In a mirror, dimly A blog at the intersection of geek, faith and creative writing.

Acceptable worship

A recent article on Kingdom Rain caught my attention. Part way through it the author (Brent Helming) said:

I think that a case is easily made that God’s gift of music, has an incredible and powerful ability to touch us at the deepest level of our being. Music stirs the heart and emotions like nothing else. It also embodies the ability to motivate the behavior of those listening. This is not by accident. God intended for music to have the ability to touch us deeply. However, in our brokenness and humanness, we can easily misplace the deep affections and emotions that music (even worship music) stirs in us. When this occurs during worship, we often end up focused on objects other than God; namely the worship leader, the worship band, and/or the engaging melodies of our favorite songs. It is this type of misdirected attention that nurtures a “consumeristic worship” mindset by creating the impression that the time of worship is simply an enjoyable music event (the “show”) instead of a life giving interaction with Creator God.

Can you see the awesome responsibility that God has given to those of us who create, play and lead others with music? We have an incredibly powerful tool at our disposal. One that is capable of deeply affecting those who hear it. Worship Leader/Songwriter David Ruis, has termed this responsibility the “Sacred Trust” of leading worship. We as worship leaders and musicians have been entrusted with the precious gift of music and it is our commission to wield this gift responsibly.

and for those who are interested, he’s not just some random guy-on-the-streeet, his bio makes it clear that he knows something about what he’s saying:

Brent Helming has been involved in Pastoral and Worship Ministry for over 16 years. He has traveled both nationally and internationally leading worship and teaching at Churches and conferences. He has written numerous worship songs such as “Your Beloved”, Jesus Lead On” and “God of All Splendor”, along with a helpful interactive work book titled “Hot Tips for Worship Leaders”. Brent is currently developing a Coaching and Consulting Ministry for Worship Leaders and lives with his son, Brian, in Escondido, CA.

It struck me in this piece of writing what it is about certain worship activities that doesnt sit well internally with me.

I was talking with a friend who described artists who paint during a worship service. They are inspired by the music, about the presence of God that they are feeling, and they paint as a way to express this. There are other churches where people wave flags and banners as a form of worship. Neither activity sits well with me and I think I have understood why.

Helming’s article talked about a “misdirected attention“, saying “in our brokenness and humanness, we can easily misplace the deep affections and emotions that music (even worship music) stirs in us. When this occurs during worship, we often end up focused on objects other than God”

It seems to me that flow of emotions that the music stirred up is being diverted from flowing along it’s correct channel (to God) every day. I know that on a bad day I’ll listen to a stirring piece of music and squander the “lift” it brings, simply reveling in how I feel; a self directed, humanistic experience where I allow my own emotional state to become the end-point of the experience. Other days I’ll drive with worship music on and I’ll let the music lift me into an awareness of the presence of God and focus on Him, on prayer and praising my Creator. I’m a mixed bag of worship and idolatry just like the next man. All that is preface to saying that I feel that painting when the music lifts the spirit internally and an artist feels suddenly “inspired” is directing the flow and allowing the canvas to be the end-point and not God. Someone swept up in the musical worship should seek to give God their intellect as well as their emotion, give him all parts of themselves.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism states that the chief end of man is “to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever” and that “The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him.” This requires the use of intellect. You’ve debased worship when you direct the mind from fruitful meditation on the words of the worship songs into a meaningless/mindless waving of a flag to and fro. This would squander not only the emotional lift (being directed toward a flag, not God) but also the giving of the intellect to Him.

I guess at the end of the day I can boil it down to something fairly simple: if I ever end up in a position of leading a church, neither painting during worship nor flag/banner waving will be practiced by my congregation!