Worship Like a Hero
I’ve finally made a decision: Short blog posts or no blog posts. Such is the wave of the future. So here goes…
I have two words for you: Bob Ross. Bob Ross is a secret life-long hero of mine. I am telling you now, there is not a hint of irony in my fingers as I type. Has there ever been a more heckled cult figure? Has anyone bore the burden of “second-rate” art so graciously? I’m here to set the record straight. Afro aside, he really believed that any one could paint like he could. Though I never sat down with a canvas in front of the television, my eyes were glued to those serene globs of pigment just the same. I will always respect the way this man set out to empower non-artists to discover the joy of creating. POWER TO THE PEOPLE! “Happy little bush!” In some sense, this is what we are doing every time we gather together in cooperate worship.
Somehow, through cultural training and practice, singers and non-singers can joyfully collaborate in creative expression to the Lord. How phenomenal is that? Where else does this happen so matter-of-factly? Our backgrounds are diverse, but as the Apostle Paul states in 1 Corinthians 3, we share together in “the mind of Christ.” The Holy Spirit, who bears witness to the Son, gives us the common understanding that everything in the created order is being drawn, pulled, focused, funneled to one point-Christ Jesus. To the degree we acknowledge current and eventual His supreme reign, we will have an ever-increasing capacity to worship Him in freedom and exploration.
Pastor Scott has been reminding me lately that the most repeated command of God in the Bible is “Fear not.” Christians of every stripe have the mandate to positively attack creative expression for the glory of God. Worship as a verb is a complex thing to reduce down. But we can say that for all the worshipful activity we engage in, it is easy to forget the essence of worship as sacrifice, not emotional therapy. What is the sacrifice you bring to the altar on Sunday mornings? When I’m worshipping well, it is a sacrifice of spiritual pride. Worship must always be a bleeding sacrifice of my notions of who God is and how He should be worshipped. Am I worshipping out of a Biblical understanding or out of the cultural trappings of Ben Stamper? Am I leaning on what’s worked in my past or am I willing to try new things and step out in faith? For some of us that might be clapping our hands. For others that might be praying for the person next to you who seems very well put together, more so than yourself! Still, others may find their sacrifice in the form of dancing on the sidelines or quietly sketching out a vision God is giving them, even though they can’t draw a straight line with a ruler. Continually I am checking myself with the question – “Is this how He wants to be worshipped? Is my worship reflecting my state of mind about God, or God’s state of mind about me? To practice God-centered worship, we must embrace the spirit of Bob Ross. What I mean to say is this:
I want to worship how Bob Ross wielded his palette knife.
He took the bull by the horns. I want to take the altar by its horns and cling to the perfect sacrifice of my Savior. Here was a man who inspired countless viewers to try their hand at something they never thought they could do. As worshippers of the Lamb who is worthy to open the scroll, we should be striving for the highest level of excellence in everything we do, but never at the expense of timidity. For then we are left with “professionalism,” and God help us if that is our legacy. Our God delights in our courage to fail far more than in our ability to execute greatness. If we do the former, He will take care of the latter.
January 27th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Reminds me of John Gnagy — he had a “You Are An Artist” TV show in the 1940s and 50s, and I remember watching it when I was very small in the late 1950s.
January 27th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Stirring words. I always admired Bob Ross for his loving and gentle manner in which he continuously encouraged the watcher to try and paint.
But more to the point. Worship, if we really grasp it, turns out to be the only place where reality can be seen for what it really is. Behind the hustle bustle, behind the trials and struggles, behind the disappointments, and the momentary elation there really is a triumphant King who has been given a dominion which will never end. Scripture declares that of the increase of His government there will be no end. There is a grand destiny being unfolded and it will surely end with Jesus Christ exalted, and eternally ruling over a world forever peaceful, secure with marvelous possibilities which will stretch into eternity. That is the Jesus I want to see every time I come together for worship on Sunday. That is the Jesus, triumphant and majestic that I want to have the Holy Spirit reveal to me and to the church.
February 1st, 2009 at 6:49 pm
I have always been encouraged by the first line of Psalm 100:
“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord…”
It does not say, “Sing a beautiful song” or “Say a moving prayer.” Noise I think I can manage, even with a cold.
It reminds me of a story from the Russian Orthodox tradition about a monk who was totally tone deaf. When he sang with his fellow brothers in the monastery, he made the choir sound awful even though he was very enthusiastic in his worship. One day he was called in to see the abbot, who told him the czar was coming for a visit. The abbot asked him to lip-sing for the service that the czar was attending.
During the service, the monk obediently mouthed the words and didn’t sing aloud–at least, that’s what he started out doing. But he got so swept up in worshipping the Lord that he forgot that he wasn’t supposed to sing aloud. The abbot was mortified.
That night the abbot had a dream that he was in heaven. Jesus told him that that day an awful noise has been heard in heaven, and just as it got really bad a lovely sound was heard–the voice of the worshipping monk.
The abbot fell on his face and repented, realizing that what sounds beautiful to human ears can be an awful din in the heavenly throne room, and that what the Lord desires is a heart lifted joyfully in worship of Him.
Let us enter before Him with thanksgiving and praise! That we can do regardless of any of the circumstances in our lives.
February 2nd, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Katie – what an incredible story. Unforgettable and inspiring. Thanks for telling it! Ben