Over the years I can remember hearing people muse about “being born in the wrong time,” and how they long for things as they were (or mostly likely as they imagined them to be.) I’ve never really connected with that line of thinking. I’m definitely a product of my time and place in history, and for what it’s worth, I’m pretty happy with that. For the most part, I enjoy living in an area that’s highly populated and diverse. I like fact that American society has become more accepting and open. I like technology and the ways it’s enriching our live and empowering people to communicate, create, share and connect. And the list goes on. Yes, every one of these things has it’s downsides. Everything does. Things are far from perfect. But I think this is a pretty cool time to be alive overall.
But from those who long for ages past, I think I may note a common thread — and this is one that does resonate for me. The desire for simplicity. When people talk of “the good old days,” that’s usually an aspect of what they’re referring to. It is true that one facet of our modern society is that we have a lot competing for our time and attention. I realize that many of you won’t even finish reading this because you’ll be interrupted by a call, email, txt, status update, Tweet, TV show, etc. Most of those didn’t even exist when we were born. For the most part our modern lives are loud, distracted, and over-crowded. Our attention spans suffer in the process.
Those of us who value a relationship with a God who’s known to speak in a “still small voice” should take note. People in every time have had to make an effort to have a relationship with God. The efforts required change with the times. God’s always knocking, but we have to answer the door. The question today is sometimes, can we hear him knocking over the iPod blasting in our ears? Distraction is an enemy of intimate connection.
I believe this has important ramifications for what worship should be in the church today. There are always voices calling for church services to be culturally relevant. And they should be. But this doesn’t mean they have to be highly produced 55-minute programs wrapped with multimedia, hosted by hip, humorous, and well-styled spokespeople who manage to deliver the whole event with not a second of “dead air.”
Rather than “relevant”, perhaps a better goal would be “refreshing”. Being in relationship with God should be refreshing — “He restores my soul.” I’m inspired to think of a place and time for community worship as an oasis of simplicity. A gathering that derives its relevance not by virtue of its familiarity, but by its contrast. We notice that daytime is beautiful partially because it is not night. We thirst for water when our mouths are dry. In world of distraction, worship should have space.
I attended a service Saturday night at Antioch’s Church on the Rock that explored this interesting ways. In many ways it had familar features — music, speaking, slides, video, drama. But it was a service that was not afraid of silence and space. And in that space, the presence of The Spirit was palpable. It was refreshing. The kind of worship experience that leaves you feeling refreshed, rather than impressed. There was no applaus, though deserved. But there was a sense that reverence filled the air, and that was enough.
When we seek God, shouldn’t we leave room to feel His presence?
But from those who long for ages past, I think I may note a common thread — and this is one that does resonate for me. The desire for simplicity. When people talk of “the good old days,” that’s usually an aspect of what they’re referring to. It is true that one facet of our modern society is that we have a lot competing for our time and attention. I realize that many of you won’t even finish reading this because you’ll be interrupted by a call, email, txt, status update, Tweet, TV show, etc. Most of those didn’t even exist when we were born. For the most part our modern lives are loud, distracted, and over-crowded. Our attention spans suffer in the process.
Those of us who value a relationship with a God who’s known to speak in a “still small voice” should take note. People in every time have had to make an effort to have a relationship with God. The efforts required change with the times. God’s always knocking, but we have to answer the door. The question today is sometimes, can we hear him knocking over the iPod blasting in our ears? Distraction is an enemy of intimate connection.
I believe this has important ramifications for what worship should be in the church today. There are always voices calling for church services to be culturally relevant. And they should be. But this doesn’t mean they have to be highly produced 55-minute programs wrapped with multimedia, hosted by hip, humorous, and well-styled spokespeople who manage to deliver the whole event with not a second of “dead air.”
Rather than “relevant”, perhaps a better goal would be “refreshing”. Being in relationship with God should be refreshing — “He restores my soul.” I’m inspired to think of a place and time for community worship as an oasis of simplicity. A gathering that derives its relevance not by virtue of its familiarity, but by its contrast. We notice that daytime is beautiful partially because it is not night. We thirst for water when our mouths are dry. In world of distraction, worship should have space.
I attended a service Saturday night at Antioch’s Church on the Rock that explored this interesting ways. In many ways it had familar features — music, speaking, slides, video, drama. But it was a service that was not afraid of silence and space. And in that space, the presence of The Spirit was palpable. It was refreshing. The kind of worship experience that leaves you feeling refreshed, rather than impressed. There was no applaus, though deserved. But there was a sense that reverence filled the air, and that was enough.
When we seek God, shouldn’t we leave room to feel His presence?
