Real-Deal Worship: Beyond Worship Wars & Rabbit Trails
by Ken Wilson
Those of us in God business call em, "the worship wars." As a pastor-priest-minister-rabbi you don't want to find yourself in a worship war. Often approached by a young pastor in a traditional church setting who wants to introduce a style of worship more likely to attract the young. Groan for what lies ahead: are you ready for worship wars?
(People get attached to their worship forms and you mess with them at your peril.)
Jesus did some teaching on worship designed to move us beyond the worship wars. High noon. He and his homeboys traveling from Judah to Galilee by way of Samaria. Samaritans viewed as worship adulter-ators of Israel. Worship centered on Mt. Gerazim, instead of Mt. Zion. Phony temple, priests, worship--that was the rap on the Samaritans.
Jesus is alone at a well in Samaria while his disciples off at Taco Bell. Samaritan woman approaches; he asks for a drink [could have been interpreted as flirting]
Woman shows appropriate shock then finds herself in a too personal conversation about her marriage history. She's a serial wife with five different men trying out for the full time husband job…why she's alone at the well today, not being popular with other women in town.
The woman realizes that Jesus is a holy man since he knew how many husbands she had been through without her telling him. So she decides to change the subject: John 4: 19-20
We don't do our worshipping on certain mountains, but mountains have played a big role in worship through the ages. Understandable: mountains lift us higher; mountains give us new perspective; mountains get us closer to heaven.
+ God met Moses in a burning bush up on a mountain.
+ Gave him Law, had supper with he and the elders on a mountain.
+ Elijah has his God-encounter (still small voice) on a mountain.
+ Jesus took Peter, James & John up on a mountain…
+ Rob Clark's mountain promise to me
Her question a fair one: whose location for worship, and by extension, whose form of worship--which bells, smells, dress, ritual, is right one?
His answer: Jn. 4: 21-24 Unexpected: He knows the superiority, comparative purity, the biblical precedent behind worship in Jerusalem. But he says, "the mountain doesn't matter anymore."
You can almost hear the bible scholars pulling out their hair. What about worship in our sacred tradition doesn't matter? Have you read the book of Exodus with the instructions for the construction of the temple according to the heavenly pattern? Don't so much as choose your own light fixtures! Haven't you heard about the poor slob who reached out to steady the ark of covenant and struck dead on the spot for one unauthorized touch? What about worship doesn't matter?
When you consider how exacting the OT is on worship forms and formats….When you see how rigidly codified worship forms can become in the church [my first communion story], this is a shocking:
"The mountain and all it represents doesn't matter. What matters is true worshippers who worship Father in Spirit and Truth."
The light shining in Israel is about to be released into theaters everywhere, every nook & cranny of creation and culture til end of the age. Africans, Asians, Europeans, the unknown Americas, tribal peoples, city people, developed nations, undeveloped nations, humanity in every conceivable configuration will be drawn to worship the Father in Spirit and Truth. One mountain can't contain it. One exacting, correct-for-all-time form, doesn't fit new mission.
Heart of the new worship regardless of form imbedded key phrases:
"worshippers the father seeks"--worship doesn't begin in us, but as a desire for us emanating from God…we're drawn into worship….
who "worship the father"--worship shifting into something more personal than ever before, Almighty God, Jehovah is being revealed as abba father, and all of us family before him.
"in spirit and truth"--genuine, real-deal, all of life embracing worship [because spirit, like wind-breath blows thru everything]
"true worshippers," not just "true worship"--worship that transforms us into more authentic humans. [alethinos; genuine; word can be traced to something that means "non-concealment"]
And worship itself, what is instinct that leads to it? Worship is moving beyond the confines of the self to participate in something infinitely bigger than yourself, something you can never hope to fully comprehend and even less, to master.
In 20th Century we worked hard at understanding, accepting, loving, improving the self. Properly so. But eeper instinct within the self to move beyond the self.
Ecstasy: a feeling of intense delight; to stand [stasy] outside of [ex]; to be absorbed in something beyond yourself
Pleasure of work: when you are absorbed in the task, barely aware of yourself and time flies
Pleasure of nature: when you are absorbed in the beauty of the creation, barely if even aware of yourself except as a part of nature.
[Pleasure of art…Comerica Park]
Worship is the instinct within the self to step beyond the self into something greater-higher-deeper more wonderful.
WORSHIP RABBIT TRAILS: neural pathways that don't lead us to becoming true worshippers….paths that have some appeal, tempting, alluring, but ultimately lead us up the wrong mountain.
Rabbit trail of Condemnation: We think it's our duty in church to dredge up all their shortcomings for inspection, as though God expects us to beat ourselves up on the way to worship. Samaritan woman had every reason to beat herself up. But she felt no condemnation from him…condemnation feels so appropriate, but it's a rabbit trail….leads us up the wrong mountain to worship.
