Pavlov's Worship

I'm finding it quite difficult to come up with a solid blog entry for where my thoughts are. I feel that I have found some things that we who are under the headship of Christ do wrong, and I feel like I need to share these feelings with others. But I'm not sure how I come across. I don't want people to think that I hate church and everything we do in the church. I just feel that the church has incredibly large shoes to fill, and yet we decide to walk barefoot. So these blog entries are a way for me to try to at least point out where I think we miss the mark. So after way to long to have these thoughts just bound in my head, I shall dry-heave them forth in writing, and maybe they will make sense to you.

The question for today is: What's going on in church today regarding worship?

I'm getting pretty annoyed how often I'm with a group of believers that have little idea what worshiping God even looks like.

Is standing up together and singing some boring songs really worshiping God?
Do we think that God takes delight in us demanding that he "Take take take it all"?
Who are we even talking to?
Do we even realize the content of some of our songs, or even some of our hymns?
God is neither mentioned nor worshiped in some of them.
Here's where I think the problem is, we've decided to worship ourselves instead of God.
Think that's going to far? Try listening to what we're singing next time then, listen to who we're talking to and about who we're talking to. Both answer's are ourselves.

When we read the old testament, one of the problems that the people had was making idols all the time. Naturally, when we read it, we think, "well they made it, how could they think that it's a god?" That's looking at the wrong issue. They weren't worshiping what they made. They were worshiping that they can create. They were worshiping themselves, in that they could make something. Sure it looked like they worshiped a golden calf, but what they were doing were seeing themselves as the creator, instead of the created. They were putting themselves higher status than God, they were literal switching their roles with God's by saying that they can create something to be worshiped.
That's exactly what we are doing with our worship today.
But instead of filling you with examples, I'd rather anyone reading this to see for themselves what I'm speaking of. So go ahead next time your singing some worship songs. Think deeply on who the subject of the verses is. Who is really being glorified by the voices around you.

Also tell me this, what's the point of a church choir?
Practicing a 4 part harmony to some song that may or may not have Jesus' name in it.
How is that pleasing or glorifying God?
Don't get me wrong, I'm certain that it can be, there's no arguing that. But is that it's purpose at your church when they do it, or is the "special music" simply part of the liturgy?

Now, don't think that I hate all our music today or all our music minister's. I know that quite a few of them are very Godly men and women that really do make their priority serving and worshiping God, but I'm putting a lot of their roles into question here also.
Has our "music ministry" become no more than a Branson show or a glorified karaoke party?
After all, an adult ministry has people ministering to adults, a children's ministry is people ministering to children, but how does a music ministry minister to music, why would music need to be ministered to? (I know that's just semantics, but it's the larger point I'm trying to make.)

I once went to a youth event where we had sung some songs, and then as soon as the dude playing guitar and singing had cut off the last song he told everyone to take off their hats for prayer.
This confused me. If it was God that we were talking to after the worship, then who were we talking to during the worship?
The answer: ourselves.

Another problem I see is in some churches, people decide to put lots of charisma in their worship, swaying exhaustively back and forth, sometimes jumping up and down with their hands up. I've seen people pick up flags and wave them around, and one time I even saw some dude hop around on one leg circling the entire church.
I was very very tempted to trip him.
Not just for the laugh it would bring (which it definitely would), but because he was slandering the noble name to whom I belong.
Why do I feel this way?
It's because they are worshiping themselves.
They are worshiping their adrenaline rush and happy feelings inside, it has little to do with the God who has called them to suffer for him.
They worship their emotions, and that's called idolatry.
It's also called a lot of other things.
But I just call it disgusting.

Also, why must have such a good view of the worship band during worship?
Why must there be stage lights? Once again who are we worshiping?
A friend of mine once said that good lighting creates the emotion and mood needed for good worship.
Creating an emotion?
Setting the mood?
When it's the emotion that we're trying to evoke, then it's the emotion that we'll get. We have decided to trade God for emotion.

I agree that sometimes I like some settings better than others, but my favorite, is when everything is black, you can't see the stage, you can't see the people next to you, but you can hear them, and you feel like it's just you and God, worshiping him by yourself, and yet still with the community. You add your voice to the chorus of God's church, worshiping the only thing worth worshiping.

