Or maybe it's growing up American. I'm not sure, because I've never grown up anything else. Maybe if I grew up African, South American, Japanese or French I wouldn't have exchanged creativity for efficiency and process.
I used to breathe worship. My last couple years in high school and two in community college prepared the way for three years of undergrad as a Worship Arts major. I knew all the scriptures about worship, fear of the Lord, reverence and awe, music, obedience and so on. I read books about it. I played songs that did it. I was a passionate worshiper.
Growing up changes things.
After years of acquiring skill, I became incredibly proficient at crafting services, designing worship sets, and praying for maximum impact. My education was a great investment; it sharpened my skills in incredible ways. But as it is with many things, especially art, working on technique can sneakily slide you from art to science. Mastering "how" gives you a better "what." But somewhere along the line, you forget "why."
I picked up my first worship book in three years or so, The Worship Architect by Constance Cherry. Hearing her lecture this past Monday confirmed I'm not the only one asking questions about participation in worship. She laid out the typical Sunday service church model, where the leaders perform, the Holy Spirit prompts and the congregation is the audience, which makes worship a commodity subject to likes and dislikes, preferences and so on. The fundamental question became, How do we flip this paradigm?
Growing up changes things.
I wasn't looking at theories and cultural structures 10 years ago when I started all this. I was playing guitar and singing songs, not really sure what I was doing. I had energy and vigor for those tasks; they were new and fresh.
Today, I'm looking at the entire system. The whole thing is set up wrong, or at least not best. It's obviously "working," so I'm not saying let's trash what we have. However, if we think the stereotypical Sunday singing/sermon should be standard, we're missing out, because then "how" to make the best service becomes the focus, and "what" songs, themes and sermons will be explored flows from that.
Somewhere along the line you forget the "why." Why do we gather? What are we even doing here? Is this a pep rally, a support group, a club meeting? Paraphrasing Dr. Cherry, "The church tries to keep up with culture in respect to media and technology, but we'll never keep up. The only thing we have to offer the world is the presence of the risen Christ."
Suddenly, the task transforms. Instead of seeing how I can make the best service, I start with "Why are we gathering?" The answer, to encounter Jesus, directs my next question, "How will we do that?" In the context of Sunday, it's by gathering together. Finally, "What will we do when we're together?" That's a question asked best in each context, knowing the needs and gifts of the community. Can a sermon and music be a part of that? Absolutely. But if those are the focus, and not encountering the risen Jesus, we'll have a great adventure in missing the point.
Growing up changes things.
In a good way.
For more on the "Why, How, What" order, The Golden Circle.
