How does church affect our worship?

Haven't done one of these things since before the summer holidays, and a lot has been going on since then. We've had Summer Madness, I battled through Round 2 with Oxegen, and our church had our summer outreach week, JAM.

So a little overview of these things first to set the scene for something that's been on my mind.

Summer Madness was my ninth year (I think) and my third going with a group of obnoxious sods from Orangefield. We had around thirty-five young people this time round and it was a phenomenal week of worship and teaching. I confess the last couple of years I've felt less and less impressed by the festival and worried that maybe it was just me getting older but thankfully this year reassured me. Martin Smith was a total blessing in the worship and Simon Guillebaud and Duffy Robbins proved that totally different speaking styles can be equally instructive.

JAM was also a third year affair, with 50-odd people staying for 8 days in the church building and three different programmes running every day (check out the podcasts) and the answer to prayer evident throughout the week was unbelievable. The Friday night saw a massive response among the teenagers attending where our designated prayer room couldn't cope with the number of people looking to get in.

And in hindsight there's something that's been on my mind from these two spectacular events.

Anyone who's been to Summer Madness knows that the worship is some distance away from the average Presbyterian church. The songs range from dance-based bouncy numbers all the way to the epic soaring tunes (or, "Coldplay" worship) and it's very involved. There is a lot of hand-raising, people fall on their knees, the band can play for five full minutes without anybody singing anything and the atmosphere of worship is not broken or strained. It's a wonderful experience, and usually a real highlight of the week. And at JAM there was a lot of the same thing. We had a few worship sessions where people entered in in very emotional ways. There was some crying, some response through prayer etc and a lot of hands in the air.

SO WHY DOES THIS ONLY HAPPEN IN CERTAIN PLACES?

I'm not talking about how it happens a lot only in some churches, I mean among our own people. The same people who worship like this at Summer Madness largely don't on a Sunday in a church service. This isn't a problem and I'm not saying it's something that should change, it's just interesting. It seems to imply that our worship comes from a different place in one area than from another. Does it solely have to do with the way the worship is lead? Obviously there is a vast difference between the two settings; our church doesn't boast a powerful lighting show, we don't play hour-long uninterrupted sets on a Sunday morning and we don't hand-pick our worship solely with the teenage listener in mind. But if this is true does it mean that we are too heavily influenced by what happens around our worship as opposed to the worship itself?

Or maybe it's just the place in which the worship occurs. Perhaps it is easier to feel free in the way you worship when you find yourself in a crowd of 6,000 people around your own age, who you don't know, than it is in a church building in which your family and people of different generations are standing. Here the problem presented would be that people feel pressurized in the way they choose to express their worship by those around them. Worried about what would seem appropriate to people rather than before God.

I mention this simply because I enjoyed leading worship massively at JAM, always do. It's genuinely one of my favourite things about the week, seeing people respond to God freely. If you have any feelings or general musings on the subject fire away!

Things to change

The world's perception of Christians and their God

"I do not find in orthadox Christianity one redeeming feature."

- Thomas Jefferson

"In no instance have the churches been guardians of the liberties of the people."

- James Madison

"Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people."

- Karl Marx

"Our Bible reveals to us the character of our god with minute and remorse exactness. It is perhaps the most damnatory biography that exists in print anywhere."

- Samuel Clemens

"No man ever believes that the Bible means what it says; he is always convinced that it says what he means."

- George Bernard Shaw

Our attempts to achieve our own standard of perfection

"According to the Bible, God responds more to desire than he does to competence...that's good news if you're messed up!"

- Bart Campolo

"Seeking to know is only too often learning to doubt." 

- Antionette du Liger de la Garde Deshoulieres

Spare some change?

 

"You know why banks are closed on Sunday? 

Cos if they wasn't, church would be empty!"

