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.
