Dead or alive...

Soooo....I've been a regular attender at a missional church for about six months now.

It's been such an awesome experience - every time I walk in the door I feel as though I'm at home. From the extremely hospitable church family to the deep insight into the life of Christ I can just feel the love of God radiating from the people. Between church and praise & worship at school, I've been surrounded by many people searching and yearning for true and intense worship.

And then I go back to the CRC. It's not that I am against the denomination (although a lot of times I think denominations in general serve more to divide the Church rather than create outlets for differences in interpretation...that's a whole post in and of itself)...but I can't think of one CRC church that I have visited where I have felt the Spirit of God present like I do at Missio Dei.

This morning I sat through a service across the country from my home, and I felt agonizingly restricted. My heart broke for the Bride of Christ as I looked around at emotionless people. I've been blessed with opportunities and places to worship where I can pour my heart and soul into being with God. And today I felt as though my whole being wanted to be in the presence of God, but there was something alarmingly wrong. I felt no worship, only cold ritual and austere tradition. I wanted to cry out and beg people to open up to the Spirit.

I have heard the words of Isaiah 58 changed to speak of worship rather than simply fasting -
"Is this the kind of worship I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call worship,
a day acceptable to the LORD ?"
God desires worship to bring Him praise and to loose the chains of injustice - Amos 5:21-24:
"I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!"

So how do we encourage true worship? What do we say to those who are more concerned with what other people think than falling on their faces in front of the Holy and living God?

And where do I fit into this equation? I know without a doubt that I don't have this whole worship thing down. And I'm not writing this to pretend that I do. How do I encourage others to search for true worship without passing judgment or forcing my opinions upon them?

So many questions...