The Shared Experience

Okay, here goes. I'm not sure if what I'm about to write down will make any sense at all, but it is rattling around in my brain and the attempt to communicate it, I feel certain, will at least be beneficial to me. Read on if you wish.

I hate competitive arts. I don't want to compare my painting, song, play, book or sculpture to someone else's. The power of art is in the experience of creating it and then sharing it with others, not to be judged, but to simply be experienced.

My oldest niece Jordan is an excellent actor. She has been performing in regional and school productions practically all of her life. Last weekend I traveled to Austin to watch her perform in a one-act play competition. It took a lot of work to get to the state finals in Austin and it is an accomplishment she should be very proud of. However, because it is a competition with winners and losers, I have heard little talk about the rich shared experience of putting a cast together, rehearsing a piece and then including an audience in that experience. On the other hand, I have heard a lot of talk about bad productions, idiotic judges and pressure to win, win, win.

This started me thinking about what I miss most about being in the entertainment business. Oddly enough, I don't really miss performing for drunk cowboys as they spin their rocky mountain clad ladies wildly around the dance floor. What I do miss is rehearsing. I miss the creative process of sitting in a room with other musicians and trying new things. I miss sharing a song I'd written with people who would give me honest feedback; not so I could sell the song and get rich, but simply for the joy of sharing it. I miss the freedom to mess up and try again. What I miss is the shared creative experience.

Now, come to church with me. What happens there? Supposedly a group of people come together to honor God, to worship Him and in the midst of that to encourage, challenge, love, comfort and support each other. A shared experience.

Unfortunately, what often happens is a sort of competitive church, not unlike competitive art. It becomes all about who has the best performance, lights, sound, and who gets the biggest crowds and we miss the shared experience. My point is not that we necessarily need to unplug the microphones, sell the buildings or even change the seating arrangement (although we might need to do all of that). I'm simply saying we need to gather for the shared experience and then let it happen. We need to dive into it, engage with it, regardless of style, format, place or who else shows up to participate.

Worship is art and I can't help but believe the Creator of everything, the great Artist agrees with me about competitive art.

Does that make any sense at all? Oh well, I warned you.