There's No Insult Like the Truth | This Christian Life

March 06, 2003

There’s No Insult Like the Truth

Category: Church

After church last Sunday, I had a conversation with the man at our church in charge of the set up of the sanctuary. He and I were discussing the limitations and potential solutions of the stage set up. Our stage is partially permanent and partially made up of small carpeted squares that can be moved around. On our stage is an incredibly constructed, large pulpit, a similarly fashioned communion table, baptismal font, and lecturn.

In conversation, I discovered that these items are very precious to him and provide meaning to his worship experience. To paraphrase, ‘Just like music is a part of the service, the arrangement and visbility of of the items on stage are part of the service.’ See he has a problem with how the “praise team” stands IN FRONT of the communion table and pulpit, thereby dampening his worship experience.

I think he has a point that there are several elements that make up the worship experience, but my largest point to him was that a postmodern world doesn’t necessarily comprehend the idea of using a few pieces of furniture to enhance worship. In fact, I went so far as to say people like him are worshipping the furniture and arrangement of the stage.

Do you think I’m right?

Posted by pablohart on March 06, 2003 09:38 AM

Comments

Yes and no. The furniture in the sanctuary can be, and have been throughout history, important elements of worship. They are symbols of the sacraments. Symbols of the word and of the communion, in this way they are very important to worship. And at times they can be venerated more than what they are symbols of. They can be abused. Where multiple styles and traditions of worship come together it is important to have dialogue about worship and the meaning that the symbols, music, liturgy, dance, proclaimed word all bring to bear.

Posted by Edward at March 6, 2003 1:06 PM

ah yes. Calvinism meets non-Calvinism. Paul, the reason that this conversation has never happened to you before (at least with meaning) is that you were raised in the CRC/Dutch tradition. Calvin took every"thing" out of the worship experience, i.e. icons, candles, etc., even the cross) as to limit the temptation for idolatry. but in most every other tradition (try working with Episcopalians as i did last summer. whoah!) these things have EXTREMELY high meaning and, in fact, worship is induced by their very presence. things do have meaning. whether or not we like to agree with Calvin, things really do shape our non-thing (read: spiritual) praxis.

this is why postmodernity is beginning to look something like premodernity in many cases. for example, we know that a nice video in church can "enhance" one's learning/worship experience. this is the same motivation by which icons were created. people created stain glass windows because they were beautiful, tought bible lessons, and pointed to something beyond themselves (symbolized by the sun on the other side of them shining through). such are videos and powerpoint, right?

the objects themselves (eucharist table, pulpit, etc.) are less important to the postmodern thinker because the postmodern thinker finds less import in systematic strategy. or so they think ;) but when these postmoderns grow up, i propose, they too will be very concerned with "where" the hologram projector is positioned in the sanctuary.

i'm rambling...i'll yield the floor to Edward.

Posted by nathan at March 6, 2003 2:07 PM

i guess i take issue with the whole idea of 'enhancing worship.' i think it's important to remove distractions, but whenever we try to 'enhance' worship for one person, chances are we will be distracting to another person. An example is one of those worship videos we recently used in our church - the video shows all these nature scenes, but the predominant image is one of clouds flying across the screen at high speed. The lyrics to 'Shout to the Lord' appear one line at a time at the bottom of the screen.

one person I spoke with said all she could think of was karoke - another started to get dizzy and couldn't watch the video. personally, i have never enjoyed that song more than when i sang it in costa rica in a small church with an overhead projector and everyone literally /shouting/ to the Lord!

i think worship leaders should attempt to remove distractions and demonstrate what it means to worship in spirit and in truth. if our attitude isn't right, it doesn't matter how many enhancements there are, if our attitude is right, our worship will be sincere in any type of service.

Posted by Dick at March 8, 2003 4:08 PM

in my church tradition, the altar is not a piece of furniture but a monument to the sacrifice of Christ's life... the cloths are His burial shroud... the wine / juice is His blood and the bread is His dear body, brutally broken for us! We do not worship these things, but we do love them & they focus our thoughts. Churches who do not cherish these things are not wrong, but they must not mock the brothers & sisters who love the meaning of these items.

Posted by nita at February 9, 2004 6:19 PM

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