Naomi's Notes - 11/22/09
Matt Redman, in Facedown, tells about buying his daughter a couple of goldfish and watching them swim in their bowl on the mantelpiece. The next day he happened to watch a TV documentary about creatures of the deep sea.
"I sat glued to the screen - so many varieties, so much untamed beauty. And there in the background were Maisey's tame little gold fish, doing yet another lap of the bowl.
"Sometimes in the Church, I worry that we've settled for a 'goldfish bowl' worship. We convey a tame and domesticated God, and then find ourselves stuck in the endless pursuit of the ordinary. But the call is to venture out into the ocean, to encounter the extraordinary and to explore the mighty depths of God. And though our earthly-gathered worship times may never fully sound the depths of His glory, beware of those that don't even attempt to do so."
Planning effective worship services involves balancing the familiar and the unfamiliar. A worship order set in stone is comforting for those who like to know what to expect; who like hearing and singing familiar songs (familiar to them, at least - everybody's list is different); who expect the offering, sermon, and prayers to be in the same place each Sunday.
Familiarity helps some people relax, allowing them to concentrate on worship itself, not the order of the service. (The risk is that some people may only relax, going through the motions basically expecting worship to be done for them, not by them.)
Other people are bored with sameness; they want excitement, variety, the unexpected. They are energized by trying new things. Variety in music and format aids their worship, providing a freshness to the Gospel for them. (The risk is that some people may be so intrigued with novelty and innovativeness that they miss the substance, becoming more entertained than engaged in worship themselves.)
Scripture gives us several models of worship; it is important that we include as many biblical worship elements as possible each Sunday. That is the familiar - even strangers should recognize that ours is truly a worship service, not a secular gathering.
We also remember that our neighbors may connect with God through a different doorway than ourselves, and we must love them enough to give them the opportunity. Our God is extraordinary and multi-faceted, and in order to explore the vastness of Godself, it is important that we constantly seek new, varied, sometimes unfamiliar ways to experience God in worship. We must avoid "goldfish bowl" worship.
Balancing the familiar and the unfamiliar in worship planning is always a challenge, and sometimes I wonder if we've succeeded in God's eyes. Surely the effort itself is pleasing to God.