The nature of worship
It is not often, it seems, that a sermon come along that strikes you so deeply as one that I heard this past Sunday. More often it is a collection of wit and brevity that mesh with your beliefs. This past Sunday we got a lesson on Kierkegaard. From his book, Purity of Heart Is to Will One Thing, Kierkegaard comments on the roles of worship. He likens worship to theater for the configuration is often the same. An audience watches as an actor plays out the drama while a prompter gives the actor their cues. In the commonly held view, the audience are the worshipers, the prompter is God and the actors are the pastors and priests of our churches. Kierkegaard, however, believes this to be counter-productive to worship:
Alas, in regard to things spiritual, the foolishness of many is this, that they in the secular sense look upon the speaker as an actor, and the listeners as theatergoers who are to pass judgment upon the artist. But the speaker is not the actor -- not in the remotest sense. No, the speaker is the prompter. There are no mere theatergoers present, for each listener will be looking into his own heart. The stage is eternity, and the listener, if he is the true listener (and if he is not, he is at fault) stands before God during the talk. The prompter whispers to the actor what he is to say, but the actor’s repetition of it is the main concern -- is the solemn charm of the art. The speaker whispers the word to the listeners. But the main concern is earnestness: that the listeners by themselves, with themselves, and to themselves, in the silence before God, may speak with the help of this address.
The address is not given for the speaker’s sake, in order that men may praise or blame him. The listener’s repetition of it is what is aimed at. If the speaker has the responsibility for what he whispers, then the listener has an equally great responsibility not to fall short in his task. In the theater, the play is staged before an audience who are called theatergoers; but at the devotional address, God himself is present. In the most earnest sense, God is the critical theatergoer, who looks on to see how the lines are spoken and how they are listened to: hence here the customary audience is wanting. The speaker is then the prompter, and the listener stands openly before God. The listener, if I may say so, is the actor, who in all truth acts before God.
So, to his view, God is the audience of one while we, the worshipers are the actors and our pastors are the promptors, guiding us when we falter in our words. They are the gentle reminder of our path while God is the attentive listener.
It impressed me how simple an idea can change how you view your role in worship.
Alas, in regard to things spiritual, the foolishness of many is this, that they in the secular sense look upon the speaker as an actor, and the listeners as theatergoers who are to pass judgment upon the artist. But the speaker is not the actor -- not in the remotest sense. No, the speaker is the prompter. There are no mere theatergoers present, for each listener will be looking into his own heart. The stage is eternity, and the listener, if he is the true listener (and if he is not, he is at fault) stands before God during the talk. The prompter whispers to the actor what he is to say, but the actor’s repetition of it is the main concern -- is the solemn charm of the art. The speaker whispers the word to the listeners. But the main concern is earnestness: that the listeners by themselves, with themselves, and to themselves, in the silence before God, may speak with the help of this address.
The address is not given for the speaker’s sake, in order that men may praise or blame him. The listener’s repetition of it is what is aimed at. If the speaker has the responsibility for what he whispers, then the listener has an equally great responsibility not to fall short in his task. In the theater, the play is staged before an audience who are called theatergoers; but at the devotional address, God himself is present. In the most earnest sense, God is the critical theatergoer, who looks on to see how the lines are spoken and how they are listened to: hence here the customary audience is wanting. The speaker is then the prompter, and the listener stands openly before God. The listener, if I may say so, is the actor, who in all truth acts before God.
So, to his view, God is the audience of one while we, the worshipers are the actors and our pastors are the promptors, guiding us when we falter in our words. They are the gentle reminder of our path while God is the attentive listener.
It impressed me how simple an idea can change how you view your role in worship.
posted by oblik | 8/09/2005 06:38:00 AM
2 Comments:
Very true words, there.
My church flirted briefly with a worship style a la Willow Creek, but thankfully, we've developed a style that involves the congregation more as participants in worship, rather than backup singers for the worship team.
There are few quicker turnoffs for me in a service than to have the worship team leader continue to sing long after the rest of the congregation becuase he/she feels the Spirit, but not the rest of us. It's great for them, but we don't get much out of it.
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