiper's heart is in relation to God...why do people tend to rely on any one person to "provide" them with a worship experience?
how can we, individually and as a team, be excellent in what we do and not draw attention to ourselves?
how can we avoid leading people toward "needing" any one of us in order for them to "worship?"
what is it going to take from us to help people realize they are responsible for the worship they give?
Several favorite quotes in this short section:
"Jesus' ministry drew large crowds, but that never determined what He said or did."
"Justice is not popular. Mercy is not a hot topic...Yet both absorb the heart of God."
i love Labberton's explanation of Jesus' motivation on page 55:
"What he [Jesus] did drew attention to himself, sometimes for dramatic and spectacular reasons. But the expectations that he fulfilled were the Father's."
4) worship that isn't popular
"Popular worship services...up the stakes of congregational approval by regularly surpassing expectations and becoming the place with 'the buzz'."
wow! i've been there...i am so glad that "buzz" is not what we have to be about...
i mentioned earlier that people often approach me after a worship event and express how "great" worship was...well, another remark that often confuses me is when people approach me after i've taken a weekend off and say something like, "we missed you last sunday...so and so was good, but we miss it when you aren't up there leading us." how do you deal with that nicely? again, i shrug my stupid shoulders and say, "thanks," but what i want to do is shake them and say, "YOU DON"T GET IT! DO YOU?" i know they mean well, but...AAARGH!
hopefully you all know me well enough by now to know that i mention this not boast, but to point out that i know it's NOT ABOUT ME, YOU, or ANYONE ELSE ON THE TEAM...it's about where each individual worshiper's heart is in relation to God...why do people tend to rely on any one person to "provide" them with a worship experience?
how can we, individually and as a team, be excellent in what we do and not draw attention to ourselves?
how can we avoid leading people toward "needing" any one of us in order for them to "worship?"
what is it going to take from us to help people realize they are responsible for the worship they give?
Several favorite quotes in this short section:
"Jesus' ministry drew large crowds, but that never determined what He said or did."
"Justice is not popular. Mercy is not a hot topic...Yet both absorb the heart of God."
i love Labberton's explanation of Jesus' motivation on page 55:
"What he [Jesus] did drew attention to himself, sometimes for dramatic and spectacular reasons. But the expectations that he fulfilled were the Father's."
Monday, February 18, 2008
False Danger Number Three
post three on "false dangers" - from The Dangerous Act of Worship, by mark labberton
3) worship that doesn't meet expectations
it is hard to avoid the fact that every person who walks through the doors of grace gathering (or a house church for that matter) has a unique set of expectations...i have been in too many settings where that fact alone drove everything we did, said, played, showed, etc...
how is this different from demonstrating compassion, hospitality, relevance, etc.?
i have always struggled when people approach me after a service with either 1) "worship was good today?" (i can't say it's happened since my family has been at grace, but what does that really mean?) or 2) giving me some sort of advice either about volume, song selections, musical style, etc. usually, i just say, "thanks," but what i want to say is little too colorful for the blog, here...am i just too cynical and angry?
if you can't tell, this is the danger that gets my blood pumping more than any other! i want to be sensitive the the uniqueness of the individual, but consumeristic, self-interested, entertainment seeking people i don't care to encourage.
how can we engage the congregation, take them where they need to go, and not enable them to latch onto anything with an unhealthy grasp?
other questions to consider:
do you think Jesus really considered every single person's "expectations" when he interacted with them?
where do we, as a team, wrestle in this area?
does grace gathering, or any of us individually, exist to please-people?
almost forgot - my favorite quote from this section:
"Pastors fill their own need to people-please, and they measure the 'unity of Spirit in the bond of peace' (Eph 4:3) with customer satisfaction. This again is an apparent danger, but clearly not one that bothered Jesus."
BOTTOM LINE: what are God's expectations for worship and how can we lead people (after going there ourself first) that direction?