- Chris Rock

 

Chris Rock is one of my all-time favourite stand-up comedians. If you can get past the some of the more lewd subject matter and live with his incredibly foul mouth then you discover he is miles ahead of anyone else on the modern comedy scene. The key to his genius rests almost entirely on his ability to look at topics that are important to our society such as politics, race and religion, and put them forward (with humour) in an unashamed and totally straight-on style. There is no sugar-coating, no delicate nature and no dancing around things.

So if he's spot-on in his narrative and perception, how does this quote make us feel?

This line comes from a routine about people's obsession with money, and while it's directed at Americans it offers a chilling depiction of a culture in which, whether we like it or not, 'church' is becoming more heavily rooted. You see, churches tend to mimick the world in an attempt to bring people in. The world has fast-paced pop music, so Christian music moves into the same style. The world has clubbing, and there are Christian dance venues opening up across the UK. This isn't a bad thing of course, the church has to change with culture otherwise it will lose it's relevance. But would we notice if we were gradually adopting other aspects of the world? 

I recently found myself struggling money-wise as I was getting less and less hours in work, and it was looking like I would have to pull out of a couple of things I'd planned to do over the summer. It really stressed me out. I made it out to myself like it was the end of the world. I'd gone and bought a ticket to Oxegen and wasn't going to be able to go because I couldn't afford the travel costs. I'd committed myself to helping out at Summer Madness with my church youth group and wouldn't be able to afford it. As it happens, without me mentioning this at all a member of our congregation gave me some money because they felt I needed it, which was an incredible moment. But what does it say about the things I lean on that as soon as the money dries up my life is thrown into disrepair? Is that a sign that I rely on money too much? Is my hope truly built on nothing less that Jesus' blood and righteousness?

I'm a member of a church which is still working it's way through paying off a £3million building, and as such an awful lot of what we do is in some way associated with money, whether it's paid events or monthly donations. Now I'm not saying at all that our church is misplacing it's focus, but it certainly becomes messy when you try to rely on God as well as the things that money affords you. Especially when we read stories in the New Testament about how people met in houses and sold their possessions. It can kind of feel sometimes like we're getting gradually better and better at storing up earthly treasures. Or at least blurring the line of seperation between what's a necessity and what's an indulgence. Does a church need incredible lights, fabulously comfortable chairs and a sound system that could power Glastonbury? Or are those just things we subconsciously think give the image of our church that we want people to have? Seems like an important line to hold on to. 

"He who has no rule over his own spirit is like a broken down city without a wall."

Proverbs 25:28

Don't get me wrong, money is a phenomenally grey area. Christians throughout the world sit at both ends of the spectrum, and none of them have the authority to judge any of the others. But surely we can at least agree that we have to try hard to have rule over our own spirit. Ask any Christian and (I hope!) they will tell you that they want God to have a higher grip on their spirit than money does. So if we take hold of our own spirit then we can totally make it God's. The first thing that comes to mind with me is that when I work, I feel like I've earned it. My job is dull, depressing and makes me get out of bed at 6 in the morning! I feel like I earn my week's wages! But not once do I ever thank God for the money. In a world where people die of starvation, a world where £2 a week can feed a family through some charities, not once do I thank God for the £50 I get every week. To me, that sounds like a key factor in offering my life to something other than God. The moment I forget to see something as a gift from God is the moment I have lost my focus; the moment I have lost rule of my spirit. 

If you feel the same or agree at all, let's change it starting now. Maybe after a while the image people have of the church won't be that they're in church because the bank's closed :)

Light in the Dark

Just over a year ago I got a craving to do something. I wanted to shed all modern comfort. I wanted to go somewhere where I would encounter the most godless people and situations. Somewhere were the rain beats the earth into an uninhabitable state. Somewhere that would truly test my ability to cope with the conditions.

As such I went to Oxegen music festival.

I absolutely loved Oxegen. I am returning this year and can't wait for it. However it would be fair to say, it's a good thing Summer Madness is right before it because you certainly jump into a sinful place! Don't get me wrong, the rumours of violence and danger are totally untrue, it's a very friendly place, but you are constantly surrounded by drinking, drug use and sexual promiscuity from the moment you enter the grounds to the moment you leave. And yet there was a moment in that weekend that will stick with me to my dying day.

