I was recently reminded while reading Marva Dawn's book, Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down, about a phrase I heard in a church back in 1991. It was the first time I heard it and saw it demonstrated that summer in a church in Greenwood. The children's pastor's message for the 'children's chat' was how they (we) are the actors in worship and God is the audience. He posited the question, "When you leave today, be sure to ask your parents on the way home, 'How did we do today?'" as a way to remind them (us) that God is the audience alone and we all are the performers (not just those on stage). Neat illustration? Yes. Corrective? Sure. But there was always something it that didn't seem to sit well with me. And Marva's words (p153) helped me to reflect on why.
Marva: "...the congregation being the actors who worship God and God being the Actor who reveals himself in that worship to his people..." Yes, God is involved in the worship too. So is this merely "audience participation"? It would sure seem to flip that concept upside down for God is really big! My daughter is in dance and every night she is to "perform" her dance as a practice before wither her mother or me. She will one day perform before several parents and guests her dance but when it is just her and I it is much more than just a performance/audience event. She lets me know when I am not paying attention and my facial reactions to her "performance" gives her indication on what I am thinking about what she is doing and about her too. There may be a science as to how to work up an audience and play off of them but this isn't the direction of where I am going. It is much more about relationship and the connection we carry before, during, and after our worship moments with God.
I think it is the terminology of the word "audience" that bothers me. And so I believe God is not the
audience of our worship, but if He is He is also the Main Actor. And by Actor I mean "Revealer". An "audience" is
something you perform before and then leave. I like the word "community" better. Now a community is something for
which every action has an implication and something we never really leave--a
God-inhabited community is something we would never want to. People were made
for such community and the Church is to be in this formation and carriers of its effects. Dawn reminds us that our community of worship as the Church is always formative, that is, it is forming us into a "kind" of worshiper. I think this is what the children's pastor was trying to correct for the kids (us) that day. But there is so much more packed into our worship that one illustration might be able to communicate (or correct). 'Communion' is another word that 'communicates' what our 'community' is with God. I would add the NT word "fellowship" to this as well but that words seems to have fallen from (being a means of) grace that it doesn't seem to mean biblically what it is intended to mean.
Dawn continues with these words, "...we so desperately need God's revelation in order to be formed as a people who can think well in a world that denies his revelation." We need God in our worship--both as object and subject, as what we call 'audience' and 'actor'. We need to see Him and hear Him and then respond to Him. Understanding our part in the community with God is one part towards bringing wholeness to our community ...and our society.
Ambrose of Milan said it so well,
O God, teach me to see You, and reveal Yourself to me when I seek You,
For I cannot seek You unless You first teach me
nor find You unless You first reveal Yourself to me.
Let me seek You in longing, and long for You in seeking.
Let me find You in live, and love You in finding.
Reveal on, people of the Great Revealer, reveal on!