Sunday, February 27, 2011

Worship is an ambiguous term, but it's probably best that way.

Derek Webb's album 'Feedback' includes a song that I cannot stop listening to. The project itself is "An Instrumental Electronic Album Based on the Lord's Prayer," and it is quite commendable. In the Christianity of today, it seems we are always exploring new ways of 'experiencing God', spiritual disciplines, and worship, etc. I suppose it reflects the culture of today - trying to experience everything in new ways. Or perhaps that's just a trajectory of humanity - we get bored easily, we don't like to settle, we think there will always be a better way to do things than the way of our parents ...

I'm getting off track. My main thoughts on this are: 1) Awesome. 2) I like worship without words. and 3) public or private?

1) It is simply awesome. I would like to listen to it on repeat while driving. First I need a car.

2) I like it when there isn't someone telling me how to worship. Yes we can learn through the words of a hymn, or center ourselves in certain words of praise, but I am still me, trying to connect with God. The sounds are moving, and engaging, and given the fact that it's a movement through the Lord's prayer, it is suggested at what part of the prayer we are in, but the music opens it to something more than a prayer - or maybe it's what prayer is meant to be ... felt within my bones, moving my spirit.

3) Is this a public or private excursion we should take with Mr. Webb? He's on tour right now with Jars of Clay, and while that sounds awesome, I'm also not enticed to see this in concert ... I don't know, perhaps it falls in line with how we say the Lord's Prayer corporately in Sunday service, but the exploration of prayer by these means seems kind of personal, no? This probably is more of a reflection on art for me - that art is a private event. When I create art, and it's honest art not a craft project, then it feels personal, vulnerable and telling. Prayer can be that way as well, private or public I suppose. I just don't want prayer turning into a concert, although I suppose all of us praying together would be a beautiful concert to God ... ?

I'll have to think about this some more. Listen below for your own time of meditation ...

Your Kingdom Come.

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