It seems that many of the worship gatherings within the world of emerging churches reinforce dualism. Without meaning to, they seem to say, “When we’re together, we’re worshipping” and “when we’re not, we’re not.”
I can’t help but wonder how often church “worship services” may have the opposite effect of what we hope for. Among other things, we intend to lift up Christ, to praise God, and so on, however, the very act of elevating Christ within the worship gathering can be seen as relegating the Divine to the sidelines of our lives the rest of the week. This is worship (Sunday morning at 11) this is not worship (the rest of life).
Much of our protestant (especially free church, evangelical, charismatic, emerging, etc) corporate worship is created entirely by us in the moment without any deliberate relational connection to those who have come before us or those who will come after; it’s all about us in this moment. Of course we ‘emergent-types’ are swinging back and finding traditions from which we beg , borrow and steal… culturally appropriate? colonize? – virtually striping worship practices of its contextual significance in our endless pursuit of an authentic mystical encounter (or a niche that no one else has found yet).
Our corporate worship tends to be selfish, idiosyncratic and immature. It may be even more damaging than simply reducing worship to music, much of our current corporate worship practice marginalizes our life with Christ rather than assisting participants in their holistic discipleship, toward incarnating the very life of Christ in every moment of every day in every relationship. Our gatherings aren’t the thing (they’re not not the thing), but our gatherings are meant to function more as a dress rehearsal for a life of worship and empire subversion in our everyday moments.
Empty, excessive praise may be as damaging in our relationship with God as it is to all people. I hope you don’t think I’m saying quit worshipping because that is not an option, after all the rocks will cry out if we don’t.
But just because your church bulletin says it’s a worship service doesn’t mean it is, and it certainly doesn’t mean it is healthy.
Corporate worship is different than personal worship. What worship experience can we have communally that cannot be experienced as individuals?
Peace, dwight
