THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES ARE FEW

Vanitas is a genre in the visual arts 

These are works designed deliberately to remind one about the fact of their own mortality.

The meaning of the term vanitas is "vanity;" emptiness, or meaninglessness. It is an echo of the mournful cry of King Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes, "Vanity, all is vanity," he laments, and he would be right about his conclusion IF it were not for Jesus Christ and who he claims to be - which is LIFE itself. The good news of Jesus is that he has rescued us from futility, from meaninglessness, from emptiness and from the terminus of death by giving us access to eternal life.

I encourage you to really ponder the meaning of eternal life. It's probably a lot different than you imagine. It is infinitely "other than," and far grander than any mere concept of the immortality of the soul. Eteranl life is huge. In Christ we have a real living-life pulsing with thriving energy, infused with the Spirit that breathed eternity into existence. It overflows with powers that makes the energy of the stars seem trivial by comparison; and it never ever comes to an end - it is not subject to diminishment or decay - and it grows greater and  sweeter and more like its Maker on into the endless ages. 

Check out the song "Come Along," by Titiyo.
It's kind of a get up and get moving song. It's been around for years, but you can still find it on YouTube. It sums up this call to act, this call to live while you still have life.

Here are some selected lyrics to the song:
"Play with it while you have hands
Dust settles, cities turn to sand
Trespassing this is their land
Time flies, make a statement, take a stand

Come along now, come along with me
Come along now, come along and you'll see
What it's like to be free

Come along now, come along with me
And I'll ease your pain
Come along, come along with me
And let's seize this day

Stay out stay clear but stay close
Friends, foes, god only knows
Let's be the thorn on the rose
Time flies, make a statement, strike a pose

Oh, come along with me
Time flies, make a statement, take a stand
Time flies, take your chance

Come along now, come along and you'll see
What it's like to be free
Come along now, come along with me
And I'll ease your pain
Come along, come along with me
And let's seize this day
Oh, come along with me."

In the visual arts, images such as skulls, bones, sheets of music, books, flowers, hour glasses, clocks, over-ripe fruit, half-empty glasses of wine or water, broken objects, decayed buildings; anything that has a beginning and an end, anything with an expiration date, anything that can rot, decay or whither over time; all of these images are part of the long tradition of the vanitas. Artists continually remind us, "You are going to die," and we should thank them because it is probably one of the most important things about which we can be reminded.

I had a brilliant insight at my younger brother's funeral some years ago. In an instant of time I had a moment of complete clarity. I saw all of those around me, all we who had come to honor my brother, as corpses. I comprehended that with the simple addition of time, and nothing else, we all would be as he was at that moment; cold, still and lifeless. The phrase that came into my mind was this, "Show the greatest kindnesses to those around you while you can, for you all are ALREADY dead, the only thing that stands between you and your brother is a thin and fading sliver of time, and it is only the false impression of the solidity of the present moment that keeps you from seeing this clearly."

That may seem morbid, but it is not, it is the truest of all truths. Our demise is a foregone conclusion and the only things that matter are the things that cannot be quantified by a bank account, fame, or power; what really matters most is how we treat each other while we have the time. So, do good to those around you while you still have the power to do so. Love while you can. Help others while you can. Forgive others while you can. Be reconciled with those to whom you are estranged while you can; for death will swoop down on you one day with inexorable finality and there will never be another opportunity to mend what could have been healed . . . if you had only humbled yourself just a little - for a moment - if only you had been conscious of the shortness of your days, if only you had taken seriously the fact and finality of your mortality. 

St. James advises us in this way, "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit' — yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil." JAMES 4:13-16 - English Standard Version

Whatever it is that you know in your heart must be repented of, acted upon, sought out, healed, or blessed, do it right now, today, do not wait another moment. Do it speedily, sincerely and with all your strength - for the days of your life are few and you will not be given another chance. Act immediately, act decisively, because time is slipping through your fingers even now.

The Psalmist, in Psalm 39 summed it up well when he prays:

4 "O LORD, make me know my end

and what is the measure of my days;
let me know how fleeting I am!
5 Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,
and my lifetime is as nothing before you.
Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!
Selah

If you don't yet have the inner assurance of knowing all is right between you and God, then call on the name of Jesus today, and place your complete trust in him. He not only will give you hope and strength to live, and to live well, but he will be your source to a life that is not subject to the confines of your fleeting existence.

THE DANCE OF THE THREE GRACES

The idea of grace comes to us from the ancient Greeks, it is not exclusively a Christian concept. Grace is a concept that has gone through both evolution and transformation. It is one of the greatest and best ideas in the world, and it finds its ultimate flowering in the Christian teaching about grace; how so?

In Greek mythology we find grace typified by the figures of The Three Graces. They are not only classical, they are also archetypical. The notion of grace goes through an evolution as well. It would be a good study just to search this out. Perhaps this post will inspire you to look a bit deeper into the etymology of this wonderful word.

In very early Greek mythology, there were only two female graces, but a third was added as mythology evolved. The development of mythological stories is very helpful in a number of ways, mostly because it is through the myths of a culture that we find ourselves directed toward universal truths and values that guide our attitudes and actions in the beneficial ways. Myths teach us how to live.

