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 Editorial  |  | | |
 I have heard it said that "the Word became flesh and dwelt
among us" (John 1:14) and we have spent 2000 years turning Him back into words.
Insightful as this statement is, the Christian church's tendency to privilege words
over other expressions of faith is not actually 2000 years old. Early Christian
worship was a multi-sensory experience, organized around patterns of table
fellowship established by Christ.[1]
In fact, the liturgical centrality of bread and cup was normative for nearly
all Christians until the Protestant Reformation - although lay participation
eventually became reduced in most places to what is sometimes called "ocular communion"
(i.e., observation without ingesting anything). Even Luther's 16th-century
liturgical reforms retained the assumption that communion was an essential
aspect of worship.[2]
Ultimately, however, Protestant worship reform would result
in a shift from "experiencing the divine body through sight, touch, and
ingestion to interpreting the scriptural Word."[3]
And unfortunately, the helpful aspects of this corrective shift were also
accompanied by a loss of the integral connection between body, mind and spirit - a connection that is needed for wholistic discipleship.[4]
As mainstream
Protestants, Adventists affirm (and rightly so) that both the embodied,
incarnate Word and the written Word must be central to worship. We are somewhat
distinctive, however, in believing that the body, mind, and spirit are fully
united.[5]
Could it be that by eschewing a fully embodied worship that engages all the
senses we are implicitly embracing the very body-spirit dualism we claim to reject?
Multi-sensory worship should not supplant the centrality of
Scripture. And caution is advisable. As Augustine reminds us, the senses are
not "content to be in a subordinate place" and often seek a "leading role" over
reason.[6]
Those familiar with Ellen White's council will know that she expresses similar
concerns.[7]
But if God could be fully revealed without engaging the
senses, then Christ need not have "dwelt among us" in the flesh. And God need
not have bothered to create a world that so abounds with sweet-smelling
flowers, majestic mountain vistas, cool water, and singing birds.
As you read below, I invite you to prayerfully consider how
you might encourage your congregations to worship as the whole persons that God
created them to be. And as you worship in the fullness of body and mind,
"spirit and truth" (John 4:24), I pray that the smells, textures, tastes, sounds,
and sights of worship will direct your attention ever more fully to the God who
created them and has given us so many reasons to praise Him with all that we
are.
 Discuss this article on Facebook---
[1] See, for example, Acts
2:42.
[2] Adventist theology and practice
of the Lord's Supper is much closer to the approach of Zwingli and
Anabaptist
reformers. Austere, quarterly celebration of the communion can be traced
back
to Zwingli's Action and Use of the Lord's
Supper (1525). See, James White, Introduction
to Christian Worship 3rd ed. (Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 2000),
245.
[3] Edward Muir, Ritual in Early Modern Europe
(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005), 158.
[4] See ibid., 155-162.
[5] Hence, we have a health
message and reject the notion of an immortal, conscious soul.
[6] Augustine, Confessions X, xxxiii, 49-50; pp.
207-208. trans.Henry Chadwick.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1981. Quoted in Stapert, A New Song for
an Old World (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2007),
182-183.
[7] See, for example, Ellen
White,
Selected Messages, 2:36-37.
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| Sight | | | |
For better or for worse, contemporary
Christian worship has shifted our focus to two large video screens of negative
space hung from the rafters. When deciding what to project on this canvas
for worship, we use a highly variable combination of imagery, text and movement
that is related to what is being communicated at any moment in time.
The most important decision that the
visual artist has to make, sometimes on the fly when worship VJ-ing, is
figuring out what correlation they want their images to have with the context
and message of the experience being offered-whether song, sermon, or
otherwise. Depending on the correlation, you can trigger two different
responses in participants: a cognitive response or an emotional one. Cognitive use of the canvas makes a person process information-and we do this
all the time when we project announcements, headers describing what segment of
worship we're currently in, or even song lyrics. An emotional application
is one where correlation is generally much less literal, and far more dramatic
in its ability to engage people upward. This is where we often fall short in
our worship.
Highlighted
and bold type words panning or flying across the screen that are redundant to
the lyrics being sung, or even something as straightforward as a picture of
people bowing down in worship when singing "We Fall Down" may seem adequate,
but it's not completely capitalizing on what is possible. Why do we show
images of people bowing down if we aren't ourselves-is it a secondary form of
virtual worship-with our mind's eye only and not as a physical act? Our Christianity
is the richest of faiths that deserves to treat worshipers as
participants-sophisticated emotive beings whose engagement can go far beyond
the kitsch-the picture of the candle, the low angle shot of a person with arms
outstretched, and dare I say it, the amateur photo of a white cross with a
sunset behind it. Any shortcoming is not in these important icons themselves,
it's that meaning begins to falter through unoriginality, redundancy, and
overuse.
