Is Your Church Like Minor League Baseball?

After visiting four minor league baseball parks, I noticed a trend. They were all frantic in their attempts to get people through the gates. I categorize the efforts this way:

1.       Gimmicks. Some parks offered free food, all you could eat, for the price of admission. Two-fer Tuesdays and Thirsty Thursdays were about drink specials. Gifts thrown to the crowd included commemorative towels, Frisbees, tee shirts, hot dogs, pizza, and footballs.

2.       Amusements. There were costumed characters, participation games, races, and themes like “Nerd Night”. Lots of entertainment that had nothing to do with baseball.

3.       Pettiness. The sound system and video displays denigrated the opposition. When the other team hit a home run, body function sounds were played. Belittling chants and songs aimed at humiliating the visiting side were popular.

Clearly the focus was not on baseball, but about making losing baseball interesting. Absence of victory produced this desperation. With the teams mired in the basement, baseball was no longer enough incentive.

While the gimmicks, amusements, and pettiness attracted a few people, the efforts were no help to the players. Almost everyone on the field seemed to be going through the motions. The bench was silent as players said little to cheer each other on. The managers appeared disinterested. No one seemed to be playing for anything. In one game, the most passionate person on the field was the home plate umpire.

Does your church display similar signs?

1.       When do giveaways, special guests, concerts, or contests become a desperate attempt to attract an audience, rather than accomplish kingdom work?

2.       When does the drama, the song list, the funny video, the egg drop from a helicopter devolve into mere entertainment instead of a proclamation of the truth?

3.       When do put-downs of celebrities, politicians, other churches, other preachers, or cultural practices actually distract from the life-transforming good news of Jesus?

The missing ingredient is the reality of victory. “Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous,” Psalm 118:15. Without it, people drift away, worship leaders and preachers become self-seeking, passionless, or misdirected. Leave the gimmicks, amusements, and pettiness to losing baseball teams. Celebrate the victory that is ours through Jesus Christ.

Every Worship Event Must Have--Part 2

One person’s music is another person’s noise. Regardless of individual tastes, take a moment to appreciate the musical accompaniment of King Hezekiah’s worship service in 2 Chronicles 29. Cymbals, harps, lyres, and trumpets are the instruments listed. There may have been others. Since Hezekiah followed King David’s procedure, that meant there were 4,000 instrumentalists. That’s a good sized orchestra or band. Ever heard that many instruments playing at once? Harps and lyres sound quiet. Cymbals and trumpets do not. 4,000 of anything is going to be loud.

As thousands of animals were killed, skinned, cut up, arranged on the altar, and set on fire, the people began singing with the instruments playing (29:27-28). Imagine the commotion, the distractions, and the odors. Sight, sound, smell; all of these things happened at the same time. Once the offerings were over, everyone knelt down and worshipped. In this description are important elements of worship.

Celebration and Sacrifice are indispensible to Worship.

With our songs and music and offerings and respect, God is honored. When you come to worship, it involves celebration, whether loudly or quietly or both. We can’t keep quiet for a whole service unless we ignore Jesus. Yes, we need to mourn over sin. Yes, we need to be still and know that he is God. But we are on the other side of the redemption story. Jesus has come and so the silence is broken. Jesus is alive and so there is forgiveness. That has to be celebrated with sound. Martin Luther said “Music drives away the Devil.” As God’s people we celebrate that sin, death and Satan have been defeated by Jesus.

And when you come to worship there must be sacrifice. If your sacrifice is that you just decided to show up, that is ego-centric.  

In 2 Chronicles 29, worship happened while the music was playing, and after it was over. Worship happened while the sacrifices were being offered, and when they were finished. Worship happened when the choir sang, and when everybody sang, and without any singing at all.

Now is the time you desperately need to connect with God in worship. Your ability to worship is not dependent upon the songs used. Your ability to worship is not dependent on the instruments played, or whatever sounds and sights are included. Your ability to worship is not even dependent on the words that you hear. Worship has to do with your willingness to bow down and place the one, true God back on the pedestal of your life. Push down the pretenders and deceivers, topple the intruders and diversions, dethrone the obsessions and desires that have taken his place. Lift him high and bow down low, give him your praise and worship, because that is what he made you to do.

Every Worship Event Must Have--Part 1

3,998. That’s the number of bulls, rams, lambs, and goats offered in 2 Chronicles 29. The animals were butchered. As the blood poured out it was collected in bowls and drizzled on the altar. Blood and gore everywhere.

The people placed their hands on the goats before the slaughter. In this way the people said, God we are sorry for what we’ve done. Accept this sacrifice, forgive our sins, cleanse our lives. One event, almost 4,000 animals killed. There were so many, the job overwhelmed the priests and they brought in family members to help. Bizarre as it seems to us now, there are parallels.

Blood and Cleansing are indispensible to Worship. Without blood and cleansing, all you have left is entertainment or ritual. That’s because God still requires a blood sacrifice. What changed is that he provided it for us, once and for all, with Jesus. He was slaughtered, poured out his blood, and for those who trust in him, our sins are washed away. The Bible says that sacrifice of Jesus makes us holy once for all. Take out the cross, and all we have left is a community event, a concert, or lodge meeting, or a pep rally. But through the blood of Christ we enjoy all the blessings of God.

And we have to come clean too. The blood of Jesus cleanses us from sin. Worship gives us the reminder that the dirt that comes into our lives can only be dealt with through him. Any worship event is a big waste if we don’t use this time to confess the junk that is interrupting our connection with God. If we just look forward to some good music or to fellowship with some friends or hearing something that inspires us, then we will not have worshipped. We’ve got to experience cleansing. “Dear God, I fell short of your glory this week. I was angry and said things I shouldn’t have when I didn’t get my way.” “Lord, I’ve given time and attention to everyone but you this week.” Whatever the garbage is, confess it to God and know his forgiveness.

I don’t get to visit many churches. For the few I do, I am amazed at what I’ve witnessed. In one great service at a mega-church, there was not a single song that mentioned the name of Christ. At a small church, I heard the condemnation of abortion and the need for Christians to take a stand. There was no mention of the blood and cleansing that makes worship possible.

Hopefully those are anomalies. No matter what style of worship you appreciate, no matter which church you attend, without recognizing your need of the blood of Jesus and the need for personal cleansing, there is no worship.