Christians seem to forget, at times, that very great civilizations existed and functioned well for thousands of years before Jesus walked the earth. This is a testimony, as several Apostles point out, to the good things God built into human beings. Human kind is the offspring of the Divine, and for this reason, human culture has cohesion. All human culture has certain components that promote the survival of society. One of those good things is the consciousness of the value of morality, justice and goodness. These are hardwired into every culture. The Three Graces echo this phenomenon.

What do the Three Graces represent?
There are numerous explanations and descriptions. Various writers represent them differently. This is not meant to confuse us, it is a good thing. Just as some would describe a blazing sunrise as beautiful, others might describe it as majestic, or inspiring, or exhilarating. These descriptors serve to expand our understanding because no single adjective can encompass the whole experience of such an event. The same is true about The Three Graces. They represent a larger story.

I suppose, if one could distill all the statements about the graces into three terms that could sum them up, one might end up with something like my description: UNRIVALED BEAUTY / PUREST VIRTUE / OVERWHELMING JOY. This is pretty good stuff.

Who could be against such wonderful attributes, regardless what culture they come from? In every case, these qualities resonate in the human psyche as "good" things. That is why they are called "graces," they are good. This reminds me of what the Apostle Paul said about the Fruit of the Spirit (not unlike the three graces), "who would make laws against such things?" Of course, no one.

In antiquity the graces were portrayed in the nude
. . . or wearing transparent clothing. They were depicted as either standing together, or dancing. They are sometimes holding or exchanging golden orbs from hand to hand, they are sometimes shown with sober expressions and other times exuberant with jubilant laughter, as in Jean Baptiste Carpeaux's sculptural rendition of 1874. All of these depictions feature vital and revealing aspects of their pure characters. The graces are not merely naive or innocent, they are pure, unblemished and unjaded by any form of carnal corruption. Regarded as the children of the gods, The Three Graces were never reported as being involved in any form of violence or in any of the naughty sexual intrigues of which the gods themselves were so frequently guilty. This is unusual in Greek mythology. The graces alone remain unreprovable.

In Botticelli's depiction of The Three Graces (in his painting, La Primavera, shown above), he represents them wearing transparent clothing rather than nude, as say, we see in Rubens' portrayal of the same graces – but, why are the graces shown either nude or as wearing transparent gowns?

The transparent garments (as well as nudity) indicate something very high about them. These are not merely sexy women having a party, in fact, they are not supposed to represent sexiness at all. Quite the contrary. They are intended to inspire in us the highest desires for goodness and purity. Our vision of their lovely forms show us that the graces are without pretense, they wear no mask, they are guilty of no falsehood, they are guilty of no deception. What you see is what they are in fact. They are as genuine as light itself; authentic, and without guile or fraud; pure, as they say, as the new driven snow.

What do the golden orbs represent?
The orbs represent their gifts - I mean, what they are, what they offer us. They also represent to us the entire necessity of giving, receiving and returning the grace that's been bestowed on us. What graces have you received? Think about it. We all have received "grace upon grace" as we shall see later.

Sometimes people say that grace is free, but this is not so. Grace is always "freely given" but it is not free, that is, it is not without responsibility. The reception of grace, rather, demands greater accountability, not less. The gifts of The Graces require something more of us than what was required before its reception. What is required? . . . to do as they do, to be as they are, to imitate them in our own lives by giving grace to others after we have humbly received the graces given. In the gospels Jesus revealed to us that the only real sin is the sin of refusing the grace being offered, for without grace, there is no hope of formation or transformation, and without these there is no hope of salvation. Nothing is more terrifying than to be left alone, with no hope of improvement. But grace forms and transforms. No matter how darkened may be the soul of the one receiving grace, God's radiant beauty, his virtue and his joy will heal and transform it and fill it with light.

The giving of The Three Graces teaches us at least three things:

1) Given – generosity – A gracious person is compelled by love to be generous 2) Received – humility – A gracious person is humble enough to receive with thanks 3) Given back – reciprocation – A gracious person includes others in their blessings

Why are they depicted as dancing?
. . . because this giving and receiving is the GREAT DANCE OF GRACE. They are exhilarated by their giving and receiving, and giving again, and they invite us into this magnificent eternal dance. It is as if they say, "DANCE WITH US!" If we do, we are transformed. If we do not join the dance, the graces reveal us as unworthy, we are the losers, but the graces dance on, bestowing benefit and wealth to all who will receive them. Our failure or refusal to join the dance of grace shows us to be either in the darkness of ignorance, or the possessors of an evil selfish heart. I have heard people say, "I feel no need to accept grace. I am happy as I am." This is the voice of a darkened mind, and yet these are the very people to whom grace seeks to bestow their sweetest gifts. Once received, their blessings illumine and alter the course of those lives forever.

This is a brilliant subject, however, one thing is lacking in the Greek and Roman descriptions of the three graces, wonderful as they are. What is missing? Truth.

