Worship and the Religious Reality
We’ll have to realize at some point that all of life is religious. And every person takes part in some kind of sacred.
Songwriter Jon Foreman was asked in an interview about the dynamics and differences of writing sacred or secular music and he responded, “Secular implies that there’s a part of the world that isn’t religious. And if you think of religion as the impetus for your not committing suicide, for your continued engagement in the stuff that we call life, then I think there’s no part of your life that’s outside of that.”
As a person who espouses a certain level of expertise in the idea of “worship”, I feel it’s really quite important that this idea is fleshed out a bit more. In my professional tracks, it’s easy to use the word “worship” as shorthand for the corporate Christian musical expression. But I think this is far too little for such a grand idea as worship. I began to think more critically, wanting to strip back the layers of this notion of corporate Christian worship so as to construct a better understanding of what we do in those settings. And I felt it was important to try and have a more clearly defined idea simply of what “worship” is and what it involves. Worship is a large, sweeping activity that is hardwired into our souls and can be either intentionally focused or not. And I believe that our worshipful hearts actually reveal our subconscious sacramental reality.
Here’s my working definition of worship:
Giving of my life in order to gain life
It’s pretty simple but pretty encompassing. You and I dwell in an economy of life wherein we actually find it enticing to hand our lives over to something else because we think they will make it look better than we could on our own. The late-night infomercials were probably the best example of this. The salesman would present a relatable situation that probably countless viewers would have found themselves in at one point or another. But there is a sudden turn and burst of energy as they reveal the salvation from the stain or storage or duct tape snafu. “Finally, there is a product that will save me from the agony that I currently find myself in” is what these companies are hoping the view will think. And so, they give some cash to these companies in order to be delivered from the valley of the shadow of stains and into the glorious realm of…whatever Billy Mays was selling.
This is a silly example, but this is the basic function. And this function only makes sense in a kind of story or schema. I wouldn’t give a part of my life for no reason. If I like a pair of shoes and mine are worn out and full of holes, then I buy a new pair of shoes because it’s an improvement and maybe I’ll get less pebbles in my shoes. If I feel I weigh too much and can’t go on a run with my wife or play with my kids, then I’ll sacrifice my indulgence for food and inactivity for better eating and exercise because the better vision for the future is one in which I can physically participate in. Some measure of my life is given up for a better vision. It’s why infomercials work, but it’s also why movements like fascism and terrorism do as well. If someone has a good enough vision for what better is, we can pretty easily get behind it and give of ourselves for the cause.
Returning to the infomercial metaphor, when we receive our product, we want it to function just as it did on TV. The expectation was set and when we put our new product through the paces, we are hoping that it does what it needs to do because we want the same end result as the demonstration. In this way, we understand that we give of our lives in order to be like that thing we want. The vision of a better life involves me, the participant, being different than what I am. And the hope is that I’m better than what I am now. We want to be transformed to some degree.
On a deep level, there is a mechanism in the human soul that is tuned to a vision like an FM radio. And we will keep giving of ourselves to chase that vision, whether we understand the vision or not.
Most worldviews today make no room for an open universe in which there is a metaphysical realism (the idea that there are non-material things that are real and can be interacted with). Typically, worship is a pretty theistic activity because worship is a pretty religious word. But everyone has a vision for what better is and everyone is looking for a solution. Very few people are content beaten down into a ditch are content and feel that they have all they need (unless of course they placed themselves there and control the situation).
Worship happens because we see our situations, we see a vision for how things could be better, so we give something away in order to get that vision. Subsequently, participating toward and in that new vision begins to transform us. And if that’s the understanding and function of worship, then we all do it.
I only stress this so much to show that every person is religious. We’re all reaching after something. If we find ourselves in a religious reality, then the choice is not about whether or not I will worship, but what has me and compels me.