Ron Writes
The configuration of our buildings can be a challenge. They’re the same as you’d expect when you go to see a play or hear a lecture or watch a movie. And it might even be a greater challenge for those trying to worship online watching on a T.V. or a computer screen. In all these scenarios we’re conditioned to think that we are the audience. The one upfront or on the television is there to perform and we are there to be entertained. Watching worship is not the same as worshipping. Those up front are trying to engage us in such a way as to encourage us to worship. They should be “leading” us in such a way that our focus is not on them, but on our worship to God.
C.S. Lewis had an insightful comment, “The perfect church service would be the one we were almost unaware of; our attention would have been on God. But every novelty prevents this. It fixes our attention on the service itself; and thinking about worship is a different thing than worshipping…. Tis mad idolatry that makes the service greater than God.” Too many have tried to engage a larger audience by turning worship into a concert or entertainment venue.
Watching an exercise video is not the same as exercising. Going to church and watching others worship is not the same as worshipping. The fact that many do this is betrayed by comments such as “I didn’t get anything out of worship today,” “I didn’t feel uplifted,” or other similar sentiments. A more important question might be, “how much effort did you put into worship today?” In worship, we are giving our all in praise and thanksgiving to the only audience – God. It is our goal to engage with God in our singing, prayers, meditation on His Word, Lord’s supper, and giving. As C.S. Lewis also noted, “It is in the process of being worshipped that God communicates His presence to men.”
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus went through a list of examples where folks went through the motions of worship without worshipping (Mt. 6). Worshipping in “spirit and truth” calls on us to remain focused on what we’re doing and doing it for the right reasons. Singing may be worship, but you can sing without worshipping. Giving may be worship, but you can give without worshipping. We must all keep in mind that coming to worship is not the same as worshipping.
