The Space Between

"If we are going to worship in Spirit,
we must develop a spirit of worship."
- Michael Catt




I need to think in pictures sometimes. Especially when I am trying to understand complex ideas. And when I am trying to wrestle with truths about worship, pictures or models bring clarity when words can sometimes fall short for me.

This is why I find discussions about worship so difficult. The word worship is so far-reaching in meaning it can be elusive. When I say "worship" are you thinking about music, a Sunday service, a lifestyle, prayer, a private moment with Christ, obedience, caring for widows and orphans...? The list can be endless. So our discussions about worship can often seem like speaking different languages.

So here is how I picture worship services, private moments of worship and the worship lifestyle co-existing in one picture.

Take any solid object. You can touch it, it has mass, form, color, texture... it's real. And yet science tells us that it is mostly space. There is space between the molecules, space between the atoms within the molecules, even space between the subatomic particles. All that space adds up. So much so that I suppose that in an ideal situation, if all the space lined up perfectly, 2 objects could pass through each other without even touching... but it never happens. I think there is some beauty in that (now I am drifting)

What does this have to do with worship?

Well, suppose that the totality of what worship is could be represented by a solid object. Its real, you can touch it, feel it, see it, hold it. Each molecule representing another experience of worship, a service, a song, a devotional, a scripture verse... the list goes on and on. And yet, that object is still mostly space. And it is the space that makes it real. The molecules could not coexist without the space between.

I think we focus so much on the molecules of worship, we fail to see the object of worship. If we could give value to the space between, that day-in and day-out living in the presence of God reality, our worship would not just be a collection of molecules. It would take shape. And it wouldn't be so hard to talk about or describe. We wouldn't argue about musical styles or Bible translations. We would find worship moments throughout a Sunday Service. And we wouldn't need to wait for a Sunday morning to experience worship. We would encounter Christ in every moment of every day.

Some suggestions to deepen your worship:
1. Book - Exploring the Worship Spectrum
by Paul Engle & Paul Basden
2. Audio Tapes - Worship: As a Way of Life
by Louie Giglio
3. Podcast - The Worship Leader Podcast (iTunes)