God Was Here
My friend and former Campus Crusade colleague David now serves as a small groups pastor at a very traditional, liturgical, gospel-preaching Episcopal church in a Dallas suburb. (Sadly, the adjective “gospel-preaching” is a necessary modifier these days due to the state of the worldwide Episcopal church). Having spent most of his life in a standard non-denominational “Bible church,” a more formalized approach to worship has been a new and shaping experience for David. I sent him my essay on Covenant Renewal (see Resources page) and asked his feedback. Based on his diverse experience, he wrote back:
I now have a reason for going to church. The preaching isn’t the best I’ve heard, the music is excellent, but not my style, and I have to be careful of repeating words without engaging in the meaning, but week after week I am nourished by gathering with God’s people and worshipping as you describe. People love coming to church here, but they rarely mention something specific about the service that they love, like the sermon or the music. They consistently describe their experience here as “I met with God” or “I sensed God was here.” Some might hear that and think we give people an emotional experience, but it would be difficult to identify anything in the service that would do that. I think in reality people don’t have the understanding to say, “Joining with God’s people in the renewal of our covenant with God has nourished my soul. For reasons I can’t fully explain, I’m at home here, with God and His family.”
One benefit to defining worship this way: every week doesn’t have to be a home run. It’s not about the sermon, or the songs, or the whatever, it’s much bigger than that.
Wouldn't it be great to walk out of Coram Deo every week sensing that "God was here?" I am convinced that such a powerful existential experience is directly connected to the gospel-centered divine-human dialogue that is covenant renewal. Any thoughts?
posted by Bob | 9:24 AM
4 Comments:
Hey Bob,
I whole heartedly agree with you when you say that convenent renewal is the reason we should meet together. That seems to hearken back to the very beginning, before time and tradition muddled the reason we gather.
Last week in our missional community, we were talking a bit about the Catholic church. Victoria had some especially interesting insights because she was raised Catholic. She said that when she first visited Christ Community, she was surprised and delighted that she wasn't forced to participate in some recitation. Many exCatholics, she said, absolutely hate recitations because of their past experiences. Even your friend David wrote "I have to be careful of repeating words without engaging in the meaning," and he is a Christian who wants to be there, wants to believe the stuff he's reciting. I think that it is a good thing that we come to God expectantly and humbly, confessing our sins and proclaiming what we believe--but--I wonder if the recitation of this or that creed is going to shut down any postCatholic who is disgusted by what's to them an empty tradition. What do you think?
Ev
The risk is always there... I think the answer is not to reject tradition, but to reappropriate tradition for the sake of mission. That's my 2 cents. Well, maybe it's only worth 1 cent.
It's easy to forget that all of those traditions we find valueless were once significant expressions of faith. They still are, I think, when expressed with an understanding of what they mean, from a sincere heart of worship. I've always thought crossing yourself to be a pretty cool way of acknowledging the Trinity (at least I think that is what it is for), but only insofar as it means something... otherwise you're just some jerk going through the motions, literally.
One thing that continually blows my mind is how the things of God can be incredibly simple and astonishingly complex at the same time. Ritual is one example of this, I think... take the Lord's Prayer, for example- so simple a child can easily memorize it, but at the same time, every phrase weighted with meaning, enlightening us about right priorities, how to trust in His provision, our proper response to our circumstances in light of our relationship to Him... and so on. There's so much there! And when you think about it, that's exactly as it should be, for God is the Lord of all, of the simple and the wise.
All right, I am in Florida and I have some time on my hands because it is Thanksgiving and all so I thought I would write my first blog.
God desires to flood our lives with the new wine. A wine that will cause complete inhebriation in His glory. I mean what better example do we have that when Jesus turned the water into wine. We may throw the party but He brings the wine. So I think the reason that we havent expierenced God in the way we read or hear about may be because we are still trying to cut our way out of old wine-skins. So I give this charge….. Press on church, keep asking, keep pleading, keep crying, keep cutting. And if your want is not this great, then ask God to make this your hearts cry. I believe that our ablitlity to love this culture is in direct corrliation with our despiration for God. And that is something that we can not manufacture, we can not fool God into blessing un-sincere hearts. That is covenant renewal to me. Faith through hummility blessed by the heart of the Father.
And furthermore…. We will walk out of Coram Deo saying, “God was somthin’ thick tonight.” God desires to bless his obident saints with the richness of his tangible glory. That’s right I said tangible. A glory as heavy down comforter. But we have to ask Him for it. He has to know that we want all that He has to give, and we have to all be in one accord on this. Meaning all of us, not lacking one, not one, nope everybody, yeah even you, yeah you in the back just faking your way through this stage of the plant. IN ONE ACCORD. But have no fear, if we are humble and obident then God will do the work to unify our hearts. Amen?
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