The Apostle John's introduction of Jesus is so revealing
The absolutely wonderful thing he reveals about Jesus is that Christ is FULL OF GRACE , and that through Jesus the world has now, at long last been treated to a pure vision of grace in the actual incarnation of beauty, virtue and joy -- but he adds the element of truth. He addresses what the Greeks left out. John says that, through Jesus, God demonstrated both grace and truth. In Christ, grace and truth have found a dwelling place, a home, a pedestal of display, and a location in which all may engage the dance of grace. Consider what John says in these verses.

John 1:14, 16-18 – ESV
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 16 And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Thank God that he revealed his Law to us through Moses!
This is a great gift to us, for we never need to guess about what pleases him. He tells us plainly in the Torah. The Torah contains not only the Jewish religious ordinances, but it includes the heart of the Christian scriptures as well. But this is only one side of the coin, there was more to come - just as was promised in the Law itself . What was promised, God promised that the Messiah would bring us special things, and that is exactly what Jesus brings to us.

In Jesus we find not merely another iteration of the Law, though that is there in the Sermon on the Mount, but Jesus provides something the Law could not - not because there was anything wrong with the Law, or that there was anything unworthy about what Moses did, but because the Law was the shadow being cast by the one who was coming into the world. Jesus was the substance who would bring us what the Law could not; the grace to live a life pleasing to God - the ability to become what God desires us to be.

When John says of Jesus that he brought to us GRACE & TRUTH he means that Jesus brings us God's gifts of ability, virtue, mercy, power, goodness, and all the rest that is revealed of God's grace in the New Testament. This comes to us through Jesus alone and it comes straight to us from God's own fullness, from Christ's fullness of grace. He possesses all grace, not merely one attribute of grace but grace that is full, complete, overflowing and beyond all you could ever imagine or ask for. Peter speaks of it as the multi-faceted grace of God. It has many aspects to it, not just unmerited favor, but endless and nuanced shades of endowment. God does not just attribute grace to us in some legal sense, he infuses us with the riches of his gracious endowments. Its forms are endless.

The grace of Jesus does not evolve, as do the descriptions of attributes of our figures in the Greek myths, his is complete from beginning to end. As the last verse in that classic hymn, "Jesus Lover of My Soul," by Charles Wesley affirms, Plenteous grace with Thee is found, Grace to cover all my sin; Let the healing streams abound; Make and keep me pure within. Thou of life the fountain art, Freely let me take of Thee; Spring Thou up within my heart; Rise to all eternity.

Many different kinds of tales were told of mythological figures
. . . this was convenient for the tellers, for they could manipulate the meanings of the myths to suit their purposes because the myths are just that, myths, and though they might at times point to wonderful truths, they are not the truth itself. But in Christ, his grace is coupled with the fact that he himself is also the truth. The truth incarnated in him does not change and cannot be manipulated by crafty people who would use Christ to serve their own designs, no matter how vigorously they try. In the end the TRUTH itself will be known, for the truth that remains is not a set of propositional statements about facts or ideas, but it is a MAN; a real live human being who is the absolute embodiment of grace and truth.

It is not too much to say that Jesus IS GRACE & TRUTH
We can claim nothing of ourselves, but point only to the unrivaled beauty, purest virtue and overwhelming joy that Jesus himself is. He doesn't just give us grace as a thing, he gives us grace as himself. This is what he calls all people to partake of - to partake of himself, not religion, not good works, not morality, not self-sacrifice, not social action devoid of his love. Our participation in this grace is complete when we enter the dance by receiving in humility the gift of God, Jesus, and in gratitude extending God's grace to others.

How do we extend the grace of God to others?
We do this by giving freely to others that which has been given freely to us in Christ, which is everything in our lives. The joy of God's grace remains ours only so long as we enter that dance with Christ and give the grace of God away. Grace is freely-given, but it is not free. Grace requires that we include others, that we keep receiving and giving away the gift of grace again and again and again. This is a cyclical dance. To gobble up the grace of God for our own enjoyment alone, rather than feasting on it in humility for the sake of all those involved in the dance of grace, severs the process of grace in our lives and creates a stagnant stinking pool of putrid religion in our heart that can do nothing but poison both us and those with whom we come in contact. It interrupts the flow of grace and what once was living grace becomes to us only a memory and a fading shadow. Rather than transforming us into the likeness of Christ, it reveals us as unworthy of the grace that was given. We must keep that channel open and let God's grace keep flowing outward. That is the only way healing can come to this poor sick world.

Finally
We really do need to see ourselves as the offspring of grace, because he who is grace and truth brought us into newness of life through our humble reception of himself.

As we dance the dance of grace with him, we become beautiful through our participation. We become virtuous as he extends his life into ours. We experience overwhelming joy in the midst of our transparency as believers in Jesus. As a result the whole world is transformed by grace and truth. This is NOT about doing religious stuff. This is about an existential dance with the grace of God. If you do not know what that means find someone who has experienced the grace of God through Jesus, and ask them to pray with you, to instruct you, to walk with you until you too come to know the grace of God in truth.

