Speaking of Evangelicalism and liturgy - I was listening to the radio the other day (I do a lot of driving) and there was this interview on the Christian station with some Olympic snowboarders. One of the snowboarders stated that when they snowboard they are at their best worship with God.

There seems to be some confusion as to just what “worship” is and is not. Although our lives are indeed a worship experience, we need to be careful what we identify as our “worship experience.” The climax of our worship is not when we are experiencing our favorite sport or even just  enjoying the splendor of God’s beauty within nature,  perhaps at the beach or within the mountains. St. Paul warned us in Romans by explaining that many have fallen to worship the creation and not the creator.

I’m not saying that this snowboarder is worshiping creation, but I am saying that this is the typical Evangelical error of over-realized eschatology. The climax of our worship experience, here on earth, is when we first kneel before the Lord our maker on Sunday. This may sound shocking, but if you are not throwing your entire life at the throne of the living God during your worship within the Church, then you will not experience an abundant life the days after. Our worship experience in life begins with the Eucharistic celebration of the Lord’s Day and dovetails from there, not from our favorite hobby.

If your worship experience is not where it should be, then make it so. If you are living in a house of cedar - as King David put it - but your God is dwelling in a tent, then obviously something needs to be done. No Christian should be complaining about their worship service unless they have first offered themselves to the ministry of Church; whether it be through service or finance.  

The worship service of the Church, and not our favorite hobby, should be the pillar of our psychological well being. When disruptive thoughts come to mind, think of how you worship, and those thoughts will likely turn and run; unless your worship is disruptive or you rarely worship. I am absolutely convinced that contemporary, liturgicaless, Psalmless (not singing them as God commands), and Eucharistless (not including the Eucharist on the Lord’s Day service) worship is harmful to the Christian and the Church as a whole. If it were right, then the Church would have been partaking in it for the first 1800 years of existence prior to the Enlightenment.

Something to think about.