Not a Spectator Sport

The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles,[e] some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.

Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? 

--1 Corinthians 12:12-17

As fall approaches, the days begin to shorten, the mornings begin to cool, and people everywhere seem to be infected with a most curious disease called football.  Football, especially college football,  is like a religion in many places around the US. 

Rising before the sun, scores of faithful fans begin the trek across the state to spend all day tailgating in preparation for the big game. The crowds roar and are filled with a passionate frenzy that hits a crescendo if their team wins following a close contest. Many pastors have longed for people to “get ready for worship the same way they get ready for games.”

I don’t.

Football, by nature, is a spectator sport.  We show up to watch the players on the field.  We listen to the commentary.  We might even get a bite to eat.  When we return to our cars, we leave the game behind.  Win or lose, the contest is over, and it is time to get on with our lives.

I don’t want Christians to approach worship as they do football because following Jesus is not a spectator sport.

God has called us by name, claimed us in the waters of baptism, and empowered us through the Holy Spirit.  Each one of us has a role to fill; each one of us has a ministry for which God has prepared us.  Only as the whole church, the entire Body of Christ, answers the call of God can we fulfill God’s mission as intended.  No person is insignificant. Not a single person is unimportant.  We all have a place in this journey of faith. For in the life of a disciple, we can never be content to simply sit and watch. We are all part of the team, part of the Body of Christ, sent out for mission and ministry every day of our lives.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor James 

Time to Stop All Worship Services

 What is the outcome of this, brothers and sisters? When you meet together, each one has a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. All these things must be done to build up the church.

1 Corinthians 14:26

I know that the title of this blog sounds scandalous. "Stop all worship services? Isn't having worship services your job?"  Well, part of my ordination is to help lead God's people in worship; however, I am refering to 'worship services' in the context of Dan Kimball's book on "Emerging Worship." I will let him explain:

            We usually call the weekend time when a church family gets together a “worship service.” Ironically, this term used to mean a time when the saints of God all meet to offer their service to God through worship and their service to others in the church. Over time, however, the title has slowly reversed. The weekend worship “service” has become the time of the week when we go to a church building much like a car goes to an automobile service station.

            Most people view the weekend worship service as a place where we go to get service done to us by “getting our tanks filled up” at the service station. It’s a place where someone will give a sermon and serve us with our weekly sustenance. In automobile terms, you could say it is our weekly fill-up. We come to our service station to have a song leader serve us by leading us in singing songs. All so we can feel good when we emotionally connect through mass singing and feel secure that we did “worship.” We go to the weekend worship service and drop off our kids—that way they too can get served by having their weekly fill-ups. We are especially glad that our weekend service station now serves coffee in the church lobby—it’s as convenient as our automobile service station’s little mini-mart.                           - Kimball, Dan. Emerging Worship. Zondervan,2004. page 2.

It's time to stop all worship services in this sense: worship is not about getting our needs serviced. Instead of filling our tanks when we gather together, we are all called to actively participate.  It is why the word liturgy has it's roots in the Latin meaning "work of the people" not "work of the pastor" or "work of the band/choir." Even Paul made it quite clear that during worship "each one" was to bring something to share with the community to help lead in worship.

See someone struggling to use a hymnal? Stand beside them and help.  Another person can't find the tune? Gently guide them with your voice. Can't carry a tune in a bucket? Carry the elements of communion to those unable to walk. Cannot walk? Lift up the person sitting beside you in prayer, talk with them about how God touched or spoke to you during the service, and offer to pray for (and with) them after.

We all have gifts given by the Spirit and are all directed to use them.  Let us stop seeing Sunday as a time to see what we can "get out of worship" and instead come ready for God to guide us that we might see what we can give in worship to God.

Grace and Peace,