“Spiritual Eroticism” and Worship Planning
I found Scot McKnight’s article last week about “Spiritual Eroticism” really challenging.
On one hand, I worry that too much dissecting of what love means often robs us of experiencing one of the things that makes love so wonderful and captivating: mystery. I don’t always understand God’s love for me (or my wife’s, or my friends’ and family’s), but that’s part of what makes it great. So do I need to fully dissect and understand my own response in order to love God correctly?
On the other hand, I felt hit square between the eyes by Dr. McKnight’s thoughts about what all of this mean for those of us who help organize gatherings in our churches:
The shaping of a Sunday service or a worship event or a concert in order to generate a profound experience might emerge from a courtly-love sense of worship. The expectation of such an experience on the part of the worshiper might also emerge from a courtly sense of worship.
Lately, I’ve grown more and more uncomfortable with the idea of crafting a “moment” in our worship services. A moment when we’ll all feel something, or have that “profound experience”.
Should we be hoping and praying for profound experiences in our worship services? I think so. But should these moments be the primary motivation for what we plan in our gatherings? I’m not sure. (And by “I’m not sure”, I don’t mean “I don’t think so”. I mean I really don’t know.)
What do you think? After reading Scot McKnight’s article, do you see your gatherings in a different light? Are we really helping people love God, or are we helping them love the idea of being in love with God?
05/13/2009 at 3:27 pm
Maybe both? I’d say we have a responsibility to create a moment where people could experience God, what they get out of the experience is really not something you can control. We all know the saying you can bring a horse to water but you can’t make him drink. I think we cross the line when we try to force the horse into having contact with the water.
That’s my 0.02
05/15/2009 at 11:54 am
One thing i can’t quite grasp is God’s ability to change people regardless of who created the moment. Ultimately though, even if someone thinks they created that amazing worship experience, God had the final say. Thats something i need to constantly be reminded of.
05/15/2009 at 12:18 pm
Also, i really like the idea of the community collectively coming to point of “A moment” on their own instead of a few people in the back deciding that it should happen for the whole group. When people decide all together, its like “moment v. 2.0″.
05/20/2009 at 7:49 am
I feel uncomfortable speaking about worship as an “experience” altogether. I believe worship is all about giving back to God in praise and doesn’t require any receiving. If you think about the positioning of worship, standing with the hands raised is a very giving position while still remaining open. Sitting is pretty much strictly receiving. This doesn’t mean that we don’t or shouldn’t receive anything during worship, but I don’t think that receiving should be our main concern.
05/20/2009 at 8:25 pm
I like the thoughts (Steve and Eric) that there’s some part of what happens that it seems only God can do.
Brady, I think you’re the first person I’ve heard say that the word “experience” in worship doesn’t work for you. That really challenges me – the idea that “experience” potentially makes us the main thing in worship instead of God.