Thursday, July 5, 2007

worship imagination...and anchors


I remember going to an 'amber rose' worship conference years ago with my son chip. He was like 4 years old then. It was great.

But I sometimes find conferences challenging, and my cynicism can get away from me. But Chip was my accountability partner, because he just kept dancing, and trying to sing, and in general just whirling around like a cherubim who has had 1 too many espresso's before worshipping.

So I sat there just sort of realizing that God wasn't calling me to be cynical, or wounded, or intellectual...he was calling me to be a child.

A child knows how to use their imagination as a playground for God to work in. Adults eventually shut down the playground, distrust their imagination [or pollute it], and become obnoxious stuffy adults who are disconnected from God, themselves, and their imaginations.

And just as I was starting to let go of my weird attitude problems I saw something I will never forget.

There was this angry and aloof teenager in the back of the room. Sitting against the wall, refusing to engage...suffering from all the bad attitudes I have just talked about. They had that look we all have sometimes when we are mad at God. The look that says "I'm wounded and it's your fault...I'll teach you...I won't worship...that'll hurt you back and I'll feel better." Or some other insanity akin to this. It was like there was this huge dark anchor, holding them back, that they were willingly chained to.

But Chip would have none of it.

He just danced over and around this teenager and then stopped. He stopped and looked at him like he was the stupidest [forgive my use of this word if it offends you] person he had ever seen. So he just went over and grabbed them by the hand and urged them to get up and dance with him. The teenager wanted to fight him off, but what can you do to a grinning, dancing, worship midget who is trying to dance with you. And then they started dancing, it was forced at first, but then the teenager just started dancing full-tilt and was crying and singing and....[now I'm crying, just remembering it]

And then I saw them a little later. Chip curled up on this teenagers lap [who was a total stranger to both of us] smiling and content. Sort of like a mischievous angel who had finished their mission of worship mischief.

And so...

We worship. Sometimes we have to fight our bad attitudes; sometimes we have to let go of our grudges against God; sometimes we need a little help from a child-like faith; sometimes we watch other worship and find ourselves worshipping as well.

and sometimes we come to worship starving and empty, and leave the same.

Choice. That precious and dangerous gift he has given us. The choice to enter into the wildest imaginations of intimacy with God through faith...or...choice to have another grey rainy day of dull stagnation and emptiness.

I pray for us all this Sunday. I pray we would come with our little worship spoons and that God would hose us down with a super-soaker of His spirit. But I realize, I can only lead you to the door...you have to walk in.

Walk in to wonderland, take the red pill, and dance with the angels. For this my friends is what we were made for, this is our hearts truest home, this is healing-hope-and hilarity, this is what Sunday mornings are all about.

Don't let anyone steal or starve you out of this...especially yourself. Cut the chains...dance free. Amen.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

What an amazing picture of worship--and choice. To think of all the storms of life that block our view of God and make us want to curl up in anger and pain when we could be washed in the rains He pours down on our worship--how many times have I been that angry teenager when I could have danced.

Anonymous said...

Great story. One I really needed to hear this morning Dave. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this post. As i have come to learn I love to dance of God I have let satan take this from me many times, which is also a time I am in right now. I love to worship the Lord dancing because sometimes dancing is all I can do. I can't even put it in words. It just comes out when I dance. It will be joy to get back to dancing with the 5stone women when school starts back up and my foot is healed from being broke.

May we all dance our hearts out for Jesus

 

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