If you understand what's being said in this blog post, know that your calling to participate with Jesus in the grace of God (especially as he extend grace to others through you) is the truest happiness and the highest calling in life.

The next time you think about The Three Graces, remember how wonderful an idea grace is, but even more so, remind yourself that there is infinitely more to be known about the "manifold grace of God" through Jesus.

This week, intentionally invite others into this amazing dance of grace; invite someone you care about into a life of grace and truth, in Jesus. This can begin with something simple like inviting someone to coffee and reaching out to them through beauty, virtue and joy.
________________________________________

Final considerations:
Being intentional about extending grace to others changes and benefits YOU in the following ways:
It causes one to pray & act for others rather than being diminished through one's own selfishness

It inspires you to turn from your own ways and seek God on behalf of others.
It provokes a gracious inspection of one's own life with a view to one's improvement.
It prompts one to be free from the sins that cause obstacles that hinder others.
It makes one live for things greater than one's self.
It builds healthy relationships, community and friendships
It encourages one to incline their ear to the gracious voice of the God of all grace.
It promotes the liberality of God's Kingdom rather than grasping self-interest
It demonstrates grateful acknowledgement of the manifold graces one has received.
It glorifies God (i.e. shows the reality of God's existence).
It displays God's Character and Beauty through one's actions.
It produces joy in your inner being, and fuels the grace that is yet to come from your life.
It transforms one into Christ-likeness.
It rejoices the heart of God.

WHAT DO YOU SEE?

FEAR NOT!, is one of the most frequent commands in the Bible. God is constantly telling people not to fear. Of course there is the good kind of fear that keeps one from stepping in front of a speeding bus, but there is different kind of fear that's not so helpful.

Sometimes people say, I like the Jesus of the NEW Testament, but it's that OLD Testament God that scares me. I understand this view, it is a commonly held misperception, and it produces a false comparison between the earlier Jewish scriptures and the later.

When Jesus taught, he made a perpetual point of referencing the OLD Testament God as a loving Father. What we sometimes forget is that all that the world knew at that time was the so-called OLD Testament. Nothing had been "updated" as yet. So, this begs the question, "How do some people read the original Testament and see an angry God and Jesus read the same set of documents and sees a loving Father?" This is curious, don't you think? Even the Sermon on the Mount seems to show us just how dramatic that difference can be.

In that sermon, Jesus set in motion an interesting comparison. He said, "You have heard it said back in the day . . . whatever the subject might be . . . but I say to you . . . " He repeats this kind of comparison between what others thought and what he thought in a number of ways throughout the sermon. What he was NOT doing was saying that the Old Testament had to be discarded, he was saying that people had a commonly held misperception about the meaning of its teachings, and those misperceptions had to go. When Jesus said, ". . . but I say to you," he was telling the people something like this -- "You have all viewed and understood these scriptures to mean "X", but I am telling you that these scriptures are really pointing to "Y."

I won't go much more into that today, but I did want to use this contrast to point out something Jesus said - and he said, "DO NOT FEAR." He knows exactly how prone to worry, apprehension, nervousness and panic all we humans are. Sometimes he said "Don't be anxious about your provisions." Other times he told people not to be afraid to trust him for their eternal salvation. Sometimes he told people that he would take care of them - that their heavenly Father would love them in many wonderful ways, and that they should not be worried about their futures. This message came through loud and strong in the teachings of Jesus. Do not be afraid. God is continually speaking peace to us. Peace and confidence in life are the messages of the New Testament.

So, however we may view God, Jesus wants to correct any misperceptions or false beliefs. He wants us to release our fears and learn to lean into him . . . to trust him. Don't be afraid. All will be well, if you place your trust in him. Not to do so is like stepping in front of that proverbial speeding bus. You really don't want that to happen. God is not the speeding bus, life is. Life can kill you, someone rightfully and candidly said. However, when we are walking with the Prince of Life, all is well, and all will be well. Don't be afraid, but trust.

Whatever your friends and loved ones do to you, Jesus will not disappoint you. Trust, and learn how "resting" in God will bring your mind into health, and your soul will find assurance and calm.

WHEN YOUR LIFE DOES NOT SEEM TO WORK

We all have ideas about what we want our lives to be. Much is based on things that inspire us, and wishful thinking. I have never met anyone whose life turned out exactly as they had imagined, or better than they had imagined. ALL of our lives are different than we had planned, and sometimes we have sorrow and regrets for things we did or did not do. All actions have consequences, Newton taught us that, but the unpleasant twists and turns of our live does not indicate that God is punishing you any more than falling down and skining you knee means that God put gravity into effect just to get back at YOU. It would be rather narcissistic to think that everything that happens in this world is because of you. It's just silly.

Many times I have heard people ask, "Is God punishing me for my sins?" There is a component of guilt within each of us the drives us and keeps us guessing about when the other shoe will drop, when people will discover what we are REALLY like, or that the skeletons in our closets will be uncovered. No one lives without guilt and anxiety over their actions, choices, responses, decisions, and desires.