Rabbit trail of Conceit: Once we get a taste for worship we may think we "get" worship compared to others who don't. We become worship experts: Those who have mastered what is by definition un-masterable. The feeling we know and do worship better than others leads us up the wrong mountain: disease of conceit.
Rabbit trail of Criticism: We may be perfectionists, trained in art of criticism (usually by being subjected to an overdose of criticism ourselves.) We've never met a sentence or situation we couldn't improve. A perfectionist can go to Yosemite and point out it's flaws: "The waterfalls aren't as full as I expected!"
Always plenty to criticize when church gathers to worship. Room too stuffy. Sound too loud. Words on screen mixed up. Vocalist off pitch. We have team leaders whose job it is to pay attention to those things. But as a worshipper, if we pay attention, we're on a rabbit trail.
Yes, excellence is important. On any given weekend we have 600 person hours devoted to our celebration. I would be insulting your time and God's time if I didn't come with the best I could bring that day. If I hadn't prayed up, studied up. Same for worship team, sound, ushers, CM workers, all who participate in facilitating worship.
But the goal is not perfection. Worship is a human-communal-divine activity. The goal is to be "true" i.e. authentically human together, willing to follow deep human instinct to step beyond the confines of the self toward something beyond ourselves.
Rabbit trail of Cool: Let's face it, we like to think that compared to our father's Oldsmobile, contemporary worship is on the hip side. Hey baby, we serve Fair Trade Starbucks. Our worship director has his own blues band.
But here's the problem: contemporary culture is strongly influenced by something called cool. Goes back to beat era. Allen Ginsburg, Dobbie Gillis, thin black pants, a tight black shirt, sunglasses and cigarette curling smoke into your eyes. It's called "cool" because it's detached. It's all about standing outside of yourself, not to be absorbed into something greater than yourself, but to look at yourself as a detached observer. When you're in cool mode, nothin' is better than catching a glimpse of yourself in the store window.
Worship is about engagement, participation, not detachment…
Rabbit trail of Consumerism: Consumer society ain't all bad. Encourages those who offer goods and services to be more adept at serving customers. [Helped church become more effective…]
But the consumer mentality is toxic when it comes to becoming a true worshipper.
As worship consumers we come into worship with chip on shoulder: this better do something for me, or I'll go somewhere else. Bourne-mouth Vineyard coming up to the pastor saying, "the worship didn't do anything for me today." And the pastor said, "Not to worry--the worship wasn't for you today, it was for God"
When you're new in town you have to shop around for a church that fits. But you must move beyond that. When that consumer mentality leaks into your spirit, it shuts off the worship spigot. What makes worship, worship is this glorious freedom: it's not about you!
Conclude by offering my sense of what weekend celebrations are.
You've probably guessed I don't believe there is one correct biblical pattern for worship as if our task is to not find out what that is and replicate it. The gospel is designed to go into every nook and cranny of creation and culture until the end of the age and so Jesus movement worship will be marked by a staggering diversity of forms.
Whatever we're doing isn't because we think it's the one size fits all form. We're just aiming for what best fits who we are…
"to humbly bear the transforming presence of Jesus into the heart of the Ann Arbor Area through Jesus brand spirituality, community, and works of justice and compassion; to plant churches in SE Mighigan and beyond"
Authentic worship for us is worship that in keeping with this….
Many biblical pictures I have in my mind and heart when I think of what's the flavor and the feel that fits that vision best. But the one that stands out is Matthew's Party. One of those sacred meals in a string of sacred meals running from Melchizedek through the Last Supper, through the Lord's Supper, toward the banquet feast at the great phase change transition yet to come….
Matt. 9: 9-13
It's the presence of Jesus at the party that makes it a kingdom celebration. But it's also the mix of people around Jesus; eager disciples who want to change the world; newbies like Matt; friends who would never darken the door of church; the old guard offended by the mix, but there…why? they're drawn too…
The beauty of Matthew's Party Worship is in the mix. There are churches that say, "On the weekend we're going to target one particular segment. We're going to build up the saints. Or we're going to target the seekers." And that may fit the mission God has for them. But it doesn't fit the mission God has for us.
At Matthew's Part, Jesus wasn't focusing on the disciples and ignoring Matthew's friends. He wasn't focusing on Matthew's friends and ignoring the disciples.
By mixing with them all, he was helping them come to grips with their shared humanity. That's the message of the kingdom: the Son of Man is mixing it up with humanity! He's not forming a Christian club that becomes more and more Christian and less and less human.
He's gathering us….and in the gathering, we're becoming more authentically human….and something truly of heaven is touching earth.