What we need today is more thoughtful imagery, even going into the
abstract like what Impressionism did for us in the 19th century. Maybe even just a suggestion of light and colors. Reaching beyond the
purely cognitive, it gives us room to participate freely with our powerful
imaginations. Through this, we are able to leap beyond the worship leader
alone and into the presence of the Divine.
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| Taste | | | |
When King David
suggested that we should "taste and see that the Lord is good" (Ps. 34:8) he
wasn't trying to be clever in some attempt to capture the imagination of his
audience. He wasn't even using his gifted writing skills to convey some deeper
understanding. He was simply celebrating what was commonly understood and
practiced. In another song David asks us to "chew" on God's law (Ps. 1:2). The text
is usually translated "meditate", but the Hebrew primitive root is the same as
the word found in Isaiah 5:29 which describes a lion "growling" over its prey. David
knows how the law tastes; it is "sweeter than honey" (Ps. 19:10). It seems
clear that David is comfortable with a tactile, relishing, even mouth watering,
take-it-all-in-and-consume-it kind of experience with his God.
Food is a
consistent and central medium in biblical spiritual practice.[1]
Is there something principally relevant about food; something powerfully common
to human existence and the purposes of God?
Our
soteriological understanding places us blessedly beyond the first advent, yet it is still spiritually instructive to recognize
that unquestionably, the weightiest of messianic types in Scripture is
the emblematic, sacrificial lamb. We know from Old Testament law that the Lamb
was not only slain but ceremoniously burnt on the altar as an offering of
worship, and most often reverently consumed in a communal meal as well. (Exodus
12:8).
In Exodus 24, following
a God-arranged worship service of renewed commitment and praise (v. 1), an
incredible account of eating and communion with God is recorded. In verse 5 the
people offer burnt offerings and fellowship offerings (the fellowship or peace
offerings were not set aside for priests, but served back to those who gave
them).[2]
They read God's Word and declared their love and obedience (v. 7). And then in
verse 9 God invites Moses and his associates up the mountain for an "afterglow"
service. In other bible stories God has reduced Himself to fire, vapor and
smoke in order to come close. But in Exodus 24:10 He stands on a "pavement
of sapphire," not fully disclosed but unmistakably God, shimmering in pure
glory. Here again God has found a way to reduce His immanent magnificence to a
consumable size. And the bible records that "they saw God and they ate and
drank." They saw God and they ate and drank - it is a fantastic and
curious juxtaposition - food and worship. Undoubtedly prophetic, that is, the
Incarnate Lamb of God served as a Holy appetizer in glorious anticipation of
the meal to come (Rev 19:9). But also deliberately current: God - overwhelming
Holy, yet approachable, spiritually and physically nourishing, and as relevant
to human need as a great plate of food.
How do we celebrate
salvation and anticipate full redemption? With only quarterly celebrations of
communion, are we failing to benefit fully from this central eschatological
sign instituted by Christ?[3]
How do we bring hope, promise and real sustenance to a hungry world? Perhaps we
have missed the significance of church potlucks and dinner dates. Perhaps they are far more useful,
important, and even vital as acts of worship than we have realized. How do you serve up God?
Discuss this article on Facebook
---
[1] As referenced in Old Testament Scripture
and continued in the Gospels and Writing of Paul: Mt 26:26, 27; John 6; 1
Corinthians 10 & 11.
[2] Deut 27:7 among many others.
[3] I Corinthians 11:23-26.
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Smell
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In the last fifteen years, science has made great advances in
understanding our sense of smell, which is well connected to memory. I find it
amazing that the Bible is full of "aromas" to be remembered.
For instance, 1) Genesis 8: After the flood Noah offered a sacrifice
with a "pleasing aroma" to God - a reminder of God's promise. 2) Exodus 29: At
the temple, burnt offerings were a "pleasing aroma" to remind Israel of God. 3)
2 Corinthians 2:14 "...and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the
knowledge of him." Yes, aromas, fragrances, smells not only remind us, but
invite us into sacred spaces.
There are many fun things to do to enliven the sense of smell in
worship, though finding fun aromas to go along with the sermon can be
challenging - but rewarding! For instance, on Father's Day Sabbath, why not
have a barbeque going on the stage. Just the smell of the barbeque will invite
memories of fun times with dads - though, Risk Management would prefer we not
use open-flame type barbeques!