I title this Pavlov's worship because our worship sometimes becomes nothing more than songs and traditions to do at our weekly get together...with lunch sometimes provided. When the bell rings and the church choir stands, we do our thing without thinking, without meditation, without our hearts. Let us instead love the Lord our God with all our heart mind and soul. Let our prayers in song be a beautiful sound to him, instead of our love for our own voices reaching the ceiling and coming back down with those expensive well designed acoustics.


Ok, I know I just strung a bunch of somewhat related arguments into one blog. It may not have good flow, and may sound more like ranting than anything else. But it's entire purpose is to question how we worship or Savior. You know, the one who made us and yet died for us? And I figure our response to his beautiful sacrifice should be genuine, much more genuine than what I've been seeing. So, step back and look at yourself next time, seriously, I think it's important, and look at the people around you maybe. I'm not saying to judge them, you can't actually know what's going on their mind. I'm just saying lets worship God together with our hearts in it. (And feel free to comment for or against this argument with me.)

Think about the content,
Andy Sander

Little Christ

I have a question that needs answered. It seems like such a simple question at first, but then why is it still so hard to grasp? The question is, "Who is Jesus?"

For a good portion of my life now, I've heard about Jesus, what he's done, where he's from, what he's said. But when I try to learn of his personality, my mind seems to be pulled in multiple directions.

This is a problem. It's a problem because we are called to be imitators of this Jesus. He is our example, our guide, and the head of our faith. How are we supposed to imitate someone when we don't know what to imitate?

Jesus may be the author and perfecter of our faith, but what did he laugh at? He was sinless, but what sins were he tempted by? He loved the lost, healed the sick, taught the crowds, but what were his feelings like? The bible presents us with lots of characteristics, but which of those are simply descriptive of him, and which are prescriptive for us as his imitators. Which characteristics are we to imitate and what do these characteristics really look like? Who is Jesus and what would he do if he were in my shoes right now?

Many people remember the WWJD phase that went rampant a while back. What Would Jesus Do? It's disheartening and more than annoying that because of it's popular kick this question has become a cliche to be laughed at and ignored. But what better question is there? What Jesus would do is the number one first thing every Christian should think about wherever they are. It's in our very title, "Christian" that we are given this great calling. The first Christians were given the term "little Christs" because they did the things that he did. They asked themselves "What would Jesus do in the situation?", then they actually did it. So they were dubbed Christians for their representation of him. I can't help but notice that that apple has not only fallen far from that tree, but it has rolled down a long mountain. I say this because I look at the church today, and cannot honestly say that the people there represent Jesus enough to fulfill the title "little christs".

A couple months ago I was in a conversation with a few people here at SBU and the topic came around to what our personal denominations were. One girl in the group gave the typical answer (not negative, I get her point, but still a typical answer) that she is just a follower of Christ. And someone else in the group, an incredibly thought-provoking man, said these words, "Do you really think that you follow Christ?" I haven't forgotten this because after a little reflection the honest answer that came to my mind was "No".

No I don't follow Christ. I can't honestly see him doing the things that I do. I can't see him sleeping in, I can't see him playing video games, I know he wouldn't say some of things I say, I don't see him laughing at some of things I laugh at. I don't know how he would be able to have the down time I have, I'm certain he wouldn't be stealing silverware from the school cafeteria, (no matter how justified I feel when I do it). And he wouldn't speed either. I also don't think he would eat the same things as me, and certainly not as much, or even with the same people.

When I look at this further, I don't even know how much of the religious things I do Christ would do. Would Christ go to my church, or a church at all? or would he be to busy helping the poor? Would he be the pastor? Would he be a sunday school teacher? Would he even attend sunday school? Would he go to a house church? How much would he tithe? Would he have anything to tithe? Where would the rest of his money go? Would he even have a job or would his ministry be taking the rest of his time?

Then with his personality there are even more questions: What would he be angry at? Would get in arguments with people about religion? Who, if he lived near me, would he be hanging out with? Would he support the president? Would he support the military? Would he wear cool clothes? Would he shop at a mall? Would he come with us if we were doing something he disaproves of? Would he read a lot? What authors would he read from? Would he speak to us in parables? with poetry? with slang? Would he play a board game? Would he have more hang out time or bible study?