Some forms of guilt are actually good. Feeling guilt over true moral sin is mandatory, as far as God is concerned, and St. Paul talks about those whose consciences are burned over - scarred, cauterized . . . as with a hot iron. God has designed our conscience. It is the way that he has written the moral law on our hearts. Conscience is good - but consciences can be twisted, distorted, burn, ruined, mangled and shredded, just as can anything else in the human makeup. Remorse is not always bad. Even in the courtroom, judges look for the offending criminal to express authentic remorse. If they do, sometimes the judge will lighten the sentence. Unfortulately not many criminals do.

One general thing to keep in mind is that the kind of petty admonishments and setbacks that people attribute to the punishment of God are neither worthy of his character or ours. God is not petty. He is not a disgruntled parent, or frustrated deity. He is not demanding or unreasonable. While it is true that judgments await each of us at the end of this life, and as important as it is to take this seriously, God does not go around punishing people, willy-nilly, in this life. He has FAR BETTER things to do than to micro-manage your life or mine.

What "better things?" How about redemption? God is not interested in counting up all your screw-ups and then bullying you around for them. No. God is interested in redemption, and that is what your life will become for you, if you let it. God is gracious, not counting our sins against us, so that he might reconcile us to himself, and by so doing, bring us to complete redemption. This is pure Bible teaching.

So, reject the notion that you have committed the unpardonable sin, because you probably haven't. Anyone having committed the unpardonable sin wouldn't give a damn, that's one of the things that makes it unpardonable.

Bottom line. God is not punishing you - although he may be trying to teach you something, but he does that out of concern and love for you, not because he is ticked off at you.

The advice of the Good-Book is to draw near to God, to trust in him, to know that he is your loving Papa. SO - run to him, and enjoy his presence and kindness, ESPECIALLY when your life does not seem to work. You will fine solace in him. You will feel his touch and his affirmation. Just trust him in the midst of your chaos, and know that he is not punishing you. Let it rest. God is FOR you, not against you. Will you choose to believe this? I sincerely hope you do.

EMMANUEL'S APRIL GATHERING

This evening was one of those unique moments, precious like a gem stone.

Connie cooked, and we consumed, two roasts of mouthwatering beef and two pies. Richard brought a magnificent "macaroni salad," some of which we took home with us for later enjoyment. A green salad, rolls, gravy and satisfying beverages refreshed us all. After satiating ourselves on a delicious meal, prepared with tender loving care, we settled in for teaching from Hebrews chapter five, and a worship set of songs presented by Sean Loomis . . . including one he wrote this week and taught us tonight.

The evening was so pleasant, intimate and spiritually enriching!
Thanks to everyone who participated. You are the best.

Some requested the content from the public address, particularly the prayer of repentance, which went well with the subjects in Hebrews. Here is that prayer, adopted and modified from a prayer discovered online. You might want to print it out and make it part of your prayer life. I know I will.

O Changeless God,
Under the conviction of the Spirit I am learning that The more I do, the worse I am, The more I know, the less I know, The more holiness I have, the more I see my sins, The more I love, the more there is to love. O wretched man that I am!

O Gracious Lord,
I have a wild heart And cannot stand before you blameless; I am like a slow beast before a man. How little I love your truth and ways! I neglect the kind of prayer you desire of me. By thinking I have prayed enough and earnestly, I deceive myself. By knowing you have saved me, I allow my soul to be slothful. Of all hypocrites, grant that I may not be as a self-righteous hypocrite, Who sins more safely because your grace abounds, Who tells his LUSTS that Christ’s blood cleanses them rather than condemns them, Who reasons that God cannot cast him into hell, for he is saved and free, Who loves only interesting preaching, beautiful churches and winsome christians, but lives like those who care nothing for you.

O Generous Father,
My mind is like a bucket without a bottom, With no real spiritual understanding, with no desire to keep the Lord’s Day, Ever learning but never growing fully into your truth, Always at the gospel-well but holding precious little water. My conscience is often without conviction, commitment or contrition; feeling nothing sufficient to repent of.

My will is without power of decision or resolution to act. My heart is without proper affection; full of holes. My memory retains little of what is vital to you, so I forget easily the lessons you’ve taught, and your Truth drains away.

Give me a broken heart that yet carries home the water of grace. For only then will the deaf hear your voice, the blind eyes be opened and the lame walk. Only then will I be pleasing to you, and will be a blessing to our family, and a light to those who walk in darkness. Only then will you be seen in me and truly praised, as you ought to be.

Adapted from
The Valley of Vision edited by Arthur Bennett and modified by Dan Rice for this evening's worship service.

SHOULD WORSHIP ROCK YOUR WORLD?

LET NO ONE SELL YOU SHORT. FEELINGS ARE A VITAL PART OF AUTHENTIC WORSHIP AND WITHOUT THEM, ALL WORSHIP IS SUBSTANDARD. WORSHIP SHOULD BE SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGING YOUR WORLD, AND IF YOU ARE NEVER MOVED DURING YOUR TIMES OF WORSHIP, WHEN YOU PRAY, IN THE CONTEXT OF SPIRITUAL SERVICES, THEN YOU EITHER NEED A CHANGE OF VENUE, OR A PERSONAL REVOLUTION. IF YOUR WORSHIP PRACTICES DO NOT ROCK YOUR WORLD, AT LEAST FROM TIME TO TIME, THEN SOMETHING NEEDS TO GO. PERMIT ME TO EXPLAIN WHAT I MEAN.

