You are Free– If

Posted by jeremy on September 17th, 2009 filed in Content

 Over the past year I have developed a love for some of the classics of literature. Before this time I was really locked into reading mostly Christian books and devotionals. I began with many fiction works such as, The Time Machine by H.G. Wells and some Sherlock Holmes mysteries.  Then I moved to some philosophy from Plato and some logic with Rene Descartes. What was amazing about this was I discovered that in some way most of these works were saturated with ideas of God’s mercy and love, and how the characters were faced with difficult circumstances that almost demanded a trust or belief in something “other.”

As I was in this sweet time of exploring literature I was also discussing the next mountain climbing trip to Colorado with some good friends of mine. We had been on many trips already and were looking forward to another mountain to conquer and check off the list. So I picked up a couple of books by a very good author and mountain climber, Jon Krakauer.  Jon wrote a book about his experience in 1996 on Mount Everest in which 16 plus people were caught in a freak storm at 26,000 ft and most lost their lives. But this tale was far more than just a recollection of events. It was a completely true adventure, filled with heroes, villains, struggles, courage, glory, forgiveness, life and sadly death. I was hooked. I was completely enthralled at the story unraveling before my eyes. If anything it gave me more desire and more fuel to attempt my own mountain very soon. I was ready to pack up for weekends and have adventures anywhere I could find them.

What I was neglecting to see, though, was the intense training and preparation that all of these people endured beforehand just to get to this place where they were overcome. Some of them experienced overwhelming joy at the sight of the very top of the world, if only for 20 minutes, and others were overwhelmed with pain, sorrow, and eventually death. All of them had prepared. They trained, they studied, they subjected themselves to extremely thorough preparation. They were ready…..almost.

James White, a Christian theologian and author, wrote in his book, Christian Worship in Transition, “You are free—if…. You are free—if you know what is essential in any type of worship.”  You might be asking yourself what this has to do with mountain climbing at this point. You see the climbers needed to know what was essential to make it to the top of Everest. They had to KNOW what it took, what was most important, what was absolutely necessary. For those that wanted to reach the top and take in probably the most glorious view one could have, they had to be ready.

The movements in church worship today can be like a rollercoaster. Our culture  is filled with churches being directed by pastors and worship leaders who really have no clue where they are coming from. They have no preparation, no foundation to launch from. You see the opposite of James White’s statement is also true. “You are not free—if you don’t know what is essential in worship.”  Clearly you are bound to the familiar, to that which you were taught was right throughout your life. As much as you say or try to “escape” your experiences as a youth in church and “be different,” you are destined to repeat any mistakes, because that’s all you really know.

So what does it look like for a church, a leader, a worshipper to know his history, to know others history, to understand the historical foundations of what we do in the very act of worship?. What does it mean for someone to know what is absolutely necessary and essential for an exploration into creativity, to have vision, and to be truly free to worship. If this all can happen…. I bet the view at the top is amazing.