Worship Experiences

Words matter. Choosing the right words, especially when dealing with doctrinal and theological issues, is extremely important. That said, one of the changes I’ve seen recently among some churches is the move away from having church, or worship, services to having “worship experiences”. While I’m sure the intent is to be more “relevant” to modern society, I’m afraid this change betrays some fundamental problems with church worship today.

If you look up the word “worship”, you’re likely to find a defintion kind of like this: “Show reverence and adoration for (a deity); honor with religious rites”. Wikipedia defines it this way: “Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity. The word is derived from the Old English worthscipe, meaning worthiness or worth-ship — to give, at its simplest, worth to something.” In these defintions, the recipient of the action is always something or someone else. In a church setting, this would be, of course, God Himself.

My problem with “worship experiences”, then, is that it turns this on its head. Worship is no longer something we give. It’s something we feel, or experience. It’s no longer about God, but it’s about us. “Worship experience” proponents may be quick to say that’s not the point, and I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, but that’s not what the wording implies. With “worship services”, the term implies that we are rendering service to someone, namely the Lord. When we start talking about experiences, suddenly the implication is that the emphasis is on what we think. The question is no longer “Is God pleased?” and becomes “How do I feel? What did I get out of this?” That’s a very self-absorbed and dangerous shift in thinking. Again, it may not be intended, but that’s certainly what the word implies, and when we approach the Lord in corporate worship for a “worship experience”, I’m afraid we’re stacking the deck against ourselves. I play bass for our church, so I know all too well how easy it is to miss the point the of the service and seek simply to enjoy myself. A proper understanding of and, dare I say, reverence for corporate worship, up to and including what we call it, is a good preventative for self-centered worship.

I think this issue is beautifully put in the song “Because You Are” (performed below by the band everybodyduck):

I can’t feel You like others around me
I don’t feel like kneeling or closing my eyes
Is there something wrong with my heart that I can’t see?
Or do You feel love still when nobody cries?

We don’t worship for what we might feel; we worship simply because He is.

Listen to the song here. Full lyrics below.

I can’t feel You like others around me
I don’t feel like kneeling or closing my eyes
Is there something wrong with my heart that I can’t see?
Or do You feel love still when nobody cries?

Pre Chorus:
So I’ll praise You if I never feel You
And I’ll love you cause I know You’re there
And if You should choose so I’m sure one day I’ll feel it
But feeling good’s never the reason I cared

Chorus:
Father, I praise You because You are
Jesus, I love You because You are
Spirit, I worship You because You are
And if no one can see that Your love’s moving me
I worship You still and forever will
Because You are

Verse 2:
‘Cause I know in my heart how bad I want to touch You
You must sense this love my soul barely contains
No lack of desire in this desert to worship
I keep singing skyward it just never rains

Pre Chorus:
So I’ll praise You if I never feel You
And I’ll love you cause I know You’re there
And if You should choose so I’m sure one day I’ll feel it
But feeling good’s never the reason I cared

Chorus:
Father, I praise You because You are
Jesus, I love You because You are
Spirit, I worship You because You are
And if no one can see that Your love’s moving me
I worship You still and forever will
Because You are

Verse:
I can’t feel You like others around me
I don’t feel like kneeling or closing my eyes
Is there something wrong with my heart that I can’t see?
Or do You feel love still when nobody cries?

TagsChurch, Worship