Articles
Worship Is Not A Performance
“Yes, we know that already,” you may think after reading the title. We have no orchestra or praise band in our worship. We do not put on a light show or show entertaining movies when we assemble. We don’t even clap or dance. What do we really have to be reminded of?
“Ah,” I say, “these are but a few of the most obvious ways to turn worship into a performance.” There are many, more subtle, ways to direct our attention away from God when worshipping. Does that sound strange, that our attention would not be on God while worshipping God? To the perceptive and honest heart, it should also sound familiar. All too often when singing, praying, listening to or preaching the word of God our thoughts are primarily on ourselves or others than on our Lord.
Because everyone is involved, singing is perhaps first example we think of. The leader can try to impress us with his vocal range and quality, but all of us can also become so self-conscious about how we sound that we fail to think about the meditations we’re offering to God and one another. When we worry about how our neighbors or visitors may perceive us we are not “making melody in our hearts to the Lord.” I know many Christians who cannot carry a tune in a bucket; if singing is about “sounding good” does God not accept their heartfelt worship?
Jesus specifically addressed those who pray to impress: “they love to be stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full” (Matt. 6:5). Is our attention on how eloquent and “spiritual” we are when we pray? Then we are performing before people rather than praying to God.
Likewise, preaching and teaching can easily become performance-focused. I recently heard the term “performance anxiety” as applied to how preachers might feel before delivering a sermon. I can relate! But we need to ask ourselves: are we nervous about how well we will perform for the crowd, whether they will accept us? If so, our anxiety needs redirecting. Otherwise the result is that God’s holy message gets lost in the string personal anecdotes, humorous stories, and trendy pop culture references.
The same applies to the Lord’s table talk and invitations. Anytime we rise to speak it should be with a singular focus on the matter at hand. If the Lord’s Supper, we should prepare with this question in mind: “how can I direct our hearts to remembering Jesus?” If a lesson, we should ask: “what message can I present from God’s word that will equip, rebuke, or exhort us in God’s service?” It does not have to be lengthy or eloquent to be meaningful. Quantity does not mean quality.
Listeners can also turn preaching into a performance by the expectations they bring and praise they offer. Once I heard a Christian compliment a preacher saying he was a “good orator.” The praise was well-intentioned, but is there more to be commended than a good performance? Paul wrote that his preaching was “not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that you faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God” (1 Cor. 2:4-5).
None of this means we should not prepare ourselves to lead well. That is not the point. If we are not focused on doing our very best in worship, can we really say it will be acceptable to God? Eloquence can be used well in God’s service (Acts 18:24-28). It requires work and humility to ensure we are doing our best, but above all, that God is exalted among us.
Remember, in worship we are not the audience, God is. Whatever we do, “do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31).
