Have you ever endured boring worship? If so you know how hard it is to connect with God when you are not interested. And you can tell if that is the norm by observing the interest level of the regular attendees. Do the participants have excitement for what they are doing? Do the worshippers pay attention or do they text and fidget and sit with blank faces? Do they discuss the spirit of worship or do they forget they have been there by lunch time?
Worship is supposed to be a dynamic experience of encounter between God and people. Unfortunately too many do not pay attention to the quality of the experience or take time to create the dynamic environment for the Soul and Spirit to connect. It is not that worship providers prepare a “show”. The worship experience is a mutual participation exercise and those who lead have a huge and holy responsibility to create the best experience possible for all.
One way to help build the experience is to plan for the ebb and flow of energy. In every worship experience there are “high” and “low” moments. There is time to be active and time to be passive, time to speak or sing and time to listen and time to quietly reflect. There is a time to be social and a time for solitude and all of it should flow evenly and smoothly from one to another creating a whole experience that is memorable and builds anticipation for the next.
A trap of “form based” worship is to just plug elements in without careful planning to ebb and flow. A trap of “theme based” worship is to focus on parts or providers rather than integration of all parts and providers with people.
Worship experiences should not be “cookie cutter” patterns or static which drains interest and enthusiasm. Some experiences start low and build to a high. Others start in the middle and ride up and down. Some start high and end low. Creativity is key to helping people worship and fully participate in the full worship experience.
So mind and heart, energy and pace, activity and stillness all together work to create a worship experience that makes a difference and because of it not only helps folks encounter God in a real and personal way, it helps them to remember the message and the difference, share it with others, and live better because of it.
Perhaps it helps to remember that every part of every worship service and every person in it are on Holy Ground in a Holy time to represent and present themselves honestly and to honor God and our relationship with God.
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