First, we do not worship God just so we can FEEL something, so let's get that argument out of the way, but, it is fair to say that forms of worship develop certain patterns because of what those forms do for people, because of the things they accomplish in the lives and minds of the groups who worship together, and because of the feelings they engender inside the worshiper. These feelings will range from aesthetic to intellectual, from physical to moral, or some other combination. If one's worship does not move them, then they need to find a form that does.

We all know that worship is particularly subjective, and should be. People design, accept, create and perpetuate worship forms because of the way it makes them feel inside. Also, worship leaders select and employ the elements they like because they want people to feel certain things. Why? Because feelings are thoughts. Think for a moment about your feelings, and see if you can separate them from your thought processes. It is not possible.

Good worship leaders are true shepherds because they guide people into the best thoughts by the feelings they help people experience. This is one reason some people say they feel manipulated by certain forms of a worship service, because they feel as though they were led into thoughts, and to conclusions they themselves would not have seen or chosen without the influence of music, lighting, ambiance, or other mechanisms of worship.

However, the same people might never think to criticize movie makers for doing exactly the same things -- because movie makers do, and they do it deliberately and shamelessly. This is their job, and I submit that this is exactly the original and primary job of the worship leader. It is not the worship leaders who are the copy-cat of entertainers, it is the movie maker who is emulating what God intended to happen in his own house. Think of a strong movie, like Philadelphia, or Million Dollar Baby, and see if the feelings it gives you do not coincide with specific thoughts and perspectives. God desires his house to be filled with storytellers and leaders who can show others what the world could become, and do it by means of the worship into which they lead others. Think of Nathan the prophet and the result of his the pitiful story he told to King David. He changed everything because he helped David to feel the right things again.

Good worship leaders want to facilitate an existential experience for people that is both meaningful and transformative - to move people from what they are to what they ought to be, in Christ. The best worship transforms. The worst worship numbs the mind. Mediocre worship lets people flounder, never fully leading them into direct contact with the Divine.

The obvious problem with specific forms is that people have different tastes, and their tastes are important to them. No single form of worship will reach every person. No single form of worship will be equally edifying in every culture or in every circumstance - this is the downside of exclusively liturgical high-church worship services - they are nothing but death in certain contexts, though they are life in others. But there is no culture in which all forms will be meaningless. Each culture has the forms that "serve" it best. This is easily seen in the likes and dislikes of each generation.

The development of taste is a cultural phenomenon. It is social. It is also somewhat arbitrary and one can change their tastes, or be educated to enjoy other "foods" if they have sufficient motivations to do so.

These are difficult things to discuss, because to speak of the human components of worship is almost to say that worship can be thought of as an entirely human construct, without sufficient relationship to the Divine at all. This is certainly possible, but it need not be so.

Just because the human, the personal, and the subjective are part of our worship constructs does not make them completely and exclusively human devices. Why? Because we must always keep in view that God is the author of human beings. He was the one who placed the possibility for these forms and experiences within us in the first place. Thus we might say that all subjectivity, all human constructs, all preferences in worship are in some way a reflection of the Divine intent, even if we see forms with which we do not personally resonate.

So, rather than disproving the Divine connection within the preferences of human worship, it confirms it, and elevates all of it to a level of honor and highest value. Why? Because God made every one of us, and He created endless possibilities which he intended for us to explore, discover, employ and enjoy.

That said, there is at least one more possibility, and that is that the various forms of worship are a combination of the Divine and the human. In such a case, I suppose, it would be impossible to keep either the Divine or the human out of the equation. This could be thought by some to be a compromise rather than a marriage, but this blend what intended, I believe, to be a marriage of spirit - and if this is true - then it is wonderful.

Radicals on one side of this view might see the possibility of accepting human forms as allowing elements into worship that would corrupt it, and allow inferior elements to contaminate Divine forms. But, what human being could even perceive or desire that which is exclusively Divine? That would be to advocate forms that would be wholly unrelated to the human experiences.

Would an exclusively Divine worship form even be recognizable to human beings? I cannot see how, especially since the scripture tells us that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. This world was meant to be a bridge between our souls and God's Spirit. The origin of the human IS Divine. We may be distorted from the fall, but we still bear the image and likeness of the Divine. If we didn't, we would not desire him, nor resonate with intense longing for him as we do when his presence is near.

Inversely, is it possible that a completely human form of worship could exist - utterly devoid of the Divine? I do not think so. This is why, I believe, that there is something in every religion that echoes the Divine. I do not see how it could ever be possible for worship to be a purely human modality (in every respect) because human beings are the DIRECT offspring of Divinity. Just as a child resembles their parents, so we also bear the spiritual DNA (if you will) of our Heavenly Parent.

