Worship is like...sex?

I've been thinking a lot about worship lately. Mainly because I've been doing a lot more of it recently. I have been experiencing a wonderful closeness with God lately that I can hardly explain. It's like a switch got turned on, or something. I feel that sort of panting after God that Psalm 42 talks about. I've been reading my Bible a lot more, I've been praying more, and from my heart. I'm experiencing those random moments where I just have to stop for a second to praise Him under my breath for His goodness. It's truly wonderful.

Scott basically called me a girl because I suggested that he sing "Lovely Are Your Dwellingplaces" by Hillsong at church, in which the chorus just repeats, "I love You, I love You, I love You." He's right. It is sappy. But I feel sappy lately. I go before God and all I want to do is pour my heart out in love. I just want to be with Him.

So there's the backdrop. That's why I've been thinking about worship lately...

About a week ago I started thinking about how many churches have become unhealthy in their worship. The most obvious way that congregational worship becomes unhealthy, is with a loss of passion or zeal in worship (perhaps the church never had it in the first place!). But that one's obvious. I was more thinking about the churches that maintained a sense of passion, but a sort of false, or better, misplaced passion. I've been to many churches where the people saw the worship service as an opportunity to receive some blessing from God. This sounds alright on the surface, but is that really to be our focus in worship?? Should we sing and lift our hands in order to somehow persuade God to give us some blessing? Isn't worship supposed to be our response to God for the blessings He has already given?! This thought changed my worship. I began offering myself to God without any expectation of blessing or a sense of His presence. It was my offering to Him. It was a sacrifice. To be sure, I think this is a better approach to worship than a "gimme" approach. Then I read this blog...

In it, this worship leader talked about his distaste for the "Audience of One" theology, because he thought that the idea of God as a "passive recipient" of our worship was incorrect. I am inclined to agree. This of course challenged my thinking. As mature as I thought I was being in my "sacrificial" worship, I realized that it still placed God as being the "audience" of my worship. I was performing, He was spectating. Here is where he introduced the idea that the Bible shows worship to be more like...sex.

As risque as this may seem, he supported it with scripture.

1 Cor. 6:16-17 - "Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, 'The two shall become one flesh.' But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him."

Eph. 5:31-32 - " 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church."

These, the book of Hosea, Song of Solomon, as well as countless times in scripture where God refers to worshiping other gods as "adultery," or "whoring after other gods," show that there is some truth to the idea that worship is somehow symbolized in sex.

Obviously, sex is a physical act, and worship a spiritual one - so hopefully that clears up a lot of the potential weirdness for you right there. But think of the parallels. Sex is beautiful (when it is between married partners). It is as intimate an encounter as two humans could ever have. It is the ultimate expression of human love, for which there is no equal. Isn't our worship sort of like that? In what other act or expression is more love, devotion, passion, or intimacy toward God shown than when we surrender ourselves to Him in worship?? But here's the concept that really sold it for me...

If we view worship like sex (it's weird for me too, so relax), then the image of God as a spectator vanishes. God becomes a participant in our worship. We give, and God gives. We receive, and God receives. When we worship, we enjoy each other in an intimate spiritual exchange. It's beautiful. Thus worship is less like me preforming for God, and more like me inviting Him to an passionate encounter (or rather, I am responding to His invitation). It's wonderful.

My worship has changed again. Now I expect God to show up. I invite Him. I enjoy Him, and I delight in the knowledge that He is enjoying me as well.

It may be risque, but until a more perfect explanation comes around, I'm running with it.