Unity - Like you didn't know it was coming

As some of you may have already suspected, I've been thinking a lot about unity in the body of Christ over the past few days, and specifically how it relates to our worship.

First I should say that I don't like any of the terms that we've chosen to use to describe typical church worship services (e.g. blended, contemporary, traditional, etc). I think they're all wrong. I think they promote an interpretation of worship that has nothing to do with what worship is. Let me say also, that I don't know what worship is - and so that I'm actively trying to figure it out.

I have been quoted as saying (Marty) that "We have done to the word Worship, what we have done to the word CHURCH." That is, church is not the building - or never was intended to be, but if you say CHURCH to just about anyone, the first thing they think about is a nice building with a nice steeple, announcing that, if you're a Christian, come join us. We have similarly perverted the word worship. Worship can include, but is not limited to singing praises and lifting hands - I'm sick of hearing that definition. I'm also quite tired of hearing about how we worship differently. I think we do worship differently from each other - just not in the way that most people describe. I believe that worship, at it's heart, cannot be described as an event, in the temporal sense. Not even as a lifestyle.

Worship is the ACTIONS (yes, worship is a VERB - an ACTION word) resulting from our conceptualization of what/who we value. That is, if we believe that money is the most important thing, the most deserving thing, than our actions will reflect that concept. Our attempts to acquire more money will reflect that concept. Our attempts to guard the money we already have will reflect that concept. The words that we choose to use, the decisions that we make, the way that we live our life will reflect it.

This same idea also reveals where many other concepts are on our scale of worth - for example, if you love money and but hate peanut butter (hypothetically speaking) your actions will reflect that dislike. I . . . I mean, one who hates peanut butter will say that thy don't like it, they won't buy it, they'll avoid it at all costs, etc.

It's important to note that the ACTIONS are both ACTIVE & PASSIVE. We we actively choose to do and what we PASSIVELY do without much thought at all will both indicate where our love is, and to what degree that love is.

Now, if we love God, our actions (both passive & active) will reflect that love. It seems too trivial though to 'love' God. We also need to have a concept of Him as Lord. We also need a concept of Him as master, as saviour of the world, as healer, as friend, as EVERYTHING that he is. Inherent in having these concepts, is that we will attribute value to each of them. If we had been healed of some terrible disease we may place more value on God's healing aspects than something else. If we never have heard God talk to us, God as FRIEND, may be of little value.

Our worship (actions) reflect those feelings, whether we like it or not.

God really is more than someone who makes us feel good once a week when we sing a song that we like. God is more than someone who sits back and waits for us to worship Him. God is NO LESS than LORD. We don't have an accurate concept of lordship - that may contribute to some of the confusion - I know it does to mine.

Now, I know what you're thinking . . . what does ANY of this have to do with Unity? Well, I'm getting there, but I fear that I'll have to put it in a different post - just to break it up a little.

But I will say that worship is NOT about getting what you want, or deserve, or have been promised, or what you like. Worship is not even about you and God.

Worship is about God. We're only involved because thats what we were created to do. I hate when I'm at work, or anywhere and I have to 'bribe' people to do their job. It's their job - they shouldn't need more convincing that's what they're supposed to do. But we require blessings and healings and loving and having our preferences met before we 'agree' to do the job that we were created to do.

Sorry, I'm ranting now - but I have to go on, that example sparked me up - as much as I'm still learinign about worship, I'm CONVINCED that God didn't want to create a choir or a drama troupe or a band that spend their time practicing to sing or act or play. He wanted to create people that would do unto others that which they would want done unto themselves. He created people that he intended to do whatever for the least of humanity. He created people who would honor Him by keeping his commands (*** Remember that bit for later).

So, I probably sound like I had a turd sandwich for lunch. I didn't. I had soup - very good soup.

Up next time - the examples of David and Abraham/Isaac as worshippers.

I've got to rest my fingers.

Grace.