3) worship that doesn't meet expectations
it is hard to avoid the fact that every person who walks through the doors of grace gathering (or a house church for that matter) has a unique set of expectations...i have been in too many settings where that fact alone drove everything we did, said, played, showed, etc...
how is this different from demonstrating compassion, hospitality, relevance, etc.?
i have always struggled when people approach me after a service with either 1) "worship was good today?" (i can't say it's happened since my family has been at grace, but what does that really mean?) or 2) giving me some sort of advice either about volume, song selections, musical style, etc. usually, i just say, "thanks," but what i want to say is little too colorful for the blog, here...am i just too cynical and angry?
if you can't tell, this is the danger that gets my blood pumping more than any other! i want to be sensitive the the uniqueness of the individual, but consumeristic, self-interested, entertainment seeking people i don't care to encourage.
how can we engage the congregation, take them where they need to go, and not enable them to latch onto anything with an unhealthy grasp?
other questions to consider:
do you think Jesus really considered every single person's "expectations" when he interacted with them?
where do we, as a team, wrestle in this area?
does grace gathering, or any of us individually, exist to please-people?
almost forgot - my favorite quote from this section:
"Pastors fill their own need to people-please, and they measure the 'unity of Spirit in the bond of peace' (Eph 4:3) with customer satisfaction. This again is an apparent danger, but clearly not one that bothered Jesus."
BOTTOM LINE: what are God's expectations for worship and how can we lead people (after going there ourself first) that direction?
Pagan Christianity
here's a sidetrack rabbit trail for you...this comes directly from the barna.org website concerning research guru george barna's latest book:
Issues with the Origins of Church Practices
The research parallels the findings of a controversial new book co-authored by researcher George Barna, entitled Pagan Christianity? Exploring the Roots of Our Christian Practices . In that book, Barna and co-author Frank Viola explain the origins of many common routines widely used in conventional churches, ranging from preaching to communion. The early Christians met almost exclusively in homes and had few of the trappings that characterize 21st-century churches and services. Many of the church habits in place today were not apostolic or biblical practices but are vestiges of pagan practices adopted by Christians in the third century or later.
Pagan Christianity? contends that most of today’s church practices have no biblical foundation, and in some cases, hinder people from having a genuine experience with God. With extensive footnotes and documentation, the book shows that the following church practices had little to do with scriptural mandate or apostolic application:
* Church buildings were initially constructed under the Roman emperor Constantine, around 327. The early Christian church met in homes.
* The pulpit was a piece of stagecraft borrowed from Greek culture in which professional speakers delivered monologues in public debates. There is no evidence that Jesus, the apostles, or other leaders in the early Church used a pulpit; it seems to have been introduced into Christian circles in the mid-third century.
* The order of worship originated in the Roman Catholic Mass under the leadership of Pope Gregory in the sixth century.
* Preaching a sermon to an audience was ushered into the church world late in the second century. Sermons were an extension of the activity of the Greek sophists, who had mastered the art of rhetorical oratory.
* There were no pastors, as an official or director of a group of believers, until sometime in the second century. That was eventually furthered by the practice of ordination, which was based upon the prevailing Roman custom of appointing men to public office.
* The biblical approach to "communion" or the "Lord’s Supper," was truncated late in the second century from a full, festive communal meal without clergy officiating to the presently common habit of having a sip of wine and morsel of bread (or juice and a wafer) under the guidance of a recognized clergyman.
Pagan Christianity? also addresses a myriad of other practices, including tax-exempt status for churches, pews, stained glass windows, altar calls, the pastoral prayer, church bulletins, bishops, clergy attire, choirs, tithing, the collection plate, seminary training, infant baptism, the "sinner’s prayer," and funeral processions, among others.
To find out more about Pagan Christianity? , or to order a copy of the book,
click here.
George Barna commented that the objective of the book is not to criticize churches, but to give people the freedom to re-think many modern church practices. "Often, people feel as if their worship and ministry are confined to what is routinely done because those patterns have a biblical basis or mandate," explained the author of more than three dozen books about faith and culture. "But when you research the origins of church practices, and study the practices of the early church, you discover that most of our current church practices have ancient cultural origins, with no biblical basis. As people seek a deeper relationship with God and other believers, the book encourages them to do so with the knowledge that the Bible describes a spiritual experience that relatively few Americans have known - a model that is more organic and in which every person functions as a priest of the living God."
hmmmmmmm...what to do with this information?
