The Language of Worship
Download Video HERE
How do you see the world?
There is a well-known Indian fable called “The Blind Men and the Elephant.” In this story, six different blind men each encounter an elephant, and being blind, they try to identify the elephant through touch. Each one touches a different part of the elephant, and each comes away with a different idea of what an elephant is. One touched the trunk and decided the elephant was like a snake. One touched its side and figured the elephant was similar to a wall, and so on and so on. The takeaway here is pretty easy to grasp—each of us can encounter the same thing and come away understanding something completely different. We each have our own unique way of seeing and understanding the world around us.
Similarly, in the book “The Sacred Enneagram,” Christopher Heuertz writes about the intelligence centers, which is “the enneagrams way of helping us recognize our primary mode of perceiving the world through either our head, heart, or body.” This method of understanding helps us to see if our perception is processed primarily through our head (intellectual, rational) our heart (emotional, feelings) or our body (instinctive, gut). We each perceive God in our own unique way, and we each also uniquely express through worship what we perceive.
What is your expression of worship?
Or a better question might be what is your worship language? After all, language at its core is a method of expression and communication for what we perceive. One interesting thing about language is that while most languages are made up of letters and words, those elements aren’t necessary. Language can come from sounds and symbols and silence. The main thing necessary for language is meaning. For worship, this meaning can be present in the beauty and movement of song, or the provocative words in a sermon, or the wonderful time spent with God in prayer. This meaning can also be present in the brush strokes of a painting, or the comforting presence of a loved one, or the innovative creations of an engineer.
I believe our worship languages are as diverse and unique as we are, and I also believe that our worship language is often spoken through those amazing gifts and talents God gave to each of us. For me, I have come to understand my worship language as expression through video. The combination of words and images present in the videos I can create help me to express and respond to what I believe God speaks to me. Often, my worship language of videography helps me into a certain frame of mind that allows me to better listen to God. So what is your language of worship? Is it teaching or sports? Math or science? Poetry or dancing or playing an instrument? Or is it something completely different?
Our worship languages are meant to be shared.
At the end of that old Indian fable of “The Blind Men and the Elephant,” the six blind men come back together, bringing with them their own ideas of what an elephant may look like. Together, they are able to discern a much more accurate picture of what the elephant actually is than any one of them could come up with on their own. We each have our own language of worship, but the only way we can really seek and respond to God is by coming together and sharing our expressions of worship with each other. Matthew 22:37 says “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Our best way of seeking and responding to God, of expressing worship, is coming together with a holistic expression from our minds, hearts, and souls. Allowing our unique ways of perceiving God to combine into something greater than we could have imagined on our own.