this sunday at CC we will begin our advent journey. i will be kicking of the sermon series with a conversation on what it means to [worship fully]. i'd love your thoughts on a couple of questions and what comes to your mind when you watch this clip.
Here are some of the questions...
* What is worship? How would you define it?
* How do you worship? What does it look like?
* When do you worship?
And below is the video... UPDATE: [please note in showing this video i'm not implying that i think what is says is right or wrong, or that this is what i'm going to teach. i simply want to know what comes to mind when you see it. thanks all]
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and engaging in all of this!
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12 comments:
As I watched this video I realized that I agreed with everything it said but there was a hidden assumption with which I powerfully disagreed.
I agree that any worship requires a focus on the thing being worshiped rather than on the worshiper. And I agree that the intent of the worshiper is more important than the environment of the worship.
What I totally don't like is the idea that music is the primary form of worship. We often give lip service to other artful expressions of worship as if dancing, painting, sculpture, poetry, etc. were all valid alternatives to the traditional church worship setup that includes musical leaders and musical followers.
For me music is a terrible medium for worship. I have a background in music and in directing choirs and, while I enjoyed all that, I never considered it a very good means for connecting with God.
The only authentic worship that I've experience in the last several years has taken the form of quiet, solitary. contemplation and of honest conversations with friends around a bottle of wine. Musical worship has been not only empty but a source of grief.
Each week I find myself wishing I could connect to God in the music (and when there are old songs with lyrics that have stood the test of time it can almost work) but ultimately I'm left in a pew wondering what to do with my frustration. Videos like the one in this post have good intentions but their effect on me is as if they said "suck it up" or "your frustrated because you're not doing it right."
I wish I knew the answer to this. I wish there was a way for everybody to connect at the same time. Nearly each week I hear somebody exclaim how much they've looked forward to or are enjoying the worship. I congratulate them and hope they get more of it but I can't help feeling left out because it makes me feel the opposite way.
So I totally agree with the literal message of the video. But in it's context of musical worship I find it pushy and even a little hurtful.
Great video. It is really speaking
to me...it is not about me, it is about Him.
I put off commenting on this until today, and I just realized that Jack said everything I might say :)
We (Jack and I) have had a lot of conversations about worship and worship music, and we tend to talk in circles. We could use some different input about worship.
I'm always nervous about the "Worship is not about You" sermon. Like Jack, I hear all of those messages as "you haven't been doing it right." Which means I feel guilty for a while, and eventually that guilt turns into anger (see: my blog). It's gotten to the point where, when the conversation turns to worship, I'm afraid of my own cynical and dismissive outbursts.
hey jack and christine, thanks for your words. they are helpful and honest. i'd added an update to the post to be clear about something. i'm not implying that i agree or disagree with this video. i'm simply wanting to know how it hits you. so thank you for sharing with me.
Jan thanks for stopping by. we missed you at thanksgiving. i'm glad you found it helpful to your spirit.
I look forward to hearing what you have to say about this Rich. As you might expect, worship is a topic of much discussion between Chelle and I, though she is obviously more-versed in the subject than myself.
However, I would like to add a few points to what has been said. First, to answer your definitional question, the verb "to worship" implies to me the public and communal declaration of God's "worth." That is, by worshiping God, we declare that we value God and God's interaction in our communal lives more highly than our own self-centered ambitions. Worshiping turns us outward toward one another, as opposed to curving in upon ourselves (homo incurvatus in se: see http://www.amazon.com/Gravity-Sin-Augustine-Luther-Incurvatus/dp/0567031381).
Second, building upon that definition, we should keep in mind that singing is only one way in which we might worship. Our weekly gatherings are actually worship services from start to finish. We have the opportunity to worship God when we greet one another, when we sing together, when we pass the peace (something which has unfortunately devolved into a "meet and greet" time), when we participate in the Eucharist, when we pray together, when we meditate on scripture, when we teach each others' children, when we prepare food and drink that facilitates continued fellowship, etc. Similarly, we have the opportunity to worship God whenever and wherever we gather together. Applying the word 'worship' solely to the time we sing in church seems to be a relatively new phenomenon, and not something you hear in more liturgically-minded denominations.