The challenge for us is to authentically and respectfully combine and enjoy both the human and the Divine in our worship. In so doing we redeem what otherwise would have been merely cultural. Worship must be a marriage between the human and the Divine, or, in my view, it is not worth much. This is why we must be both bold and cautious in what we choose for our worship forms and expressions. There is great flexibility, but it is a holy task, and should be pursued with the uttmost reverence.

When this marriage does occur, then the feelings we experience are desirable, honorable, entirely appropriate, transcendant and yet normative. This kind of experience is nothing short of an electric connection. True worship is that peaceful-storm between this world and the next. It is the space shared by two realms where heaven and earth collide and men and angels embrace.

Our best worship practices ought to include the worship leader's conscious, deliberate and vigorous intent to incite in others every legitimate and holy human emotion - and that, for the sake of God's glory and for the help of humankind. But there is a warning here; one must take care to avoid cheap manipulation. This is imperative. Worship should never be merely for inciting emotions for the sake of an emotional experience. If it degenerates to that level (as it sometimes does), then worship loses its integrity, its cohesion, its spiritual purity, and its innocence as well as its authenticity. That kind of worship recedes into a "lesser" experience, or worse; it can decline into debauchery and self-aggrandizement.

There is, however, nothing particularly sinful about enjoying a purely aesthetic experience, religious or not. Nor is there anything wrong with delighting in lofty theology for the pleasures they offer, BUT to elicit mostly the human components of worship and leave the reason for worship out would be to miss the central purpose of worship - which is - one's authentic connection with the Holy Spirit to the end that God would be glorified, the world would be helped, the devil's harmful actions would be thwarted, and human hearts would be beautifully transformed.

If we are the only ones satisfied by the activities of worship - if our worship does not also rejoice the heart of God and block the activity of the demonic - then we will have failed to offer sufficient adoration and our worship will be ineffectual.

How, then, can we know if God is pleased with our worship?

We will know it by the effect authentic worship has upon our lives - both within the moment and beyond; both in our Sunday gatherings and on Monday morning.

We know our worship is pleasing to God when our hearts long for him more and more. When God is please with our worship, we have the sense that he is drawing us nearer to him - or - that he is drawing nearer to us.

When God is pleased with our worship, we find our hearts aflame with joy, or conviction, or concern for others and our minds are eager to know his will, or to hear his WORD. We find ourselves willing to be engaged in extending his kingdom to those we love and even to complete strangers. We desire to feed the poor and visit the sick, cast out demons and bring healing to others. We are a friend to the lonely, a comforter of the aged, and a defender the children. We open our doors to the needy and our homes become fountains of hospitality in this world. In short, we begin to desire what HE desires. Our affection for God and others grows in every way. WE FEEL WHAT HE FEELS. This is how we know God is pleased, because his grace changes us in ways we would not have expected, nor could have accomplished on our own.

In other words, if we are simply pleasing ourselves in worship; if we are just in it for our own immediate pleasures or personal benefits; if we are worshipping God "IN OUR OWN WAY," with no consideration for what God wants, then we are on the wrong path. In God's eyes, this is a serious matter, and scripture warns of its dire consequences. In the early books of the Bible God forbids people coming to him "in their own way." There is a way to come to God, and this is serious business with him. I challenge you to search this subject out throughout the Bible. It is a compelling study.

It seems to me, that the best worship is a shared experience where both God and his people delight in each other in ways he has prescribed; where both the Divine and the "cultural" enjoy the exchange together under his Lordship, and are mutually edified by their shared experiences. This is the only kind of worship that turns stony hearts into hearts of flesh, makes hell tremble and demons flee.

I think it can be supported well from scripture that genuine worship engages the whole being and will. When it hits its mark it becomes utterly enthralling to the worshiper. WORSHIP, DONE WELL, WILL ROCK YOUR WORLD.

This does not mean that it is always light and happy, titillating and exciting, but it will get into you in very deep ways.

We are in this worship thing together, God and us, and an affective worship experience is vital for a vibrant spiritual life.

So, let us resolve to delight ourselves in the Lord, and to lead others into a love affair with the Divine.

Let us choose, use and create rich forms that both bring God honor and incite in us the very best of the human spirit, for this kind of worship is acceptable in his sight; affecting the atmospheres of both heaven and earth.

HOW DOES GOD GUIDE US?

Guidance requires three things, time, relationships and humility in relationship to the following content. We are not on our own, even if we wanted to be. No one is autonomous, standing all by themselves, and no one is cast-off, expected to find their own path by themselves - in fact that is a recipe for disaster. Here are twelve points by which God makes his will known to each and everyone of us - the universal means by which he guides us.(There is more to it than what I have listed here, but this is a good start.)

1. God guides us first by that which has been written in the Bible - God will never ever contradict his Word, just make sure you are listening and interpreting his Word with faithfulness and objectivity, not relying on what you THINK it means, or on what you WANT it to mean, but on what he actually is teaching you throughout the entire counsel of God.

