Naomi's Notes - 05/02/04
Have you noticed that using the word "soul" as a synonym for "person" (ex. lost soul) has become unfashionable? We still use it as a noun (put soul into it) or an adjective (soul music), but gospel songwriters no longer pen lyrics like "lead me to some soul today."
No matter how it's used, soul is hard to define. Describing it as our personality helps children understand, but that's about as inadequate as using a red paper cutout to illustrate love or heart. Certainly soul, used by some psychologists in reference to The Self, is descriptive of the core of our being, of our unvarnished inner life.
Jungian Analyst James Hollis has a recurring theme in his acclaimed books (The Middle Passage, Creating a Life, Swamplands of the Soul): Our lives have meaning and fulfillment only to the extent that we live consciously, i.e. not on autopilot, buffeted by reactionary behavior because of unexamined assumptions about the world around us.
Living consciously is the only reward of a never-ending process of self-examination (soul work) which requires honesty, love and courage. One would think that such an effortful process would at least result in our finding answers to our problems or getting relief from our suffering.
However, consciousness (intentionality, meaning) is a greater reward and is exactly what our souls long for. Rabbi Harold Kushner says that "Our souls are not hungry for fame, comfort, wealth or power. …Our souls are hungry for meaning, for the sense that we have figured out how to live so that our lives matter, so that the world will be…different for our having passed through it."
If consciousness deepens our human relationships, how much more satisfying is our human/divine relationship when worship is experienced consciously. The Psalmist refers to our souls thirsting for God. Jesus said to "love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind." (Matthew 22)
Simply going through the motions on Sunday mornings is not really worship at all. D.A. Carson, in Worship: Adoration and Action, says that "Worship is a transitive verb, and the most important thing about it is the direct object." Our worship should be soul-full, focused on God.
Worship leaders can try to create space where God can act, planning worship services that help people connect with God. But even the most user-friendly worship format will fall flat unless each person is attentive to God's desires rather than mere human likes/dislikes.
Function is more important than form. And there is no such thing as effortless worship; the word "liturgy" literally means "work of the people." So what is the glorious reward for all our conscious effort? Transformation - a closer, deeper soul relationship with God. Which is what we're ultimately seeking when we enter the sanctuary on Sundays….right?
See you in worship this Sunday -
Naomi