Third, as implied by the first two points, I believe that worship is primarily a communal act, not an individual one. Yes, of course, one can express the worth of God to God in private, solitary prayer, but this may not be sufficient. Our lives are filled with public rituals in which we declare something before our friends and families that we have previously committed to in private (e.g., baptisms, weddings, or even the public confessions one must do in addiction programs). I think our communal worship is similar activity: we are publicly declaring together what we have already committed to in private. We do this so that when we start to struggle, doubt, and lament (as we will always do), we can bring those feelings into our communal worship (which I agree is often not encouraged at many churches) and be reminded of our previous proclamations and God's continuing interaction in our lives
Lastly, I'm sorry to hear that Jack finds singing to be a terrible medium for worship; singing and playing music together is one of the few times that we can experience the simultaneous unity and particularity that eludes us in visually-dominated, juxtaposed forms of space. In a painting, one spot on the canvas can be one color or another, but not both at the same time; either one covers the other (juxtapose) or the two loose their particularly and mix into something homogenous. In music, multiple voices and notes can coexist in all spots in the room at once without loosing their particularly. These multiple voices can also create something new in their unity, as they relate, resonate, and interpenetrate.
That said, I'm very sympathetic to the ways in which poorly-executed music (or music badly-composed in the first place) can be rather distracting to someone with musical training. I, no doubt, contribute to that poor execution more often than not. When I first came to CC in 1991, fresh out of college with my jazz chops still intact, I too was frustrated by the execution of the music. I was also perplexed why we required our pastor to diligently prepare and deliver his sermon well, but were fine with letting the music just "happen," as if the Spirit couldn't show up if we actually practiced and worked on the ensemble. I quickly realized that the only way I was going to stop being frustrated was to get involved and try to make it better. Chelle and I attempted to do just that for several years before we left for Scotland, and I think things did improve during that time. We were also blessed with a resident composer (Dave Frazier) who wrote a number of lament songs that gave voice to those who were going through hard times.
The topic of music in the church is, of course, fraught with peril, so I'll end with one of Chelle's common refrains: "we sing and play for one another." If, as I claimed above, worship is primarily communal, and if singing is one of the ways in which we worship God when we gather, then we ultimately need to focus on how we can help each other declare God's worth through music. In other words, we do not sing alone. When singing of God's worth seems impossible in your own life, the others around you should sing for you, and help you regain your voice. When you are strong, you should sing for those around you who are not.
I like the video. Good reminder that worship isn't about us, it is about HIM.
Years ago a worship leader at a "song service" (Am I dating myself?) described the service as God being the audience and "us kids" up on stage performing for an audience of one. Too frequently we, and I include myself in this statement, get things backwards. We see with only our physical eyes and look at the "worship leaders" as the ones on the stage and those of us in the pews as the audience.
Some of my best times of worship have been when I've come completely empty and responded out of the truth of God's Spirit being present and my desire to please Him. For me, music has the ability to "bypass" my logical center and allow the words to connect directly with my spirit. (I often find myself tearing up with joy, sadness, determination or grief when I hear certain songs.) It is in those moments that God acts like a proud parent who comes along side and says "Thank-you"... and what more could a child of the Father ask for.
Worship needs to be in the context of community with the focus on God and not each other. I don't buy into the idea of "solitary worship". Matt 18:20 seems pretty cut and dried to me. God doesn't want just one of his kids on that stage... he wants his family.
P.S.: Just saw Dave's comments, and thought about not hitting "Publish" since he said basically the same things much more eloquently than I. On the other hand, thought you might be interested in the thoughts of a "pew sitter" who very much appreciates the ability of worship leaders to facilitate an encounter with God.
