7 essential questions about the whys 'n stuff of worship

Over a very long period of time, some of us have watched with alarm the regrettable decline of many sound worship practices in the Evangelical church. Marva Dawn talked about it. Sally Morgenthaler talked about it. We all talked about it! So why haven't we done something to help the situation? Besides the fact that none of us is bright enough to turn a whole culture around, we are probably co-conspirators when it comes to the destruction of sound worship values.

I've just completed a BLOG featuring some profound words from Brennan Manning a few of us heard last week at Ocean Grove, New Jersey. Go read it—I'll wait—then come back here so we can talk.

1. Who is the primary recipient of worship blessings?
• How many times have you heard it said that our worship is for an audience of One (God!)?
• How many times have you heard someone say of worship, "Whew, I really needed that?"
• Therein lies the paradox—we worship one true God but almost always come away from the experience talking about ourselves.
• If our worship was for Him, how did we become the focal point for the evaluation of our worship's effectiveness?
• I'm puzzled...

2. When we think about worship, who is it we think of?
• Would you judge me if I told you that frequently when I'm supposed to be worshiping God, I'm actually thinking more about someone on the platform like…a worship leader or pastor or a really slick soloist (I hate to confess this stuff, but let's be real)?
• Is it possible that we could actually go through a whole worship service and never once think of God?
(Watch this video and be alarmed--very alarmed! Sunday's Coming)

3. If I don't feel worthy to worship, what's missing?
• Sometimes I don't allow myself to worship because of my low "worship self-esteem." I think that, certainly, others must being doing it better.
•Sometimes I feel guilty because I have a worship music fetish—I only like what I like.
•Sometimes nobody around me is singing and I feel stupid about being the only one to express my feelings, so I just don't!

4. What if we stopped worshiping—would God still exist?
• I'm pretty sure that our worship doesn't impact the existence of God, but we do say all the time (because it's Scriptural) that "God inhabits the praises of His people."
• Do we have a basic confusion about the function of worship?
• Do some of us believe that God exists because we think He does?

5. Why can't we all just get along—in worship?
• Is our splitting up of congregations by taste a practical issue or is there actually a diabolic plot to break Christians up?
• Do people actually fear there may be some truth to that?
• Why shouldn't they?
• Why should they?

6. Is my worship better than your worship?
• We're already guilty of quantifying our worship—are we also guilty of qualifying it?
• If it's O.K. to do that, should we hold "Worship" Awards Shows every year on Television (HD, preferably)?

7. Why do we struggle so much to do something so simple?
Go back and read the BLOG about Brennan Manning's view of worship and see if you and those who worship with you hold to any of the values he mentions.

These questions (with extra questions thrown in for good measure) are meant to make you talk about this stuff with people who you know care about these things. I think we need to talk along these lines much more than we talk about what kind of music people like. Don't you?