The Worship Experience

There's a difference between knowing about God and experiencing God. Much has been said on this subject. Henry Blackaby wrote the book "Experiencing God," which has helped a great many people move from a knowledge of God to something far more intimate. In college I read the book "God Chasers" by Tommy Tenney, in which he talks about the encounter of Moses on the mountain when God told Moses that He was about to pass by and he covered Moses' eyes so that Moses never saw God's face, but he saw his back. Tenney challenges his readers to ask themselves whether they are living where God was some time ago, or if they are staying close behind Him, experiencing that place where God was just at, if that's the closest we can get to being in His very presence.

Lately it's the words of Marcus Borg that have brought this to mind. In his book "Meeting Jesus again for the first time," Borg draws that same contrast by saying that people can move from a second-hand experience of God to a first-hand one; from knowing about God to knowing Him personally.

It's made me think a lot about the worship at our church. Our prayer is always that we may experience God's presence. Tommy Tenney would say that's a gutsy prayer. If we were to really experience God's presence, if we had been there and all our faces were glowing like Moses', we might be a bit more frightened about praying that prayer again. Nevertheless, whether in those words or others, my prayer is that at church, and at any church that worships the Lord, people can, through worship and the Word, move from a second-hand God to a first-had God, from a second-hand week, to a first-hand week, from a second-hand home life to a first-hand home life.
As if you weren't ready to stop reading and move on, I'll brave a few more thoughts.
What about all the things that have to happen for worship to go there. Is it harder to commune with God when you're tired, when you're hungry, when you're hurting, when you're uncomfortable, when you're cold or hot or annoyed because your kid wouldn't stop kicking the back of your seat in the car ride to church?

And that makes me think of the faithful people who do stuff like pass out bulletins, arrange chairs, brew coffee, smile at the front door. What would worship be like if those folks hung up their hat and walked away? If the chairs were awkwardly arranged and you could hardly get comfortable? If there were no seats at all? If no one was there to say good morning? If you couldn't follow along with the message more closely with the notes in the bulletin? If you couldn't see the words of the songs? If you didn't know whether it was your row that was up next for the communion line or the row across the aisle? If there was no coffee for that extra jolt of awareness the caffeine affords?

I just don't think it would be the same. And not just because we're spoiled North Americans who can enjoy all these conveniences and without them we'd cry and kick and scream. No, because in order to communicate with someone, you have to be able to focus on them and they on you. Because your wife knows she can't talk to you if the football game is on or the words will fall on deaf ears. Because if you were too annoyed or uncomfortable, you'd be in no frame of mind to hear God speak to you.

That's why those little things matter; because we can do them, they're not that hard, and they make a monumental difference in our ability to pause in the middle of our busy lives and just listen to Him for a while.

I want to send out Big Kingdom Kudos to those faithful people who make all that happen. It is because of them that the table can be set for me to share a meal with the Teacher. It is because of them I can hang out with my spiritual family and spend some meaningful time together.

Lord, may we do everything we can, everything within our frail power, to create a space and time where people can meet with you and move from second-hand faith, to a first-hand encounter. Amen.