2. Through Jesus in the context of his ever present life in his Body. If Jesus is present in his Body, then we can find him there, and it is foolish (and disobedient) to look for him without being in close and continual relationship with the Body of Christ. We cannot go it alone. Autonomy is not an option for us. I will be as bold as to say that a person without an intimate and on-going relationship with the Body of Christ, will rarely, if ever, be as fulfilled in the area of knowing God's will for their lives as those who are in on-going, intimate relationship with other Christians.

3. From the Spirit, and the inner witness we receive during our prayer times. Those who pray regularly know what this kind of spiritual intuition is about. The Spirit will give you an inner sense - a "feeling" if you will - or an "idea" that sticks in your inner being - something that he desires for you to do or know. It will often bypass your normal thought processes, and it can even be different than your desires and expectations. This experience is often inexplicable and unexplainable, but it will not frequently contradict the other components I am mentioning here, but will most often harmonize with these other influences. Remember, no matter what others council you to do, the Spirit of God will never ever contradict, under any circumstances, God's revealed Word in the Bible. For instance, the Spirit will never tell you it is okay to have sex outside of proper marriage, or to murder someone, or to steal something, or to tell a lie, and so forth; never; period. So, develop a prayer life and let God commune with you in that deeper place in your soul. This is a way of life, not something one does from time to time. Begin building your prayer life today.

4. By communion with the mystery of Christ in the experience of the Eucharist. This, again, is experiential. Jesus works in our lives as we are faithful to partake of him in this mystery. As your faith is, so be it unto you. The communion is more than a simple remembrance of him through the practice of some detached symbolic ritual. This is truly partaking of the living Jesus, though it be impossible to explain.

5. Through the lessons nature teaches. God created all of the natural world, and the book of Romans teaches us that he did this so we can know him, his eternal power, and his divinity - Rom. 1:18-20. If you want to know more about God, study nature intently. The scripture is full of examples and includes commands to do this.

6. By means of the wise council of friends. Seek the council of others who care for you. God will often use them to speak something of substance into your life. Listen.

7. By the requirements placed on us by leaders and those in authority. Authority is the invention of God (Rom 13), and it was designed to represent him. God uses those in authority to reveal and reward righteousness as well as to punish and resist those who practice unrighteousness.

8. Through preaching. There is a mystery in the preaching of God's Word. This is a necessary activity through which the Spirit convicts us of sin, calls us to repentance and instructs us in our spiritual lives. Preaching is for building us up, teaching us the will of God, and for comforting us in our spiritual walk.

9. Through the wisdom shared with us by our parents and elders. It is impossible for one to say they are in submission to God when they are unsubmitted to parents and elders. The first commandment with a promise called us to honor and obey our parents. Even Jesus was subject to his parents until it was time for his ministry to begin. Obedience to our parents' righteous demands is one of the ways God leads us. So, revere the elders in your life and see if you can get close to some of the wisdom they have learned through living their lives in God's presence.

10. By means of inescapable circumstances. Sometimes we cannot escape or change the circumstances in which we find ourselves. Even the Apostle Paul prayed three times that God would remove his thorn in the flesh, but God said to him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." To which the apostle replied, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 NIV - Grace is the issue here. How does one cope with the disappointments and devastations of life, by the grace which God bestows. Turning to God in earnest prayer will put you in the right place and you will find his grace very real. (ponder Hebrews 4:15-16)

It is natural for us to desire to be strong, but oddly it is not our own personal strength which draws us near to God, it is the painful awareness of our persistent weaknesses. So, if one's weaknesses move them toward God, why would we not embrace them? This does not mean that we should give up our noble fight against those things which diminish us, we should not give up, merely run the race as he prescribes. As we learn from him we find the strength of his grace growing in us, and we become strong in all the best ways. Both our strengths and weaknesses are converted into virtue and we find ourselves transformed - the greatest miracle in the world.

11. By use of the best practices of reason and logic. God wants us to make decisions, not on our own, but decisions that are carefully weighed and reasonable. Use your head. God gave you a brain for a reason. Not all council is wise. Don't just take things at face value as being true. The Bible tells us to PROVE ALL THINGS, and to HOLD FAST TO THAT WHICH IS GOOD. So it is clear, not all things are equally good or equally beneficial. Use your best judgment to determine what is best, and do that with vigor.

12. Through the processes of time and accumulated experiences. Sometimes God teaches us, and guides us invisibly, over time and through experiences, until we come to understand that which could never have been adequately explained in words. Some things are too deep for words and too nuanced to teach in any other form than through the stuff of everyday life over a longer period of time. Age produces wisdom, IF the person is paying attention. My mother wrote something in the back of her Bible, it reads, "The University of Experience has its own school colors, black and blue." Life will teach us, but it will make no sense to us until we compare it with what God has written in the Bible. Then it gets personal, penetrating and redemptive. None of us should put down the Bible before we have picked it up. God's Word can be trusted. Reading the Psalms, for instance, shows the wonderful connection between the experiences of life and the Word of God. It is a good place to begin. You will see yourself in the Psalms, but better than that, you will see a very good and gracious God.