Issues with the Origins of Church Practices
The research parallels the findings of a controversial new book co-authored by researcher George Barna, entitled Pagan Christianity? Exploring the Roots of Our Christian Practices . In that book, Barna and co-author Frank Viola explain the origins of many common routines widely used in conventional churches, ranging from preaching to communion. The early Christians met almost exclusively in homes and had few of the trappings that characterize 21st-century churches and services. Many of the church habits in place today were not apostolic or biblical practices but are vestiges of pagan practices adopted by Christians in the third century or later.
Pagan Christianity? contends that most of today’s church practices have no biblical foundation, and in some cases, hinder people from having a genuine experience with God. With extensive footnotes and documentation, the book shows that the following church practices had little to do with scriptural mandate or apostolic application:
* Church buildings were initially constructed under the Roman emperor Constantine, around 327. The early Christian church met in homes.
* The pulpit was a piece of stagecraft borrowed from Greek culture in which professional speakers delivered monologues in public debates. There is no evidence that Jesus, the apostles, or other leaders in the early Church used a pulpit; it seems to have been introduced into Christian circles in the mid-third century.
* The order of worship originated in the Roman Catholic Mass under the leadership of Pope Gregory in the sixth century.
* Preaching a sermon to an audience was ushered into the church world late in the second century. Sermons were an extension of the activity of the Greek sophists, who had mastered the art of rhetorical oratory.
* There were no pastors, as an official or director of a group of believers, until sometime in the second century. That was eventually furthered by the practice of ordination, which was based upon the prevailing Roman custom of appointing men to public office.
* The biblical approach to "communion" or the "Lord’s Supper," was truncated late in the second century from a full, festive communal meal without clergy officiating to the presently common habit of having a sip of wine and morsel of bread (or juice and a wafer) under the guidance of a recognized clergyman.
Pagan Christianity? also addresses a myriad of other practices, including tax-exempt status for churches, pews, stained glass windows, altar calls, the pastoral prayer, church bulletins, bishops, clergy attire, choirs, tithing, the collection plate, seminary training, infant baptism, the "sinner’s prayer," and funeral processions, among others.
To find out more about Pagan Christianity? , or to order a copy of the book,
click here.
George Barna commented that the objective of the book is not to criticize churches, but to give people the freedom to re-think many modern church practices. "Often, people feel as if their worship and ministry are confined to what is routinely done because those patterns have a biblical basis or mandate," explained the author of more than three dozen books about faith and culture. "But when you research the origins of church practices, and study the practices of the early church, you discover that most of our current church practices have ancient cultural origins, with no biblical basis. As people seek a deeper relationship with God and other believers, the book encourages them to do so with the knowledge that the Bible describes a spiritual experience that relatively few Americans have known - a model that is more organic and in which every person functions as a priest of the living God."
hmmmmmmm...what to do with this information?
Thursday, February 14, 2008
False Danger Number Two
post two on "false dangers" - from The Dangerous Act of Worship, by mark labberton
2) worship that doesn't seem relevant
is relevance = contemporary, great sound system, projection screens, imagery, video, etc?
is it wrong to do these things? or is it more in doing them to merely seek relevance?
wasn't Jesus coming to earth as a human the perfect example of relevance?
can we be relevant and impact the culture with Jesus?
and my favorite quote from this section:
"I can find lots of people in this town that are like me. What i need instead is to find some people who are like Jesus."
2) worship that doesn't seem relevant
is relevance = contemporary, great sound system, projection screens, imagery, video, etc?
is it wrong to do these things? or is it more in doing them to merely seek relevance?
wasn't Jesus coming to earth as a human the perfect example of relevance?
can we be relevant and impact the culture with Jesus?
and my favorite quote from this section:
"I can find lots of people in this town that are like me. What i need instead is to find some people who are like Jesus."
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
False Danger Number One
let's look at the first of mark labberton's "false dangers" (from The Dangerous Act of Worship) in planning our worship services...
