Ok, these next two posts are going to be hard for lifetime church goers to endure. If you don't like to turn the thing upside down and see if it is working right, skip this post and the next one. If you want to explore the possibilities that there may be something better than church as usual, then read on.
Having said all of that, let's make some sacred cow burgers. Order #1, the pulpit. This little wooden podium represents the seat of power in most Christian churches. Week after week, skilled preachers serve up juicy tidbits from the Bible. Most of which is forgotten by the majority of the audience by the time they come back for another round. Now, I have nothing against sermons. I like to listen to a dynamic teacher just as much as the next pew potato. But I have started to notice a few disturbing trends.
Unfortunately, the modern sermon is not designed to engage and lead people on a personal journey. Instead, it has become a simple brain dump where the masses come for their weekly tune up. This explains why there can be so many sermons and so little impact in a church. Most people only take away a few thoughts if they are lucky from a typical sermon. I know that I feel good about my recall if I can remember what the preacher spoke about two weeks ago. Many times, I struggle to remember what the sermons was last week. Sure, the stories and positive lessons get buried somewhere deep in my psyche. But it would be better if sermons forced us to take personal responsibility for our learning and growth.
The lessons that I have learned best in life are those that I have had to discover first hand. Personal experience and Bible study are the engines for transformational learning. While others may be able to challenge me with a new truth that I have never thought about before, it only leaves a profound impact when I make it my own. Too many people go to hear another good sermon almost like they are going to a movie. But being transformed by the Word is not a spectator sport. I don't fault the pastors as much as the people. They are the ones who don't chew their food properly.
Modern sermons, even with good illustrations, lack the necessary dimensions to engage the senses and challenge mosaic learners. Increasingly, people are accustomed to multi-tasking and various forms of learning. Straight lecture, which is what most sermons are, does not work for many people, especially those with short attention spans. Preachers have started to include activities and response missions in their teachings to get more audience participation. Videos, skits and other activities can add the necessary dimension for people to interact with the message. However, these strategies have limitations.
I wonder if it would be better if we modeled our sermons after Torah studies led by a Rabbi. These scholars pose questions and suggest topics to explore. Sometimes, they will teach on the topic. But much of the process is left up to the audience to work through the issue. The Rabbi merely serves as a guide to help the discussion flow in the right direction. Would this form of teaching be more effective for Christian church gatherings? Would it make people think deeply and develop a greater since of community? Which is a better way to really get to know somebody to watch a movie with them or to play a board game? Unless you have some fairly interesting movie watching habits, such as harassing the actors, you are probably going to have more interaction with a game. I would say that the same holds true for a discussion versus a straight sermon format.
Now, some readers may think of me as a hypocrite because I preached a sermon last night at the youth group. Yes, yes...I know that people who stand behind pulpits and preach shouldn't throw stones. But my exploits have helped me learn a few things about why preaching may not be all it is thought to be. I have never preached a sermon where I felt like it made a bigger impact on the hearer than it did on me. While this can be hard to quantify, I believe it is true because that which springs from within is the most real to us. Some may say that it is because I need to work on my speaking. But I don't believe that my speaking ability is a major factor here.
Sermons tend to feed the desire within most of us to find a leader other than God. People look to man instead of God for direction all of the time. Just consider, when you have a problem, do you go pray about it first or do you go talk about it with someone? If you're like most people, prayer is not the first response. For ages, people have wanted an earthly king because we can see him. God is too out there when we tend to be so here focused. Sermons can encourage a lazy people to be lazy. While this does not have to be true, unfortunately it is reality in many churches today.
I remember encountering the earthly king mindset even in a home church setting one time. I was preparing for the weekly gathering when one of the four leaders had a hard time grasping that we did not have a plan going into the meeting. Our plan that week was to be available to God and to see where the Spirit took us. Right after we prayed, the brother looked around and asked, "Ok, I know we want to be organic, but who's going to get this thing started?" I just looked around the circle at the others guys and started to smile. We were on the same page..all except that one brother. Finally, he came around to the fact that we were going to wait and see what God did. Now I am not saying that this is how every gathering should work. But I knew it was what God wanted that night. And sure enough, the Spirit moved in a mighty way as almost every person there contributed in some way. When we got out of God's way, He drove us to new places that night.
Not having a plan is not the point. I have never been one of those people who believe that the Holy Spirit only leads spontaneously. The Spirit can show you something months ahead of time just as easily as lead you in the moment. There certainly is a place for planning and thinking ahead. Everything should be done decently and in order. The key is who is leading the message. Is it man or God? Are we so wedded to our plans that we won't stop and let God do His thing when He wants to interrupt our prepackaged service? When does God get his chance to speak from the pulpit and directly teach His people?
Please do not misunderstand me. I am not trying to suggest that we should cut out sermons altogether. But I do believe that we must recognize the shortcoming of sermons and take steps to encourage more interaction with the message. Good preachers know how to leave the audience wanting more. Good preaching leads to deep personal struggle over the topic discussed on Sunday. Sometimes we have to wrestle with God over something before we can receive the blessing of God's revelation and transformation.
Besides the sermon, the pulpit or stage area is the central focus for most worship experiences. People in the service follow pre-ed songs and cues from a worship leader. While there is nothing necessarily wrong with this, it could be if the process gets in the way of freedom and liberty. Worship leaders and songs are only guides to Jesus, they are not the focus of worship. If anything gets in the way of your view of Jesus, you would be better off to get rid of it at least for a while until you can use it right.
Over the past several years, I have felt free to do my own thing in the worship part of a church service. I don't care what is on the screen. Sometimes, I make up my own words as I freely pour out everything in me to God. I take whatever posture seems right at the time. I will use jolts of Scripture reading to help me focus and guide my praise. From lifting hands to dancing to singing in tongues, I just go where God wants to take me.
All of this having been said, my ramblings are not meant to tear down the Church. Instead, I desire to encourage people to be free. The apostle Paul wrote that where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. Are you free or is something about how the modern church gathers obstructing your view of Jesus? Consider allowing God to slay a sacred cow, if even for a moment, you may discover that you like chicken better than hamburger.
