Friday, March 27, 2009

Emotion in Worship Revisited

There was a thoughtful comment on the post I made about emotion in worship. Since most readers have already read that post and are unlikely to see subsequent comments, I thought I would post it and my response here. I think the anonymous reader (I don't mind comments being anonymous as long as they are in a good spirit) raises a concern shared by a lot of people.

The comment: You said: "I know it is possible for us to be worshiping with our hearts while being outwardly reserved, but why would we want to?"

For some of us clapping, raising of hands, people shouting out is very disruptive to our worship...and there are times when it appears there is no awe or reverence for the Holy God. If you will watch those who may be worshiping in a more reserved manner, you may see tears...of joy, of remembrance, of thanks. There are many songs that I sing through my tears. There are times a message or prayer brings tears.

People are different, and when the atmosphere resembles a football game, I find worship difficult. Outward expressions may not be worship...they may just mean you've been caught up in a frenzy of emotion.

For people whose personalities fit a more expressive style, I understand, and I guve you that freedom...but, please, allow me to worship in my more reserved way without judging.

My response: In asking the question, I don't mean to sound judgmental. The purpose is to make the point that it is a good thing to express outwardly what we feel inwardly.

Using the example from the comment, aren't tears an outward expression of our heart? ( I listed tears as an example in the original post.) It would be a shame if someone felt that he or she should squelch that expression for some reason. I think that same principle can be carried out to other expressions of emotion as well.

It is possible for people to express joy and other emotions without their hearts being in it. It's also possible for people to sing without their hearts being it, or even to sit and not sing, but their hearts be fully engaged. I want to give people the benefit of the doubt. I don't want to assume someone who is outwardly non-expressive isn't worshiping. I didn't mean to give that impression.

It works the other way too. I shouldn't assume that someone who is outwardly expressive is caught up in a frenzy of emotion. It may very well be that their action is not an absence of reverence and awe, but is prompted by reverence and awe. Reverence does not mean quiet; it means being aware of the presence of God.

Quite a challenge.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

The Breakfast Song

Speaking of worship, this may bring tears to your eyes, but not for the right reason! I wonder if there is an a capella version of this song? Let's hope not.

See how long you can watch it. I only made it to about 4 minutes. Although I have been humming it all day.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Reclaiming Emotion in Worship

I saw a performance by the BYU combined choruses several years ago on PBS and was so moved by it. I'm glad the climax of that performance has recently resurfaced on YouTube. It is an absolutely overpowering rendition of a classic Christian hymn. You will be moved when you watch this.

Pay special attention to a young lady who first appears about 5:15 into the video. It's a shame the resolution of the video is not sufficient for you to clearly make out the tears running down her cheek. Her heartfelt response to what she is singing adds so much to the experience. I want to stand next to her in the heavenly choir!

I actually learned how to imbed a video this week--it's amazing what reading the directions will do--, but I think this one is a little better directly from the YouTube site. Click here to watch it. After you experience the video, you might be interested in some thoughts I have below.

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This past Sunday, as part of a series on worship, I preached on the importance of celebration in our worship assemblies. I think it was just in time. One of our members told me a few weeks ago that her 5 year old granddaughter said to her, "You're church is quiet, Grandma. It's good for old people." Too sad to be funny.

I'm thankful for the blessings we have inherited from past generations of Christians. In so many ways we drink from wells we did not dig. But this is one area where I wish we could go back and start over.

The focus of the sermon was that the celebration of what God has done, especially through Jesus, is at the heart of Christian worship. That's why I'm such a proponent of those outward expressions-tears, smiles, hands lifted, clapping, being on our knees. Worshipers have been physically demonstrative for thousands of years in their adoration of God and how he has worked. What a loss it was for so many churches to feel like expressions of the heart should be squelched.

I know it is possible for us to be worshiping with our hearts while being outwardly reserved, but why would we want to? As I said on Sunday, why would we deprive God of the full expression of our gratitude? It would be like someone showing up at my door to share that I won the $10 million prize, only for me to reservedly thank him as I close the door. I guess it's true that we can't experience that level of sensation every time we worship, but surely we can some of the time.

I'm so thankful that throughout our fellowship as well as among other groups of disciples, people have begun to reclaim what we never should have abandoned. Like David said to someone in 2 Sam. 6 who tried to squelch his joy, "...I will celebrate before the Lord!"

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

A New World

I enjoyed listening to Dvorak's New World Symphony yesterday. One of my favorites, it was written in 1893, during the Czechoslovakian composer's trip to America. It is amazing how the music captures what I perceive as the essence of discovery, especially in view of the American adventure. You can view a video of the 4th movement here. I liked that President Obama chose a movement from this symphony for his inauguration. It is indeed a new world.

