The Sound Of Silence...
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Tuesday, 06 February 07 - 11:36 AM (GMT -07:00) By Kerry Snyder in Spirituality |
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Coming off of what was such an amazing time on my retreat; being still, listening to God, reading the word, journaling, learning to love and learn from the silence, I was determined to carry with me the lessons I had learned, and to take time to cultivate and enjoy the silence that I had come to know and love in the mountains of Colorado, in my everyday life. Well, that hasn't worked out so well. Instead of retreating to those times of silence on a daily basis, I have found myself allowing my days to start and dictate me, rather than me dictating my day. I allowed the busyness of life to drown out the sound of silence. I allowed my own self percieved importance and demands from others to take precedence over the call of God to be still. And it has got to stop.
I open with that quote from Merton because it finally came to the point where I found myself becoming short and rough with the people around me. When I was in the mountains, I felt this tugging of God on my heart to be more kind and compassionate, and I came down with those feelings and those thoughts. I found my words more meaningful and slow to come, I found my actions more thoughtful and servant minded, but after a few days of missing the quiet, the silence, the being still, that self began to fade away. Now I sit a couple weeks out, and my attitude is as if I never went... God let me learn to develop the discipline of silence in my daily life. Let me be still before you, and in that stillness, let me hear your voice again, and know that you are God. And let me respond to those around me in the knowledge that they to are your beloved.
To Worship...
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Tuesday, 16 January 07 - 06:32 PM (GMT -07:00) By Kerry Snyder in Spirituality |
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Hold on, this one is gonna be long, it's kind of a "hot button" for me lately, and something that God has been working out in me for a while, and I felt compelled to share. But if you make it through, I'd love to hear your comments and thoughts.
"I was singing to the giver of life in the middle of a crowd of dead people" was the description someone used to get their point across about how they felt about worship at church. I have to admit, I have felt that way, and sadly, I have also been one of the dead. As a 30 year old follower of Christ (being a pastor has nothing to do with this), I find myself being sucked into the debate of style when it comes to our worship services. So many my age seem to be rebelling against the church (which is the bride of Christ) based on the fact that they don't like the "style" of music. Is this really something worth rebelling over?
I too sometimes find myself disconnected in service because the style is different from what I am used to. But is this any reason for me to not go to the service, or ditch out on the music, or whatever? In the Bible, the book of John tells of a conversation that took place between Jesus and a woman of, shall we say, less the pure sexual standing. Jesus speaks truth into her life, and confronts her in her brokenness, and the woman's response to Jesus is basically, "You are a prophet, what is the correct way to worship?" The response that Jesus gives is far from anything based on location, style, or content. Jesus replies in verses 21-14 " "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in
Jesus basically shoots down the arguments of so many who have become disillusioned with the church based on style of worship. "I don't like the way the play that song", or "I don't like that band" so they move onto another church. Where as if we look at that reply, Jesus is demolishing and stubbornness about who has the right style, or location, or tempo, or look. What God wants and desires is "spirit" which in this passage means literally a "wind" or "breath". We are all created in the image of God, bearing His likeness, qualities, and essence. We all have divine beginnings, and as His creation we all carry within ourselves, His breathe. It was in this image that we find our true selves, in His image, without blemish, without sin. Pure and Holy before God. It's the pure, innocent, unbridled expression of our love and thankfulness to Him that God desires. Like a little boy screaming at the top of his lungs the praises and love that he has for his daddy. Not caring about the scene he is making, or who is looking, the only thought he has is expressing this feeling he has for his father.
When Jesus says in truth, it means "nothing hidden". What do I try and hide from God when I come before Him to praise Him? Is it my feeling of inadequacy because of my brokenness and sin, and the baggage I carry? Do I feel unworthy of being able to truly allow myself to come before such a holy God and sing to, and worship Him? Or am I simply hiding my true emotions from those around me. Am I so afraid of what others may think that I hide my true self, and in that, I prohibit myself from being completely free to express myself to my father?
I realize that the context that I am writing from here is one of using the term "worship" to describe the musical and expressive aspect of the Christian walk. When worship is the way I live my life, it's my response to God. Louie Giglio says that "Worship is...
our response, both personal and corporate, to God - for who He is! and what He has done! expressed in and by the things we say and the way we live." But shouldn't our Sunday "musical" worship be a part of that? That's part of our life, and part of our response right? If anything, that moment, should be the accumulation of our week, and outpouring of love and expression towards God. It should be the climax, the pinnacle, of the life we have lived the rest of the week. And when we stand there, dead in our tracks, no sign of life, joy, worship, repentance or response... What does that say about us?
We can view worship as the outpouring response to different lives lived. We either view worship as a "kick start" to a new week, a chance to start over, or we view it as the natural response to a week of experienced goodness. Some of us may come into this moment so broken and weighed down by our own brokenness and sin, feeling like utter failures, completely unworthy of worshipping God. But in that moment we should run to, and seek God for his forgiveness and restoration in our lives. And as we receive that, and realize that, our outpouring of one who has been redeemed and restored, and we worship God for His faithfulness and goodness, and the healing he has brought to our lives. And it is out of that restoration of our relationship with Him, that we joyfully worship.
Or some of us may be coming into that moment from a week where we felt extremely close to God, and could feel His presence and goodness all around us. We were moved in our prayer, learned in our studying of His word, truly loved others, gave freely, etc... And our lives during that week felt so utterly drenched with the love and presence of God that we almost felt like we could reach out and touch Him. In that moment, we should worship God for His goodness, for His closeness to us. For His presence in the midst of our lives. We joyfully worship God because He is good, and His faithfulness is never ending!
Why are our buildings and campuses filled with the dead on Sunday's, or whenever you meet? Why do our moments of worship reflect something that we are being forced into, rather something we run into whole heartedly? Why are we so concerned with what others will think of us if we sing off key, or raise our hand, or fall on our knees or face, or weep? Why is not our only concern that of our Father? Why are we content with going to church (to be entertained), rather than being the church (that worships in spirit and in truth)?
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