That's a lot of questions. Many more than I think I will ever actually be able to answer. But there are answers to some of these in the Bible. Jesus' personality is displayed in what is written about him in that great collection of writings. There are 4 different portraits of what Jesus would do at the beginning of the New Testament. Not just one, there are four. I think this is because Jesus' personality cannot be summed up by what just one of them saw his personality as. In the Bible Jesus gives me some of the answers to the questions I have.

From what the Bible says I know that Jesus would help the poor. From what Jesus said I know that he would help the widows, I know that he would help the orphans. I know that Jesus would spend his money much more benevolently. I know that he would give it to the poor. Jesus would instruct those younger and older than him. Jesus would heal the sick and give sight to the blind. Jesus would be a peacemaker, he would mend wrongs, he would fight with love, because it's like burning coals on his enemies heads. I think Jesus would live homeless and lonely. I beleive he get the attention of everyone around him then focus their attention to God. I'm pretty sure Jesus would live with lost people. I'm certain Jesus would hang out with lost people. I have no doubt that Jesus would love lost people. And I know that Jesus was persecuted and died for lost people. Jesus' example was to go against the grain, rebel from the unjust laws of our nation, be a barbarian for the faith. He was jailed, he was going to be stoned, thrown off a cliff, and thrown out of towns. He was whipped with lashes 39 times. He was beat up, spit upon, and disrespected. I know that he gave hope to those who have none. I know he washed the feet of his servants. I know he taught with God's authority. I know that he fed the hungry, and quenched the thirst of many, both literally and spiritually. And I know that he impacted the world by laying down his life for his friends, and for his enemies.

I also know that I do none of these things.

Do you?

Jesus gave us his life and then said go and do likewise. I believe that that means everything he did. In Romans 8 and in 2 Timothy 3 Paul talks about how a proof that you are living out the faith is when you're coming upon the same trials that Jesus did. He felt that when he was put in jail, stoned, lashed, and ship-wrecked, it was a proof that he was doing what Jesus did, cause he facing the same consequences. I do not have those same trials. In fact, I'm pretty content with how my life is going. There is little trial and little hassle, there is no persecution, no jail time. I have no threats on my life nor am I losing friends and family. This is because I'm not living like Jesus.

I am not an imitator of Christ and therefore do not deserve his name for me. The term "little christ" should be my goal, not my title.

Certainly because of Jesus' sinless life, a perfect imitation will never be achieved. But I know that I'm still nowhere near where I ought to be. But, and I'll end my point with this, in the midst of my inadequacies, my laziness, selfishness, and moral disgrace, Christ is there; picking me up at all of those places where I fall short. It makes me begin to understand what Jesus means when he says that:

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
- 2 Corinthians 12

don't be content,
Andy Sander

So it begins

So, about 30 minutes before writing this, I'm lying in bed listening to the drum-tappety-clips from the laptop in the other room. The man behind the typing is a humble lad with too much energy for any of us to keep up with, his name be Drew Wilson. He said he was blogging his thoughts from the day. At first I wondered what the purpose of this was. Why blog? Who reads those? What's their purpose? With questions such as these came answers like: to put thought into writing. Those who write them read them, they help with memory, they can be thought provoking to whoever else might be reading, they can be reminders of previous thoughts, ideas, or conclusions. They share ideas, and they give and receive feedback. Then I thought, why not me.
So now here I am, sitting in front of screen saying nothing yet, but having ideas. I don't know exactly where this blog will go, if I want deep discussion, personal rants, humorous topics, whether I'll hype it for others to read, or keep it to myself as a personal memory bank/journal.
Who knows but God, but hopefully it will be useful, either to me or to any one other person, and if so, then success.

signing out,
Andy Sander

Blogging first

Hello to all of my many fans, I have to start this blog by asking you to please keep from berating me with all of your fan mail and asking for autographs. Of course I'm happy to shake all your hands and hold your babies, but there really is only one of me and if you see one of my secretaries, they will be happy to give you a pre-signed picture of me with your name and my autograph already on it.
Thanks for your support and keep America beautiful.

I'm the love of my life,
Andy Sander