Later in the same day, I read a report in USAToday on the American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS). You can read the article here. Based on the finding that 15% of Americans claim no religion, compared to 8% in 1990, it looks like religion is losing ground. It is indeed a new world.

As I read the ARIS report, I wasn't as concerned as you might think. In fact, I see a positive side to what seems to be happening on the religious landscape. I am concerned that fewer people seem to claim Jesus as the way to God, but I wonder if religion, as we know it, doesn't contribute to that problem. I have felt for a long time that religion more often than not gets in the way of people knowing God. That's why I want to be a Christian, not religious.

I see a parrallel between what is happening in our economy and what the ARIS results indicate is happeing spiritually. In a lot of areas of life, sometimes things get so askew, so far off course, that there has to be major changes to get us back where we ought to be. In the case of the economy, there were a lot of bad practices that had to be eliminated. That process is very painful for our entire world, but I am hopeful that we are going to be the better for it in the long run.

I can see how the same thing might be going on spiritually. There are a lot of reasons why a church might fail, but ultimately they are no longer able to connect people with God. If they aren't doing that and are unable to make the changes required to do so, why should they continue to exist? Is such a church not salt that has lost its saltiness?

Perhaps we are seeing something of a process of natural selection. The strong survive, or in this case, maybe it's the relevant that survive, those who are able to successfully live between two worlds, bridging the gap between God and people. Last year I heard Leonard Sweet describe our age in terms of the rebooting of a computer. Perhaps God is shutting down some programs that are hinding the work of his kingdom.

I am curious to see what this new world will look like a couple of generations down the road. I suspect those who say that "church" as we know it is going to be radically different are probably right, although I am confident that the kingdom of God is going to continue to advance.

In the meantime, I'm not wringing my hands much about the changes going on around us. I take it as a wake-up call. I just want to be part of one of those groups of disciples who are pointing people to God. If there are traditions, agendas, methodologies, etc. that are hindering his work, I hope we will change before it is too late.

Monday, March 2, 2009

Traditional Innovation/Innovative Tradition

My son, Jeff, and I went to a University of Texas baseball game over the weekend. (I'm not really a UT fan. I don't dislike them, but my college sports loyalties lie with other schools.) The campus is only 25 minutes from our house and it was a sunny day in the eighties, so we decided to watch them play Penn State on Friday afternoon.

We had a nice time. Texas has a great facility and an excellent team. They're ranked #4 in the Baseball America poll. I think what impressed me most was the precise coordination of their pregame routine. There were balls flying all over the field, but everybody knew where they were supposed to be and when, so no one took a ball off the noggin.

Besides all that, there was something else that impressed me. They, and I think other top level teams, have an interesting blend of tradition and drive. It serves them well.

It's typical of schools to have slogans, mascots, cheers and other practices that have been around so long that they become a part of that school's identity. At UT, one such tradition is the singing of "The Eyes of Texas are Upon You" while everyone raises their right hands with the "Hook 'em Horns" sign.

They sang it twice. The first time was right after the national anthem. (I'm glad it was in that order!) The second time was after the game. We didn't know they would sing it then. We were already on our way out and just kept going. I figured it would give us a jump on traffic. It did feel a little sacrilegious though, kind of like walking out of church during the invitation song.

But I have the impression the goal of the school is not to maintain the tradition; it is to succeed at whatever they do. So they work hard to stay apprised of innovations that will help them. If you visit the training facilities, offices, and video recording rooms of major universities, you will find the latest and best technology. During the off season, their coaches will be exploring how they can do things better. In the case of the UT baseball team, they are not resting on the laurels of six national championships, but are dedicated to winning the next one.

It seems to me that a lot of churches and other organizations have trouble striking that balance. Some of us are prone to living in the past. Although we might not say it out loud, we don't want to do anything that might somehow lessen the value we place on where we have been. We'll sacrifice the future in an attempt to preserve the past. Others of us are continually grasping for the new and exciting. We are so bent on moving forward that we lose out on the strength and wisdom that comes from knowing where we have been.

Not surprisingly, Jesus struck the perfect balance. In his own life, he had the end goal in mind, but he knew who he was and where he had come from. He challenged his followers to see themselves in light of the long history of God's people, but also to be new wineskins. For Jesus, the present was always lived in the context of the past and the future.

I have observed that those churches who appear to be making an impact, whether they be large institutional churches or small house churches, have a pretty good grasp on this. They have roots that run deep in the history of God's people, even if they are new churches, but aren't afraid to send new branches out in areas where there are opportunities for growth. I hope more of us will find that balance.