Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. A buzz word that seems to have invaded the church culture conversations as of late is the word “authentic”. You often hear it in phrases such as: “authentic worship”, “authentic relationship(s)”, “authentic faith”. Recently I decided that I wanted to try to get a handle on how people were applying that word and what they meant by it.
What I discovered in my seeking information is that like many buzz words, this one has a wide range of definitions based upon the person using it and the context within which it is used. It sounds like a pretty cool word and it seems to carry some level of authority when it is used. The word does not create negative responses but usually can bring about agreement between the user and the receiver.
If we go to dictionary.com and look up the word, we find that it is an adjective and that one of the definitions is, “not false or copied; genuine; real”. This lead me to ponder how if these words were inserted in the phrases that I mentioned earlier, a clearer picture of why it has become popular in church conversations emerges. Given the nature of our society and the throw-away material aspect of it, the search for something genuine, real, and not false or copied, seems to be a search in which many people may be participating today. I want to spend the next few months looking at each of these phrases. So this month let’s start with the first one.
Authentic worship – Some would argue that worship is a very personal experience or encounter with the living God. However, when we look at Scripture, it seems clear that God has always intended worship to be in the context of community. Therefore, while we may have a personal experience and/or encounter with the Lord during a worship service, we must always understand our worship experience to be a community experience.
Worship can easily become false or copied when a community of believers goes through motions, sings songs, and creates liturgies that are not applicable to their context. By just taking something that we have seen others do but not understanding the meaning or seeing how it fits into our community’s expression of faith, it loses its authenticity. When worship is not authentic, it is very noticeable. People seem to be just quote words by rote, moving as instructed, and have expression that show either disinterest or boredom.
When we think of genuine or real worship, images of people singing, moving and speaking as expressions of their faith come to mind. They are engaged and use their bodies, minds, and mouths to share about their encounter with the Lord. An observer would clearly know that this community’s expression of faith has purpose and meaning.
Many individuals who visit congregations talk about what they experience in the midst of a worship service. It has become abundantly clear over the last decade that more than style, music selection, or even traditions, the authenticity of the worship is a large factor in the visitors returning to the worship setting another time. This indicates the attractiveness in a community of believers authentically worshipping.
More important than the impact on visitors is the impact of authentic worship to the Lord. Jesus told the woman at the well something about authentic worship - “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:23-24) So Jesus makes it clear that the Lord delights in authentic worship also. Isn’t that really what our worship should be about, bring delight to the Lord?
I would love to hear any insights that you may have on authentic worship. I encourage you to focus on how our community of believers worship and each do our part to ensure that we worship authentically.
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