Music

On January 10th we had our first "worship downstairs" experience in quite some time. We sat
in an arc facing the fireplace and shared a mix of traditional and non-traditional components
of worship. We sang and prayed, and role-played our way through a psalm and passage from
Paul's letter to the church at Corinth. We reminded ourselves with lots of laughs that we are
all parts of the Body of Christ and that some of us "make a bigger impression than others" in
this regard!

We call this inter-generational worship design and it is important for at least two reasons: ,1)
we become much more physically active in the way we participate, and 2) we become much
more "real" in the way we worship.

Persons who tend to feel "out of the action" in worship often find this exciting, like most
children much of the time, (and at least some adults too much of the time). They find
themselves working together to express the Word of God. The word for worship "liturgy,"
means just that, the work of the People of God. We are to grasp that the biggest job God
assigns us is to worship God. If we get that much right then we have a decent chance of
getting many more essential things right in our lives.

By moving us out of our passive, spectator "comfort zones," inter-generational worship reminds
us of how children, youth, and young adults see the world, and more importantly, want to relate
to the world. We reconnect with the fun of adventure, unscripted surprises, and fresh
discoveries. Church like this is anything but b - 0 - r - i - n - g!

In adult worship we typically prefer the reassuring formulas, the reinforcing patterns, and
the familiar themes. We want some peace, order, and structure for our chaotic lives,
something that reminds us we can count on God never to change while we must live in a
world of crazy and bewildering change. So, it takes some genuine effort ("work") on our
part to do intergenerational worship too. We have to adjust somewhat.

The great gift that mature adults can give younger members is the chance to have worship
offer then what they need to face the world. Many churches are finding ways to do this that
send a strong message: that younger members' spiritual needs are as important as anyone
else's. Maybe more so, considering they are just starting out in life and it is so easy for them to
tum their backs on the church if they find it is not meeting their needs. We may have a second
"worship downstairs" event, or possibly a family-oriented service once a month in the
sanctuary. It is a "work" in progress.