Well, I think the problem is that we limit worship to just the music. We don't realize that everything we do in life is an act of worship. Every decision we make and every word that comes out of our mouth can either become an act of worship, or an act of... not-worship. :)
Worship is directed to God.
Service is directed to others.
We need to be careful not to confuse the two, otherwise we risk treating the creation in ways that should be reserved for the Creator.
I'm reacting to both the video and the comments posted thus far. I agree the video was unidimensional in relating worship to the music service. Worship is and should be much broader than this - connecting us to God in whatever act that does that is worship.
So first the video. Music does affect me on an emotional level. Whether that makes me more accessible to God (or vice versa) or just puts me in touch with my emotions (some might even say the two are related) depends on where I'm at in life at that moment. I do have to say, poorly executed music is a distraction for me. And some styles can access my current mood better than others. But again those are emotional responses - not necessarily God connection responses.
I do find my awareness of worship in everyday life tends to be higher when I'm quiet inside. Observing a moment, experiencing grace or grandeur, a touch, etc. Or when my behavior connects with what I think God would want from me - usually towards another (often towards my children these days).
So the video for me is an appropriate reminder about approaching God with and eye toward him, not myself or those around me. And I am extrapolating this to all aspects of life, not simply music services.
As far as the other comments made, thank you all for being open and sharing. Awareness and exposure to the breadth of God's body and people makes our lives fuller and richer.
The together aspect of worship is sometimes a struggle for me too. Not sure if it is because I'm an introvert (MBTI) or because of my selfish nature (not wanting to share myself with others, not trusting others). I acknowledge and agree that "worshiping together" is somewhat of an important redundancy. I just find myself "worshiping by myself amongst others" more often these days. Does that count? ;-\
her is a post from my good friend Pat who sent it via facebook. i just wanted to include it hear for the dialog!
"Good food for thought.
I think that worship is about relatinship with God...true, total transparency. What's funny is that I know God sees and knows everything but for some reason, total transperancy is not something that happens with me unless I am willing....and I am not always willing. So those times when I walk away from church and I think the worship was good, more of what I think happened is that I was there and God broke through something.
Also, lately I have been thiinking that worship is about us being freed up to do what we are created to do....could be singing or writing or something artistic....could be preaching or building or constructing something....could be relationships: fatherhood and motherhood...could be advocacy or medical or scientific...could be leading and/or following...
I think because I am fortunate to be able to say that I am doing what I know I was created for (fro this time), I feel a huge burden to help others get to that in their own lives...becaue for me, that's another place where i feel worship happens.
That's all. Thanks for the question and for the place to comment."
Pat
btw...
i'm loving all of your thoughts, words, honesty, and engagement! it is very helpful!
keep 'em coming all!
My first thought was also that worship isn't only about singing...it is our life calling as Christ followers. Romans 12:1 comes to mind: "...in view of God's mercy, offer your bodies as living sacrifices to God for this is your spiritual act of worship."
Worship is honoring and acknowledging God's worth and rightful place in our lives.
Having said that, for me, worshiping God with music and singing with the body of Christ has been one of ways I most closely connect with God. This involves surrender, celebration, sorrow, joy, etc. Even from the age of 4 or 5, i remember feeling God's presence strongly in worship services through singing. I love to freely lift my hands, bow down, clap, dance or even sit silently in adoration.
The second thing that moves me to worship most fully is standing in front of a beautiful mountain, waterfall or ocean. The majesty of God in nature is incredible!
I felt a little disturbed by the words in the video that said worship isn't about me. While I totally agree that I am not the object of worship or reason for worship, someone has to be engaged in the act of worship for it to occur. Unless, of course, we are talking about rocks crying out in our place.
I also worship God through my work, relationships, thoughts etc.
It has been hard for me to fully worship with the body of Christ at times when I don't feel apart of the body, in fellowship with the community of believers, or if there is a chasm between myself and someone else in the body. We are supposed to be connected, supporting and responding to one another and we feel the difference when we are out of joint.
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