The Space in Which You Worship

The concept of coming into the presence of God and communing with Him is explored in Psalm 84. Here are some verses from that Psalm:
(1) How lovely is Your tabernacle, O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul longs, yes, even faints For the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

4 Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; They will still be praising You. Selah

10 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.

There is the concept that deals with "entering" the presence of God.  Yes, we know that He is always with us and He lives in our hearts.  But, I believe that our walk with Him is strengthened and our love for Him deepens as we set aside time to meet with Him - to read, study, and meditate on His Word, to communicate with Him and listen for His voice, and to enter into worship.  We can come before the throne of Almighty God and experience the reality of His presence with us - He desires for us to experience those glorious moments with Him.

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God calls us to abide in Him consistently and there will be times when we regularly meet with Him - that may be in a solitary place or in a corporate worship setting.  We see this concept of "meeting" with God expressed in Psalm 42:
(1) As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
3 My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say to me, "Where is your God?"
4 When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise, With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.

Yesterday, on The Meeting House program, Dr. Joe Savage of the University of Mobile Center for Leadership discussed the mindset of the Millennial generation.  He mentioned that they were seeking for authenticity.  Well, apparently, a survey by the Barna Group in association with Cornerstone Knowledge Network of adults 18 to 29 years old shows that this unique age group likes authenticity in its so-called "worship spaces."

A report on the survey at The Christian Post website quotes Aspen Group AIA Architect Derek Degroot, who said of the survey results, "They don't want something created artificially for them; they don't want a bait and switch. What they want is something deeper and more authentic."

In the Barna survey,  respondents were asked to choose between contrasting words to describe their vision of the ideal church, a majority of Millennials chose the following:

• Community, 78% was selected over privacy, 22%
• Sanctuary, 77% (auditorium, 23%)
• Classic, 67% (trendy, 33%)
• Quiet, 65% (loud, 35%)
• Casual, 64% (dignified, 36%)
• Modern, 60% (traditional, 40%)

The Barna summary says that...

While “Sanctuary,” “classic” and “quiet” are more often associated with traditional church buildings, less than half of survey respondents preferred the word “traditional” over “modern.” And herein lies a cognitive dissonance common to the young adults interviewed in the survey. Many of them aspire to a more traditional church experience, in a beautiful building steeped in history and religious symbolism, but they are more at ease in a modern space that feels more familiar than mysterious.

Clint Jenkin, Ph.D., vice president of research at Barna Group and the lead designer of this study, is quoted as saying, “It’s tempting to oversimplify the relationship between Millennials and sacred space,” adding “For instance, it might be easy to believe such a place needs to look ultra modern or chic to appeal to teens and young adults. But the reality, like so much about this generation, is more complicated—refreshingly so. Most Millennials don’t look for a church facility that caters to the whims of pop culture. They want a community that calls them to deeper meaning.”

The Christian Post story summarized some of the responses of those surveyed regarding images they were shown of various worship spaces:  "When shown four different kinds of church windows ranging from modern and least 'churchy' to traditionally orbnate [sic], over a third of all respondents chose the most ornate stain glass window common to chapels. When shown four styles of church altars, the study showed that a majority of respondents chose altars that 'are unambiguously Christian and are more traditional.'"

There are some principles that come to mind as we consider what young adults were saying about worship spaces:

While worship is not centered around a place, the place we worship can enhance our experience.  We can think about our own personal worship space - you may or may not have a section of your home that is set aside for that purpose, but it's important that we have time and place set aside where we can come away and commune with God.  We follow the example of Jesus, who was known to go to a quiet place and pray.  Where we designate to meet with God is an important component of our spiritual practice, I think.

We also return to that word that has been used to describe the Millennial generation - authentic. This Barna survey also reflects the desire that generation has to be in community and to experience deeper meaning.  I think that desire may be applicable to more than just young adults in that particular generations. Traditional settings or symbols apparently do not interfere with that deeply held desire and can even provide an atmosphere for their experience with the Lord.

Finally, because of the numerous influences that we have through media, entertainment, and more, we can be caught up in trends.  Sometimes trends can be good, sometimes they can be distracting. We have to make sure that we are not lured in by trends or glitzy marketing efforts that can lure us into thinking we are doing something spiritual, when we are actually allowing ourselves to be manipulated.  Participating in surface religious activity is not the same as pursuing our relationship with Almighty God.   We are called to seek what is lasting, what is eternal, rather than what might make us feel good at the moment.