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Monday, December 15, 2008

What is this church gonna be like? Part 2

Read Part 1 first.

Part 2 will be all about worship. The reason the comments are turned off is for posts like this. If you think I'm misguided pray for me if this is what you've always dreamed of ... pray for me. Either way I want to be listening to God for direction instead of criticism or praise.

Worship is very personal! I believe that worship on a corporate level tends to mess up worship. It is more difficult to focus on God in a crowd. For some God is seen and worshiped while observing nature. For others worship is experienced while quoting scripture or singing songs. And others worship best in the dark quiet places - eyes closed with the world turned off. Some worship with loud music because it allows them freedom they don't feel in a quiet reverent chapel. Others worship through dance. I've worshiped in all of these ways but dance.

Some worship tradition. Some worship the absence of tradition. Most don't worship! In our modern world of information at every turn we have often worshiped information and knowledge. Many church attenders leave their respective gathering places more informed about God or some aspect of theology, having never encountered God. By definition, worship requires that our lives intersect with God. Without meeting God in what we have labeled worship, we have only been to a seminar or a refined lecture. More information is not necessarily bad but for our purposes, information will not take the place of worship.

Each week at Threshold we will intentionally create an atmosphere designed to make it easy to encounter God. Sometimes the music will be loud... sometimes it will be soft. We may not always have music. We will use video, games, drama, stories and scripture study. Much of what we will do may not seem like it belongs in church at all. but... Everything we do regardless of how traditional or non-traditional it may seem will be designed to move the worship participant toward an encounter with God. At threshold we believe that our lives intersecting with God will bring about change, adjustments, altered character and the ever unpopular but necessary repentance.