Over the last few weeks, I've traveled over 3,500 miles, passed through numerous states, visited with gobs of relatives, and visited a few churches. Though my family enjoyed the diversity of our trip, (we did after all spend some time on the farm, ride the trains inChicago, and hang with Uncle Joel) I found myself somewhat bored with the whole church thing.
The churches I attended all shared common characteristics with ours. Though they varied in size and quality, you could tell they all read from the same play book. Again, it differed little from our weekend worship experiences. The boredom I speak of flows not from what I experienced in each of the services but rather from the questions I continue to ask myself about our calling as a church and the questions that create unrest in my soul and personal worship. In other words, the problem is me and not them.
What do I need to bring to my worship experience? What's lacking in my approach?
1. I need to enter worship with a willingness to be transformed through a dialogue with God'sWord, His indwelling Spirit, and the community of believers in the context of my experiences. Engagement in this dialogue does not depend on the music style, the giftedness of the communicator, or the creativeness of the service. These only enhance the quality of the dialogue; they do not create the opportunity for it.
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2. I need to purposely value and seek community. Wherever I am, the experience of community starts with me. It gets expressed through my participation and my vulnerability with the service andmy fellow worshippers. The fact that it may be uncomfortable or different may just be how God is choosing to speak to me. I need to let God out of the box of my experiences.
3. I always need to leave a worship service asking the"service questions." The worship experience isn't about me. It's about Him. As I have engaged in this dialogue in the context of community with its differing voices, what have I learned about declaring God's place in my world? How will I be different this week in my words, actions, and attitudes? How will I have the opportunity to express that difference in my love and service to others?
I know I haven't figured it out. But what I did learn was, even in my self-centered boredom God spoke and challenged me. I pray it will change my worship this week.
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