A sermon on life balance might include a lavender hand lotion given
to attendees to remind them to relax with perhaps lavender-scented candles
burning in the halls and sanctuary. (Be careful to use lightly scented,
non-allergic candles for the sake of your attendees with allergies).
Baking bread during the worship hour can drive home the point that
Christ is the "bread of the world." As a bonus, did you know "Bethlehem" in
Hebrew means "House of bread?" So the "bread of the world" was born in a
bakery! God is just so amazing!
By the way, two of my favorite resources
for sensory worship ideas are the books "Designing Worship" and "reDesigning Worship" by Kim Miller, available at Amazon.com or any book store.
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| Virtual Senses | | | |
Worship, Media and the Avatar Blues
Have you attended church online yet? Or experienced a sermon-by-satellite at a multi-campus
church? Media is quickly changing
the whole notion of presence in worship. And it has sparked a debate about the impact of technology and what it means
to be part of a worshiping
community.[1] Marshall McLuhan broadly defined media as extensions of our human
faculties.[2] Think of them as prosthetic devices for the senses. Some
"presence technologies" bring real environments to remote audiences. Others create a sense of presence in
virtual worlds.[3] But can we really be "there" in worship without being physically
present? To some degree it's possible. However, notice this rule of thumb. Any increase in "simulated presence"
results in a decrease of "situated presence."[4] Let me offer an example. CNN recently
reported an outbreak of the "Avatar blues." After being immersed in the
simulated world of the 3-D movie, Avatar, some viewers experienced a loss of interest in their
real lives. One fan posted: "When I woke up this morning
after watching Avatar for the first time yesterday, the world seemed ... gray.
It was like my whole life, everything I've done and worked for, lost its
meaning."[5] Hmm.... So is
there a place for virtual worship? Critics will point out that the Word became flesh, not an image on a screen. Andy Crouch asks, "How does the church
incarnate in a culture that is not carnal, that is not embodied? Can you
incarnate in a media culture? We've outsourced our culture to the screens -
that are nothing."[6] Crouch calls for more real, face-to-face
experiences in worship. True, the virtual can lure us away from the real. But media scholars emphasize that most
of our lives are spent moving back and forth between the virtual and actual
worlds, each interacting with the other. This creates a new sense of being. Our existence becomes "a movement between places rather than being in a
place."[7] Viewed in this way, our "in between" lives are analogous to a
life of worship. After all, where
is the "there" in worship? Worship
is a form of transport, is it not? Like Jacob's ladder, God's presence is made known in the movement
between heaven and earth. How does
the hymn go? "Turn your eyes upon
Jesus, look full into His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow
strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace." Looks like a case of the
Avatar blues to me.[8] The apostle John says, "That...which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we
have looked at and our hands have touched-this we proclaim concerning the Word
of life" (1 John 1:1). Christian proclamation is the extension of a sensory
experience. It is a ministry of presence. To the extent that media can aid us in
that task and be balanced with the embodied life of His people, we ought to claim
its power for the gospel. Discuss this article on Facebook--- [1] For a
summary of the debate refer to Chad Hall, "Church...Virtually," Leadership Journal, posted
1/4/2010. Accessed at christianitytoday.com/le/communitylife/evangelism/churchvirtually.html. And
Bob Smietana, "High-Tech Circuit Riders," Christian
Today, September
2005, Vol. 49, No. 9. Accessed at christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/september/24.60.html?start=2[2] Marshall
McLuhan, The Medium is the Message
(Corte Madera, CA: Gingko Press, 1967) p. 26. Listen to the quote at youtube.com/watch?v=A7GvQdDQv8g. [3] Shanyang
Zhao, "'Being there' and the Role of Presence Technology." In G. Riva, F.
Davide, W.A. IJsselsteijn (Eds.), Being
There: Concepts, effects and measurements of user presence in synthetic
environments (Amsterdam: Ios Press, 2003), Chapter 9. Accessed at neurovr.org/emerging/volume5.html[4] Ronald Purser, "Virtualization of Consciousness or Conscious
Virtualization: What path will virtual reality take?" In Jerry Biberman &
Abbass Alkhafaji (Eds.) Business Research Yearbook, Global Business
Perspectives, Vol VII. (New York: University Press of America, 2000).
Accessed at userwww.sfsu.edu/~rpurser/revised/pages/iabddoc.htm. [5] Jo Piazza, "Audiences experience 'Avatar' blues," CNN Entertainment.
