Worship: Fad or Fact?

I saw an ad today that somehow got under my skin. The reality of thousands, even millions of believers wanting to worship our God is not what concerns me. Before I get going though, let me just quote that ad. (My apologies to those who might read this and would love to go or are already signed up for the sellout event…. Ok, I sort of apologize.) The ad reads, "A Conference for Worship Leaders by Worship Leaders at Walt Disney World - Come experience what over a thousand worship leaders have already discovered. Whether you are a pastor, praise team member, musician, or technician, you share a call to help and lead God's people. This will be a time of authentic worship to refresh your spirit and reignite your passion for ministry."
Honing our skills as musicians and leaders is great. Having received a bachelor's degree in church music, I understand how beneficial training can be. In the same breath, I admit that my 1983 degree hardly prepared me for where church worship music is today. Refreshing our spirits in the presence of our God is also something that needs to be done regularly and "getting away from it all" is sometimes an essential component of our overall ministry. Passion can become buried in the mundane and routine. A good splash of cold water in the face of flat lined emotions is sometimes just what the Great Physician ordered. I'm sure many of the attendees will be encouraged and revitalized. Fabulous!
What concerns me are some of the underlying perspectives that seem to be built into the framework of our worship.
"Come experience..."Worship is based on our experience. It becomes an opportunity to have the chills. We're not alone in this. When every church had their own organ and the more prestigious groups had pipe organs (you could tell their status by the number of pipes that lined the stage), research found that organ music had a physiological effect on the congregants. It gave them a shiver down the spine. It was often mistaken for true worship. If we experience something, then we've worshiped; or so we assume.
Those that know me might get tired of hearing me say it, but they'll just have to suck it up; I'm saying it again. Worship is about God, not us. Exhaustion or emotional trauma might temporarily rob us of the heightened emotional experience we sometimes experience. In no way am I saying that we shouldn't involve our emotions. I am saying it's not the goal of worship; exalting God is the goal.
I think of persecuted believers whose worship experience involves barely breathing the name of Jesus as they hang on for dear life, having been beaten and/or riddled with mind altering drugs. Read the story of Richard Wurmbrand. Worship wasn't an experience; it was the barely whispered cry of a very broken heart, expressing his commitment to His God. Interestingly, the end result was that this became one of the times when he felt closest to God. The experience came in the context of faithfulness, not the other way around. Contrast this with heading to Disney World with the goal of experiencing worship. Our goal is what? To satisfy ourselves? Can we not trust God to do that as we're faithful to Him? Perhaps… just perhaps… rest, satisfaction and renewal come at times and in ways we least expect it. Catering to ourselves will not attain that goal. We are called to die to ourselves. A great experience might follow. Even if it doesn't, we need to remain faithful.
"…a time of authentic worship…" This appears to be a pet phrase among worship leaders. "Authentic worship" - exactly what is this nebulous concept? How do you know when you've been part of authentic worship? Is it a certain percentage of raised hands and tears? Is it a carefully crafted response? Perhaps it's the right combination of instruments, creating overtones that affect the psyche. Maybe "authentic worship" involves the modulation of a chorus up a semi-tone with just the right amount of crescendo that causes a catch in our breath. It could be the elongated repetition of the same musical phrases over and over at ever increasing intensity that makes us realize that this is authentic.
Authentic worship will be jam packed with truth. While I have been guilty of scrutinizing our worship to the point of debasing the Body of Christ, I remain careful in the words I utter in the presence of and about Almighty God. Yes, I need to be careful, even as I write this, that my love for the Body is what motivates me to challenge my brothers and sisters. I also strongly affirm that I love God and become incensed when I hear lies being purported as worship. Those things which are biblically inaccurate, theologically vague, questionable or outright wrong play straight into the hands of the enemy. As long as people are confused about or worse, blasé toward the attributes of God and the way He works, the devil really doesn't care how much we worship. We're worshiping the god we've concocted, not the God of all truth. As long as we rely on modulations and bass guitars to worship, we've abandoned our relationship with our Saviour. It becomes nothing more than cheap idolatry.
Underlying mindset - worship is only done in the context of musical expertise As any of the kids that have been under my teaching will affirm, I'm a stickler for musical excellence while maintaining an affirming atmosphere in the classroom. I even have doctrinal perspectives on this whole issue that are outside of the topic here. However, with worship taking two to three practices a week, all too often the terms, "music" and "worship" have become synonymous. There are those who worship sincerely without ever uttering a note. My nephew's face will glow as his one partially useful limb signs, "I love you" to Jesus. My non-verbal son gives me a high five when he hears truths that especially touch his heart. Tone deaf individuals express their worship in how they live their lives.
I think I'm coming up with a definition of worship that I would like to work with. Worship is the expressions of a committed heart in response to the truth of the Living God. There's a lot being said about worship. It seems to be the latest Christian fad. If done in truth and sincerity, it's a great fad. Let's not forget that so is teaching. So is confession of sin. So is brokenness before God. So is scrubbing toilets in His name; and hugging a lice infested child; and sharing God's grace and mercy with a smelly drunk; and quietly offering service that no one on earth will ever know of; and being struck silent, being overwhelmed with our Holy, Holy, Holy God. That's fact.