Worship: Thoughts…

There has been a lot of conversation going on about worship lately. Jason has been having a good conversation going on over at his blog.

Most of this conversation has been spurred by a comment that we got on the back of connection card that somehow made its way to the stage. We normally don’t read comments at the end of the service. We generally save that time for people who have questions related to the message. The comment said something like “I didn’t come here for a rock concert. I thought we were here for worship.” The person who wrote it probably didn’t intend for the comment to be read from the stage, but it just so happened to get mixed into the questions like comments sometimes do. Jason decided to respond to it. I think Jason’s response was good. (You too can watch the entire service and watch his response on the web in a secret location. The first DC non-staff person to find it will get a free cup of starbucks from me.)

Let me weigh in here a little bit…

I’m the guy who keeps “hazing” up the situation.

I think this is a positive dialogue.

The bottom line is that worship is not a what we get, but it is what we bring… Jason said it best during that off the cuff spirit led rant.

The person who wrote the comment is cool in my book. It is great to ask the question. We just have to remember that we can worship God in whatever the context. I have to remind myself of this when I am in an “acoustic” or “traditional” worship environment. Its not what I get out of it, but it is what I bring. So I have to work to focus on God and bring a heart of worship with me. I face many “distractions” in these environments like church organs and high church elements. In those cases I sacrifice my personal taste while in those experiences.

On the flip side some people need to do that when entering into the Discovery environment.

When it comes to the environment during Discovery’s worship service… well it is similar to a concert venue. However, that is done on purpose. Its not just to be “cool” or “hip”. The real reason we work so hard on our environment is so we can connect with outsiders. Most “non-christians” or “seekers” are used to these elements. Most of the time when they go to see their favorite artist at the RBC Center or Walnut Creek… Its dark, there is haze, the music is loud, the lighting matches the music.

So most normal “outsiders” can hopefully connect and relate with a DC weekend experience. They hopefully feel more comfortable, welcome, enjoy the music, enjoy doughnuts and coffee, and enjoy the message. It is to be hoped that once they are comfortable they will be able to connect with the message and music and hopefully eventually one day enter into a relationship with Christ.

So the question to ask yourself is if you are willing or not to sacrifice personal music taste (and maybe wear earbuds) in order to maintain an environment that an “outsider” can hopefully connect to Christ?

Just remember. We can create a positive environment, but without the holy spirit we can do nothing. So that’s why as a church body we need to be consistently praying for the hearts of those who don’t know Christ.

Oh yea… inviting people who don’t know Christ helps too! The upcoming series “Six Things I Hate About Christians” will be a great opportunity.