What would “The Complete Worship Service” look like?

Think about Revelation chapters 4 & 5. In this passage we see the heavenly realm, the throne room of God, and a glimpse of worship on the eternal level. I think if we were to look honestly at these verses we would see things about the worship in God’s throne room that are familiar sights, things that would make us feel right at home. But if we’re still being honest, we would see things that would make us cringe or feel uncomfortable, things that are outside of “normal” for us. So lets look at the fullness of worship in Revelation 4 & 5 and see what lessons we can draw, and what challenges they bring to us as worship leaders.

The Natural and the Supernatural

Certainly in this scene there are things that are very familiar to us. These aren’t the praises and prayers of disembodied spirits. How do I know this? Some described here are sitting, some are speaking, some are singing, some are standing, some a flying, and some are bowing. The “natural” is very present in the heavenly praise of God.

But its easy to see why people would overlook the natural in favor of the supernatural. After all, this is the throne room of God. The Father himself is dwelling on the throne in unapproachable light. There are living creatures, things so radically foreign to us that John can only describe them as being alive. There are angels and thunders and lightning. Even how John sees these events is done by supernatural means via a vision from God the Spirit (Revelation 1).

The challenge to us as worship leaders is to consider both the natural and the supernatural in our services. Things like lights, volume level, arrangement, key selection and even room temperature are all natural considerations we need to take into account. These aren’t bad or unholy things. But even more so we need to consider the supernatural elements of our meetings. Are we receiving vision from The Lord? Is there the active, supernatural work of God in our worship service? Or have we just programed a decent concert with nice lighting and good set list?

Chaotic Order

There’s a lot of order and liturgy in the this heavenly worship service. The 24 elders are arranged in a circle around the throne. It’s not just by chance, that’s where they are supposed to be, it was PLANNED that way. The four Living Creatures each have their assigned places. When one of the Living Creatures praises The Lord, the 24 elders take their cue and follow suit, and then the congregation has their part to play. It’s a planned liturgy.

But during all of this order there is great chaos. There is thunder and lighting from the throne. The living creatures and elders and doing things that many churches would label “distracting” and “not worshipful.” The Apostle John is in the corner crying while their are people searching the room for someone worth to open the scroll. Unplanned spontaneity seems to be running rampant, but no one seems bothered by this.

If there’s a pattern emerging in this musing, its that no church, none of us, has our worship style or expression down. Those of us who are so proud of our planning could probably use a little more chaos, and those of us who are so happy in our chaos (we like to call it laid back) could probably stand to get our act together a bit more. Either way, what a great thought it is to know that someday we will worship together in a unity born out of the chaotic harmony of the heavenly scene.

Loud Noises and Holy Silence

Some people like the music cranked up loud and rocking. Others prefer quiet reflection and tranquil devotion. Heaven has found a way to have both!

In this heavenly time of worship and praise there are Living Creatures shouting glory to God. Elders who are throwing things and then throwing themselves before the throne of God. There is a congregation to great to count that would surely be making a deafening, wonderful sound to God. Not to mention the Thunder and Lighting coming from the Throne.

But then there are times when they pause, when the scene shifts and the attention is focused and silence rules the moment. Revelation 8:1 says: “Now when the Lamb opened the seventh seal there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.” So for a whole 30 minutes no one makes a sound in all of heaven! Have you ever been in a worship service where the leader asks for time of silent prayer and within a minute there is someone praying out loud? I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen that happen in many different types of churches. We are so uncomfortable with silence in our culture that some churches see it as “breaking the flow” of the worship service, and some people in the crowd can’t handle it when it’s asked for.

In the end, I value the times of silence as much as I value the times of noise. When we have the full rock and roll band on stage, I try to program moments into the song arrangement where the band stops playing and the church can just hear themselves singing to Jesus. When I first started leading worship I would blaze through a set list. I’ve since had to force myself to learn to be comfortable on stage in those times of quiet and stillness. Some churches need a little more righteous noise, while others could just a little more blessed silence.

Agony and Rejoicing

This might be the part I’ve felt the most passionate about in recent years. In chapter 5, John begins to despair and weep because he’s lost sight of Jesus. In Chapter 6, those who have been martyred for their faith in Jesus cry out with honest suffering.

Many people in our churches come with heavy hearts. Ill health, broken relationships, ripped off by the world, betrayed and let down. But far too many have be fed the myth that christians shouldn’t get mad, or that when it comes to joy, christians should “fake it ’til you feel it.”

I don’t believe the line that says the worship band should look like “the happiest people in the world.” Every time I hear it I reject it with all my might. Our Lord Jesus himself wept at the death of a friend, should we do any less? I’ve lead people in worship when I’ve been mad, hurt, unsure, doubting and with genuine anger in my heart. But I believe God has worked through me and used me in those times because I’ve gone to Jesus and tried my best to take the church with me.

When John is found weeping over all the trouble he sees chapter 5, he is told by one of the elders in verse 5 to “…Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered…”!!!

I believe in joy and celebration in worship. I rejoice with those who enter into worship on a Sunday morning with a heart that’s at ease. But I want to leave room and make a place for those who come with burdened souls. I want to remember for myself and others that it’s ok to feel all the things our Lord felt: anger, hurt, betrayal, abandonment, grief. As long as I find myself looking to Jesus at the end, I think I’m in a real, and legitimate place in my worship.

So in the past few years I’ve felt freed to lead more somber songs in minor keys, just as I’ve felt compelled to lead songs that reflect a greater joy than I have in the past. In my prayers for the church during the service, I try to remember and acknowledge those who are hurting, and I ask God to lead us to joy.

Jesus is at the Center

The reason that this heavenly church service is so complete and wonderfully balanced is that Jesus is at the center. Everything in heaven is orientated towards the throne of the Father who has exalted Jesus and placed him at his right hand. When people weep like John or cry out like the Martyrs, they look to Jesus for their help. When people scream, sing and shout praise it is because of Jesus. When people fall silent it is either because of Jesus’ work or because they are waiting to see what he’s doing next.

The complete worship experience will not exist until we are with The Lord in eternity, and if we’re honest, many of would prefer it if some part of this glimpse of heaven were different. We go to the churches we go to for a reason. We like the expressions and forms of worship we like because of who we are or where we’ve come from. But that doesn’t determine where we’re going or what we are becoming.

So until Jesus comes, let our songs, our prayers, our spoken words, our playing, our loud noises, our silence, our chaos, our planning, our agony, our rejoicing, our natural and our supernatural point to Jesus as the focus and ultimate reason for what we do and we will come closer to a Biblical balance and the complete worship experience for our churches.