1) worship that is not under control
do we over-plan the form of our worship?
in what ways do we "orchestrate intimacy without contact?"
how can we plan/prepare in such a way as to enable "worship that opens us to a genuine, transformative encounter with God, who is under no one's control?
and my favorite quote from this section:
"If relinquishing control to God is what truly happens as we gather in worship, then it ought to be producing lives that are being transformed to look like God's life."
1) worship that is not under control
do we over-plan the form of our worship?
in what ways do we "orchestrate intimacy without contact?"
how can we plan/prepare in such a way as to enable "worship that opens us to a genuine, transformative encounter with God, who is under no one's control?
and my favorite quote from this section:
"If relinquishing control to God is what truly happens as we gather in worship, then it ought to be producing lives that are being transformed to look like God's life."
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
The Eyes of a Worship Leader
i've been reading a lot lately...a variety of stuff really - blogs, newspaper, magazine articles, books on a variety of topics, my kids' homework, science fair stuff, cereal boxes, amazon.com, etc...
side note: i just looked back through my history in firefox...i think you can tell so much about what is going on in someone's heart by viewing their history in their web browser...hmmm
today i was just researching what others think about what it means to be a worshipper and how that relates to leading worship in a house church setting...there are many views out there, many of which involve music - yet again...i love music! don't get me wrong. i also believe it is a God-given medium by which worship can take place. music can move our hearts and emotions like no other medium...plus, it's also biblical, so how can your argue with that? but we have pushed music to dangerous heights, such that i really believe most church attenders (or even believers in general) think they cannot worship without musical accompanyment...is that right?
but, isn't transformation necessary in worship? shouldn't worship involve a certain amount of awe?
i read a quote last sunday morning (i have no idea where i read it - sorry if you wrote it) that said
"many are those who know all the words and sing all the notes, and yet never quite learned the song."
the latest article i've been affected by was one that claims that a worshiper sees things through different eyes...worshippers notice things that others don't...worshippers are in awe over the simplest to most complex things in creation, because He created them.
for example, the author writes:
"...you are always looking for the things that magnify and glorify God. You look at somebody’s hair and you contemplate the fact that a strand of hair is a string of proteins, and by some bizarre process, the hair on their head can grow a long way, but fortunately the hair on their arm doesn’t. How does that work exactly? How does that dead protein string know that it’s in your arm instead of in your head? How does it know how long it is, since it’s dead? How does it know when to stop growing? If you pull that strand of hair out, it will grow back to about the same length. How does it know when to stop, when it is dead anyway?"
i love this! and the great thing is anyone can learn to do this - without musical accompanyment! the key is slowing down enough to notice - refocusing in the everyday.
i am a worshipper! how many times have i noticed the moon and wondered how it hangs perfectly in space? the stars and how they could possible exist in their numbers virtually unchanged from my perspective, since i was born? my kids and how amazingly they were put together - even despite having half of my genetic code?
taking this farther, not only can everyone do this, but it is so easy to lead others in worship with this understanding.
with music? ok - let's look at what this song is really saying before we sing it...
no music? ok, here is a painting/photograph/piece of poetry/object in nature/personal experience or story, etc...where can we see/appreciate/experience awe/wonder for God's creativity through this and express our worship to Him?
how about seeing people differently - as those made in His image, those He is working on, in and through...putting yourself in someone else's place for a change and experiencing life through their eyes...we can't do this without humility...
AAAAAAH! there it is again - SEE WHAT I MEAN? it always comes back to this...
how can we truly worship without being completely humble...it's said that "humility isn't thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less!" read that again...
i cannot notice things and express my love for and to God for who He is and what He's done in all these things if i am consumed with me. i must be consumed with Him!
a life lived in worship of Him is amazingly simple, yet so complex...
c
side note: i just looked back through my history in firefox...i think you can tell so much about what is going on in someone's heart by viewing their history in their web browser...hmmm
today i was just researching what others think about what it means to be a worshipper and how that relates to leading worship in a house church setting...there are many views out there, many of which involve music - yet again...i love music! don't get me wrong. i also believe it is a God-given medium by which worship can take place. music can move our hearts and emotions like no other medium...plus, it's also biblical, so how can your argue with that? but we have pushed music to dangerous heights, such that i really believe most church attenders (or even believers in general) think they cannot worship without musical accompanyment...is that right?
