Worship
How do we evaluate it?
Scripture Reading: Psalm 150
Generally speaking, we all evaluate our experiences and make some sort of appraisal about those experiences. What I have noticed is that most people only have two possible conclusions about life events - they are either “fun” or “boring.” Those may not be the only two words used, but people tend to stack things under one of those two columns. Even the word “awesome” has been relegated to the realm of something exciting and entertaining.
Having been the parent of four teenagers, the word “boring” really gets under my skin. I hear it way too much. Maybe that is a reflection of my dynamic personality (sarcasm alert). Or could it be a reflection on the culture in which we live? “Boring” is the opposite of “entertaining,” which is what we usually mean when we use words like exciting, awesome, cool, and fun.
What is even more tragic is that this way of evaluating life’s experiences has become the standard by which we judge worship also. Thus, for many, worship must be entertaining before it is deemed valuable. I’m not trying to rally the troops for “boring” worship, but I would like to suggest some other standards of judgment. Why not add some of these words to your appraisal list: challenging, reverent, convicting, anointed, spiritual, awe-inspiring, joyous, motivating, transforming, enlightening, comforting, or uplifting. None of those sounds boring, neither do they imply simply being entertained.