Sacred Space: A Hands-On Guide to Creating Multisensory Worship ...

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Chapter 2Why We Need ExperientialWorship and Sacred SpaceWe need experiential worship because our culture no longer “gets” or even knows the story ofGod. Most of our students can’t tell you the difference between the Old and New Testamentsor even the names of the four Gospels. Even our “churched” students don’t always know howthe Bible relates to their lives.We have a problem in “church land,” too. We’ve forgotten how to tell the story of God.And why is this?In the late 1970s and in the 1980s, many churches viewed pews and stained glass (andother symbols) as boring and outdated. It didn’t help that many of these people had negativechurch experiences in more traditional settings. So they changed the atmosphere and createdmore user-friendly churches. Worship spaces were designed without the traditional trappingssuch as altars, or even crosses. Now many church buildings resemble movie theaters withtheir stadium seating, cup holders, and large video screens.But when they got rid of the symbols, they got rid of elements that helped “tell the story.”In medieval times, elements such as stained glass and other artwork actually told the biblicalnarrative to many in the church who couldn’t read. Even the ceilings in some churchbuildings were designed to look like upside-down boats to remind believers of the call tobe fishers of people. The spires and steeples were reminders of God, pointing churchgoersto heaven.On the flip side, today’s liturgical/traditional churches still have loads of symbols and rituals.In the traditional liturgy each piece of the worship service tells a part of the story—eventhe congregants’ physical movements enhance the story (e.g., making the sign of the cross,kneeling, reading a Bible passage in the midst of the congregation to show that it’s God’s Wordfor everyone). But the problem is that many in liturgical churches no longer know why theyuse these symbols and rituals. They’ve lost their meaning.13
Experiential worship brings the living portions of both styles and traditions together. Itgives symbols new life and helps emerging generations fall in love with God.What’s more, our lives are so visually driven today that we often don’t even need words todescribe things or get our point across. Therefore throwing out symbols (and then forgettingthe meanings of these symbols) as a church has eliminated our ability to tell the story of God toan extremely symbolic, visual culture that’s no less hungry for the good news and the story ofGod than any other generation. Our culture needs churches that learn again how to use symbols.People need churches that teach in ways that engage them, help them engage with God,and enable them to experience with all their senses how God relates to their everyday lives.A Biblical MandateAn important chapter in The Emerging Church discusses the Bible and worship. 1 Revisitingwhat was covered there, it’s easy to see that the Bible very clearly speaks of worship usingother means than simply words. Since Sacred Space discusses incorporating a variety of expressionsof worship and prayer that involve various senses, it’s good to understand that theconcept of experiential worship and prayer does have biblical backing. For instance, whenyou look at worship in the Old Testament, you see that the temple in Jerusalem used muchmore than sermons to “get God across.” Every sense was involved: You could smell the burningsacrifices and incense, hear the trumpets and temple choirs, see transcendent architectureof soaring pillars and expansive courtyards. Even the texture and colors of the priests’ clothingcommunicated specific things about God and God’s covenant with Israel.In other places in the Scriptures you can read about other forms of worship and prayerthat involve the senses:Sense of Smell. We see in Revelation 8:4 how incense is used in worship. Throughout theOld Testament incense was common in worship (Exodus 25:6; Malachi 1:11). We see theMagi presenting Jesus with gifts that were multisensory (Matthew 2:11). Philippians 4:18 refersto “a fragrant offering...pleasing to God.” Even the church itself is to be the “aroma of theknowledge of him…the pleasing aroma of Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:14-15).Sense of Touch. We also know that the sense of touch was involved in all forms and practicesof worship. Believers laid hands on others when they prayed (Acts 6:6), clapped theirhands (Psalm 47:1), felt the water as they were baptized (Acts 8:38), and touched the bread incommunion (1 Corinthians 11:23-24).Sense of Taste. The sense of taste is acknowledged quite often in the Bible. Psalm 34:8 says,“Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Psalm 119:103 reads, “How sweet are your words to my1Dan Kimball, The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for NewGenerations (Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 2003) 127-131.14
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