but, isn't transformation necessary in worship? shouldn't worship involve a certain amount of awe?
i read a quote last sunday morning (i have no idea where i read it - sorry if you wrote it) that said
"many are those who know all the words and sing all the notes, and yet never quite learned the song."
the latest article i've been affected by was one that claims that a worshiper sees things through different eyes...worshippers notice things that others don't...worshippers are in awe over the simplest to most complex things in creation, because He created them.
for example, the author writes:
"...you are always looking for the things that magnify and glorify God. You look at somebody’s hair and you contemplate the fact that a strand of hair is a string of proteins, and by some bizarre process, the hair on their head can grow a long way, but fortunately the hair on their arm doesn’t. How does that work exactly? How does that dead protein string know that it’s in your arm instead of in your head? How does it know how long it is, since it’s dead? How does it know when to stop growing? If you pull that strand of hair out, it will grow back to about the same length. How does it know when to stop, when it is dead anyway?"
i love this! and the great thing is anyone can learn to do this - without musical accompanyment! the key is slowing down enough to notice - refocusing in the everyday.
i am a worshipper! how many times have i noticed the moon and wondered how it hangs perfectly in space? the stars and how they could possible exist in their numbers virtually unchanged from my perspective, since i was born? my kids and how amazingly they were put together - even despite having half of my genetic code?
taking this farther, not only can everyone do this, but it is so easy to lead others in worship with this understanding.
with music? ok - let's look at what this song is really saying before we sing it...
no music? ok, here is a painting/photograph/piece of poetry/object in nature/personal experience or story, etc...where can we see/appreciate/experience awe/wonder for God's creativity through this and express our worship to Him?
how about seeing people differently - as those made in His image, those He is working on, in and through...putting yourself in someone else's place for a change and experiencing life through their eyes...we can't do this without humility...
AAAAAAH! there it is again - SEE WHAT I MEAN? it always comes back to this...
how can we truly worship without being completely humble...it's said that "humility isn't thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less!" read that again...
i cannot notice things and express my love for and to God for who He is and what He's done in all these things if i am consumed with me. i must be consumed with Him!
a life lived in worship of Him is amazingly simple, yet so complex...
c
Monday, February 11, 2008
A "Dangerous" Worship Service
shadrach, meshach, and abednego!
what a great picture of guys who understood their God. faced with entering a fiery furnace or bowing to a man made statue (which everyone else was bowing to), they chose the lesser of the dangers - the furnace!
after re-reading chapter three, "false dangers," i am convicted that i do not want to fear the fire over the Maker of the fire...thus, to which if any are the "false dangers" do i give an unhealthy amount attention?
am i committed to safety in our worship such that "it allows us to fear or even bow down before the wrong dangers?" what are those dangers? labberton names a few: personal status, satisfaction, power, and happiness. what are others?
are we acting (being self-deceived even) as if it is more about us than about someone else - more about the lesser danger that the greater? iow, in what ways are we making worship in our own image rather than God's?
in the next several days we will look at each of labberton's "false dangers." join me...
craig
what a great picture of guys who understood their God. faced with entering a fiery furnace or bowing to a man made statue (which everyone else was bowing to), they chose the lesser of the dangers - the furnace!
after re-reading chapter three, "false dangers," i am convicted that i do not want to fear the fire over the Maker of the fire...thus, to which if any are the "false dangers" do i give an unhealthy amount attention?
am i committed to safety in our worship such that "it allows us to fear or even bow down before the wrong dangers?" what are those dangers? labberton names a few: personal status, satisfaction, power, and happiness. what are others?
are we acting (being self-deceived even) as if it is more about us than about someone else - more about the lesser danger that the greater? iow, in what ways are we making worship in our own image rather than God's?
in the next several days we will look at each of labberton's "false dangers." join me...
craig
42/366 of 2008 down
almost halfway through the second month of 2008...how am i a better worshiper today than i was on dec 31, 2007?
c
c
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)