On the Sunday night Sproule and I went to see Mumford & Sons. We had seen about twenty bands over the weekend, we were tired, unwashed and while it's not the way it should be, we had become climatized to the sin around us. Mumford & Sons were the last band we would see that weekend and it was a truly incredible gig. Then they started to play a song off their album called Awake My Soul, and it was a very unusual experience. To anyone who doesn't know the track, it canters along in their lovely folk style, and then finishes with a stomping chant. And at that point in the song 8,000 people packed inside a massive tent all raised their hands and sang in unison 'Awake my soul, for you were made to meet your maker.' Most of the band's lyrics come with spiritual undertones and as I understand it Marcus Mumford is indeed a Christian, but it was a strange moment to see so many people who were living in such an ungodly way sing such godly lyrics. Obviously the words were not sung by the people in any kind of worshipful sense, but it stuck with me as a reminder that God's light not only breaks into dark situations, but in fact that is where it is the most noticable.

I have mentioned to many people that I have attended or am attending Oxegen and their response, while never condemning or judgemental, is that they wouldn't go to a music festival because a lot of what goes on there contrasts with their spiritual views. Fair enough. I don't go to clubs for that reason (and the fact that the music is the worst thing about the world). But how often do I pray God's light into clubs? How often do people pray for the people who go to a music festival to drink themselves stupid or take substances to help them forget about the rest of their lives? We can all list places in Belfast (or wherever we live) that we wouldn't like to walk through on a dark night but how often do we pray for them? There is so much that Christians can readily identify as not of God, but we never seem to want to change that. Maybe it's because we forget that God's power is greater than our own and He can change what we can't. Or maybe we automatically assume that if we don't want anything to do with it neither does God.

But these aren't the truth.

The truth is that God wants the whole world to be His. One day every tongue will confess You are God, one day every knee will bow. We sing these words, we should also mean them. We shouldn't just be praying for and reaching out to the contemplative people who we occassionally chat to about our faith, but also those who live every day of their lives directly in opposition to us.

"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

John 3:17

In a world that offers so much evil and glorifies a person's right to do what they like, it's hard to believe that the situation can really be made right, but we have to believe that the slightest touch of God on a life, whether it's a discussion that arises in the workplace, or song lyrics sung to a huge crowd some rainy evening in Ireland, can radically change a situation.

The Modern Worship Scene

I imagine that many of you would be familiar with contemporary Christian music whether you listen to CDs or sing the songs in church. You may even know your Tomlins from your Redmans better than I do. Now I've found myself in many an argument in the past based on my musical preference, but lately Christian music has just been driving me up the wall and I'm venting :)

Over the years I have steadily collected a vast library of music, a fair portion of which is worship music. For the longest time I've listened to these records happily, some of them I have played to death, some I have used in our youth fellowship, and there was always a flicker of excitement when a new song was used in a church service and I thought, 'I know this one!' Lately though, this has become less and less the case.

I can't honestly be the only person who's noticed that the lyrics of every Christian song these days are exactly the same? The same shallow, uninspiring phrases shared back and forth between the writers. I'm thinking largely of Chris Tomlin's Our God as I write this. (I'm genuinely not looking to single anyone out, that's just what crept up on my iPod on the way to College this morning.) A couple of references to things Christ did and then a list of comparative terms describing God. And that carries on throughout the entire album. It feels as if some songwriters just scribble down a handful of clichés, throw them up in that air and go with whatever order they land in.

Now I mentioned that I've been in arguments before around music, and they usually find me trying to point out that Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Tinie Tempah... (the list is endless) are shallow momentary celebrities and nothing more. A big part of this is to do with the lyrics, which are consistently empty and devoid of any meaning or originality. (Not that this is the fault of the singer in question. I mean come on, it's not like they write them) So I accept that other people may feel differently about the importance of the lyrics in a song from myself, but surely nobody could deny the importance of what we sing when we are praising God? Surely that is of a greater importance than what we listen to on the radio?

