This is a question that has been on my mind lately. Our faith teaches us that God is present in our midst, working in our midst, bringing forth new life in our midst. So if our church is struggling, the question I have is, “What are the points at which the work of the spirit is being blocked?” I might have some ideas, but I think it would be much more interesting if all of you shared your ideas. This might after all give us some guidance in terms of what we might need to be working on. So please post your ideas and comments.
What if…?
Ordinary people seeking God's transforming presence
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We're asking the big "What if...?" questions about the Synod of Alberta and the Territories in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. It's more than a conversation, we hope to be part of God's action!
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- Models of Vibrancy
- What If – We Trained Pastors Differently
- New Beginnings and Laughter
- Death, the best invention of life
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What if...? 
I have a million ideas about this, but I will only share one.
Self-worship. I think we have a bad case of self-worship in the church and even worse in society. I have been thinking about this as we consider the ways we are looking to change our worship at St. John.
And there is one glaring example of our self worship that struck me. I won’t pretend to be a fan of contemporary worship. I also won’t pretend that I am not a Liturgy nut. Don’t get me wrong, I play the guitar, have worked at camp, played in praise bands, and after all that, the thing that bothers me is the idea that “I” get to choose “my own” worship preferences.
And this notion is creeping into how we understand liturgy too. The structure and forms of liturgy we use today are 2000 years old or more. They are rooted in the worship of the Jewish community, and their structure is found in the bible and their content is out of the bible. Liturgy is literally the work (not play or entertainment) of the people born out of the community of faith. Liturgy is not about us telling God who God is, but about God telling us who we are.
So when we say, “I like that hymnbook and not that one” or, “I like this hymn not that one”, or “I like guitar music better than organ” or whatever myriad of options we think we have, who are we really worshiping?
The primary symbol of Christ in worship is not the cross, or the stain glass window, or the pastor or church or the individual. Its the Body of Christ gathered to worship, the people. Liturgy is what the Body of Christ for 2000 years has said is the way we worship, and one of the most important ways we know God’s presence in our world. But when we make worship about appeasing personal preference, we are worshiping an entirely different God than the Trinity.
I think I am blocked by worry about what people might think. I wonder what they might think if I swayed to the music or prayed about what was on my mind or shout alleluia during lent.
I suppose I have these worries because I know how judgmental I am.
Just as I would like to dance like no one is watching I would like to get lost in the experience of worship more often.