Accessed at cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/11/avatar.movie.blues/index.html. [6] Andy Crouch in a "Conversation on Worship and Culture in North
America." Audio interview with the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship,
April, 2006. MP3, 6:40-7:30. Accessed at calvin.edu/worship/idis/cultural/acrouch06.php. [7] Gordon Calleja, "Virtual Worlds Today: Gaming and online sociality." In
Kerstin Radde-Antweiler (Ed.), "Being Virtually Real? Virtual worlds from a
cultural studies' perspective," Heidelberg
Journal of Religions on the Internet, Volume 03.1, pp. 8-9. Accessed at online.uni-hd.de. [8] Ellen White reports that
after coming out of her first vision "a gloom was spread over all I beheld. Oh!
How dark this world looked to me." Selected
Messages, Volume II, p. 35. |
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| Worship Resources from the NAD Church Resource Center | | | |
Bible Graphics Studio
Bible Graphics Studio is a
powerful yet easy to use graphics factory designed to help busy Pastors and
Worship Leaders quickly produce custom projected graphics. Realistic Bible
photographs, an intuitive catalog, a variety of templates, and thousands of
graphics make Bible Graphics Studio a unique graphics library.
Powerful
Graphics:
Over 1200 unique Realistic Bible Character Photographs. Full
of realism and true to character, these original images are shot on location in
areas that capture the true feeling of the Bible era. These instant classics
define today's Bible imagery: modern interpretation, classic styling... the
BEST of the best. Professional
Templates:
Our professional templates combine to give you hundreds of
background options, giving you complete control over your message. These can be
used with any presentation software. Bible Graphics Studio retails for $299
but was made available through conference ministerial secretaries to all
pastors in the North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church as
Pastor's DVD Volume 8.
Stories are a collection of PowerPoint
presentations and are pre-assembled into the more familiar Bible
stories, such as Ruth and Naomi, the Good Samaritan, and the feeding of
the 5,000. Just type your text onto the slides, and in a short time you
can have a fully illustrated Bible story ready to go! Sets contain templates of generic Bible
characters placed onto a background. This gives you a great headstart in
illustrating your sermon. Choose from dozens of faces and let your
creativity take over. Our sets can be used to illustrate an unlimited
number of sermons. The Design Kit is the real heart and soul of
Bible Graphics Studio. These elements are the building blocks of a
custom presentation. The individual pieces can be arranged however you
like to illustrate your sermon. Over 1200 unique Realistic Bible
Character Photographs, Hundreds of stylistically diverse background
templates, Hundreds of alpha channel design elements and dozens of
original movie clips provide design elements for an infinite amount of
professional looking template designs from within your presentation
software.
While PDVD8 is out of print if there is enough interest the NAD Church
Resource Center may replicate some more. Email Dave Gemmell to pre-order your copy. | |
| Worship Gatherings | | | |
GODencounters Conference ATL
By A. Allan Martin
"GRACEfull" is the
theme of the GODencounters Conference ATL,
July 1-3, 2010, to be held Thursday & Friday, 8:00 PM at Georgia 7-9, Sheraton
Atlanta Hotel, 165 Courtland Street NE; then culminating Saturday, 9:00 AM at
the Georgia Ballroom, Building C of the Georgia World Congress Center, 285
Andrew Young International Blvd NW. All sessions are free and open to the community and young adults are
especially invited. For more
information go to www.GODencounters.orgAmong
the principal participants are Dr. Matthew Gamble as well as musical artists,
Nick Zork, Karla Dechavez, and Kasper Haughton. GODencounters is a movement of young
adults who are wholeheartedly seeking a 24/7 experience of GOD, recklessly
living for His renown. Endorsed
by General Conference and North American Division Youth/Young Adult Ministries,
GODencounters Conference ATLconcludes IMPACT Atlanta [ www.impactatlanta.info], a week of community service and discipleship
training for Adventist young adults. For more information go to www.GODencounters.org or email
info@GODencounters.org. | |
| Featured Resources | |
| - The AdventPraise DVD serves
to
introduce North American congregations to a variety of new Adventist
praise and worship choruses. Worship teams may peruse through the DVD to
discover songs that might fit well with their congregation. Then after
the proper
licensing has been taken care of through a royalty licensing
organization such as CCLI, the AdventPraise worship resource may be used
for congregational worship and small groups. The AdventPraise DVD was
distributed to
every church in the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists
as Pastor's DVD volume 14. The project can also be purchased at AdventSource. Preview the songs and
videos here.
- Did you miss our May newsletter? Click here to read an archived copy.
- Church
Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) is a leader in church licensing. They
offer an annual worship music license for as low as $49. They also off church video licenses and services that provide sheet music for worship songs. For more info, visit www.ccli.com.
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Resources