Another thing that I've found trying is the epic and theatrical nature of these songs. Again, not pointing fingers at specific people, but last year a group of us went to see Hillsong United performing at Whitewell Tabernacle in Belfast. It was a hugely enjoyable night and a great gig, but it was just that. A gig. As I stood there, singing along and watching the lasers and flashing light, becoming slightly engulfed in the output of the smoke machines, I kept thinking to myself, "this is how they do church." Every Sunday, these lights, effects and pyrotechnics. The choir of twenty people providing swells and overwhelming background sounds. The string orchestra brought on to highlight the emotionasl pinacle of each song.

Not so long ago a Christian bookshop in Belfast closed down and in their everything-must-go sale I picked up a few albums. There was a Hillsong acoutic set, the new Chris Tomlin, a Michael W Smith one and a Paul Baloche album from a few years back. The first three all fell into this category, with songs builing up to that emotional moment, where you could just picture the lights exploding on and everyone throwing their hands into the air for the final chorus. Songs that wouldn't be out of place at Glastonbury. The last one however, reminded me of what worship music can be. Paul Baloche's 'Live In Asia' is just a typical five-piece band praising God across the world, and it's an outstanding experience. There was no attempt to push the audience into feeling emotional or responding the way the leader wanted, just honest and beautiful songs written in worship.

And this is why Paul Baloche is not the household name that Tomlin is. Paul Baloche wrote the song Open The Eyes Of My Heart, which according to CCLI was at one point number 2 in the list of songs most widely sung in churches worldwide. Also on that list was Baloche's Above All (number 22). Yet Baloche has not sought the same status of Christian rockstar that so many others have. Somebody recently told me about a trip they had made to the church of a well-known Christian singer. The worship band played they're songs and everyone sang along. Standard church service, yes? But then, the artist came on, and the band left while the singer was greeted with cheering and screaming from the audience. Is this church? Is God glorified by one person being idolised? I see this at Summer Madness every year as well, certain artists who reach a point in the Christian scene attract a fanbase, and as soon as that happens things are in danger. If you give in to that success then you are no longer solely trying to glorify God, but meet people's expectations and hold on to the admiration of man. Do we really believe Chris Tomlin didn't spend a portion of his songwriting time for the new album thinking about how to best please his devoted following? How his fans would recieve this new music? How well it would go down on the tour to promote the record?

I'm well aware that I am offering no answers to any of these problems, and I don't think there really are any finite answers out there to problems like this. It's just one person's opinion, and it's just his way of mulling the thoughts over: plastering them on the internet ;)

My recent struggle

I still remember it like it was yesterday. For the most part, it was yesterday.

On Sunday evening after the church service a few of us retired to a friends house and had a relaxed evening of games, tea and chatting. And then it happened. I didn't even notice it at the time. I got up, said my goodbyes and left. Not until I arrived back at home and was walking up the stairs sis I reach into my pocket. I found nothing. I checked my other pockets, then growing nervous I raced back out to the car. Not there either. I tore open my bag, knowing I would never have put it there, but in desperation I threw everything else to the floor and dug to the bottom. Nothing.

This was how I started a 24-hour period without my iPhone.

The sad thing is that while it sounds like I'm making the ordeal a lot more dramatic than it actually was, I'm really not. I genuinely ran about the house, furiously retracing my steps over and over again, even after I was sure I must have left it at the friend's house. I didn't want this to be the case because I wasn't sure if I would see her for the next few days and I wasn't prepared to go that long without my phone. I went for the best part of yesterday without it and it was eventually returned to me Monday evening 9.13 GMT.

And even then it had run out of battery.

Only after I once again had it in my possession and had returned to sanity did I begin to realise the situation. I honestly struggled to make it a day without my phone. Several times I thought of texting various people out of nothing but boredom then remembered I couldn't. I couldn't use Twitter, I couldn't check my email, I couldn't look up cinema times...there were an awful lot of things I wanted to do, that I would do most days, that I suddenly found myself unable to do...and my life fell apart.

