Wed, May 7th - 12:56PM
WORSHIP: In Search of the Real Thing
The most common categories in evangelical churches are congregational singing, prayer, Scripture reading, celebration of the Lord's Table, and baptism. That is a pretty short list for Scripture readings normally are done from the platform and baptisms are not usually a common feature of the worship service. Communion in many places is only observed once or twice per year, perhaps once every two or three months. To expand upon this list we may wish to consider altar offerings in which people write down specific behaviors they want the Lord to change or areas of their lives they want to commit to God's use. At a designated point in the service, they actually bring their pieces of paper up and set them on the altar or platform. Or, time could be provided for people to stand up and share specific Bible passages that have either ministered to them in difficult times or helped them to experience a new closeness with God. Of course, this means that people are actually opening their bibles and reading them during the week.
There is also "horizontal worship" which involves individuals ministering to the hearts and needs of others as well as to the heart of God. The bulk of our corporate worship is directed heavenward, but there must also be linkage of worship and intercessory prayer in Scripture, something that normally is ignored or sorely lacking a space. If we check out Revelation 5:8 we discover that these are primary activities all around the throne of the Lamb. "And when He had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, every one of them having harps, and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of saints." This same connection can also be seen in the prison experience of Paul and Silas in Acts 16:25-26 and at the very beginning of the New Testament church in Acts 2:42. We can also learn from the writings of Justin Martyr that prayers for the body of believers had become a staple of early church worship by A.D. 150. These particular prayers were mostly said between the reading of the Word of God and the celebration of the Lamb's Table.
What could this horizontal aspect of worship offer to us today? Perhaps the time has come for us to really take a close look at what the unchurched people are searching for. A desire for community. A more personal/relationship-oriented experience. Loneliness and sense of isolation are still synonymous with the 21st century lifestyles of Western civilization. Too many people are never asked to talk about their lives, never seriously asked how their day is going, never addressed by their first name, and never experience a caring touch. George Barna has stated, "People will become increasingly lonely and isolated as technology develops, as the movement to have people work from their homes expands, as businesses downsize and more people work on their own or for minicompanies, as fear of crime restructures the nature of people's interactions with others, as communication skills deteriorate, and as families become more fluid and less permanent. Among the effects will be a higher suicide rate among adults, increased physical assaults, a series of short-lived fads geared to facilitate relationships, increased numbers of divorced people remarrying, heightened acceptance of cohabitation, the birth of resentment toward technology and a greater emphasis within churches on building community."
Over laying such predictions is the time honored advice: "Leave people alone. Let them bask in their private bubbles and remain nameless and obscure. Don't ask them to do anything, sign anything, or even say anything!" Perhaps we ought to consider that many unchurched people come to our services just so they can do something, say something, or even sign something. Perhaps they look to us for proof that they are more than a number in a computer file, more than another cog in the industrial machinery, more than just a piece of someone's marketing niche. People are willing to let down their guard when there is genuine love, caring, and personalized ministry involved. Unchurched people are looking for places that care in tangible ways. Let us be honest. It would be difficult to find an individual in America today who does not struggle with some aspect of life. As a Christian, are you able to identify the needs of the people in your congregation? Does your church offer practical solutions to those struggles, delivered through the caring of individuals within the body of believers? One of the best ways to appeal to the unchurched is by demonstrating that the people already within the church are taken care of by the body. That one is huge! We must demonstrate sensitivity to felt needs in practical and tangible ways.
Of course, who wants to risk relationship in an era of epidemic brokenness? People act aloof, scared, uncaring, uninterested, while just waiting for someone to take the first step and risk offending them, break their protective bubble and touch their need. Thus, worship that is interactive, both vertically and horizontally, is biblical worship. It is also worship that impacts people at profound levels. If we really want worship to witness we will fill our services with interactive opportunities. People who come to our services will undoubtedly be blessed. They will feel closer to God and to other people than they may have felt in a very, very, long time. But in today's world, that is a very good thing indeed!
I hope that this has been a blessing to you today! Grace and peace be with you!
~Eric
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Name: E J Rajaniemi