How much do we invest in things like mobile phones without even realising it?

It doesn't even need to be a phone, what about laptops? MP3 players? Or cars? I've heard many people complain about how much more difficult their lives become when their car is away getting repaired.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matt 6:19-21

The thing is, I actually use my mobile phone for an awful lot of churchy things. I text back and forth organizing worship team practises, I don't have internet in the house at the minute so I do all my emailing with church folks via the phone, I follow Pete Grieg and Ken Castor on Twitter because they always have something helpful and spiritual to say which is nice on a troublesome day, and on top of that there are any number of apps allowing me to carry the entire Bible around.

But what I'm realising is: that isn't necessarily a good thing.

What does it say about my Christian faith or my current standing with God that my spiritual life relies so heavily on an earthly treasure? And an earthly treasure at £300 no less! Are our treasures in heaven or on earth?

Orangefield: The Movie

A little break from random issues that have been on my mind. Gary and myself discussed who would play the central cast in a movie of Orangefield Presbyterian Church, based on either looks or personality or both. Suzi Finlay made out a list a while ago but I couldn't remember any of them! Any better suggestions or if you have somebody who isn't on the list then leave a comment.

Gareth Shaw "Michael J Fox"
Jonny Tweedie "Michael C Hall" (you know, Dexter)
Graham Moucka "Dana Carvey" (Garth from Wayne's World)
Robin Jamison "John Goodman"
Alex Clarke "Elizabeth Olsen"
Glenn Harrison "Dylan Moran"
Andrew McCallum "Paul Dano"
Michael Jordan "Jason Biggs"
Alan Tweedie "Nick Frost"
Hannah Douglas "Katie Holmes"
Steven Nelson "Lee Evans"
Sam Lamont "Robbie Coltraine"
Stephen Simpson "Josh Radnor" (Ted Mosby)
Suzanne Simpson "Tina Fey"
Miranda Crawford "Chloe Moretz"
Dean Francis "Cillian Murphy"
Laura Campbell "Helena Bonham Carter"
Anna McAdams "Ellen Paige"
Katie Entwistle "Sarah Chalke" (Elliot from Scrubs)
Phil Douglas "Zac Efron"
Jon Campbell "Elijah Wood"
Emma Entwistle "Evanna Lynch" (Luna Lovegood)
Robbie Jennings "Zach Galifianakis"
Jonny Elliott "Tom Cruise"
David Sproule "Seth Rogen"
Ken McBride "Mufasa the Lion"

Anybody left out, it's either because we couldn't think of somebody worthy enough to portray you, or we're harbouring some long-standing grudge against you :)

UPDATE:
Dave Whitcroft "Bill Bailey"
Anna Shields "Audrey Tautou"
Mark Smyth "Matt LeBlanc"
Sam Clarke "Alan 'Steve the Pirate' Tudyk"
Pete Ryan "John Candy"
Niall Francis "Joaquin Phoenix"

UPDATED ONCE AGAIN:
Olivia Blakley "Zooey Deschanel"
Keith Lunn "Ryan Gosling"
David Allison "Woody Allen"
Nicola Clarke "Halle Berry"
Stephen Douglas "William Shatner"
William McCollum "James Buckley" (Jay from The Inbetweeners)
Sarah Sloss "Emily Blunt"
Tom Coard "Michael MacIntyre"
Ben McMechan "Michael Cera"
Mark Dawson "Paul O'Grady"
Stephen Ellis "Jim Parsons"
George Sproule "Hugh Laurie"
Abigail Crawford "Elle Fanning"
Keith Crawford "Kelsey Grammar"
Marty Sloss "Mike Myers"
Kirsten Shields "Keira Knightley"
Megan Jamison ?
Craig Blair "Peter Kay"
Catherine Bailey "Emma Stone"
Keith Trimble "David Duchovny"