Chapter 1 - Waking: Visceral

Waking: Visceral

Visceral: something deeply felt, emotional, and instinctive, strong and immediate, arising from deep within, rather than being the result of logical thought or analysis.  On page 18 of Liturgy of the Ordinary, Tish Harrison Warren mentions this idea of experiencing worship with this adjective attached.  I started to reflect on a question this brought to my mind: How often do I experience church itself as a visceral experience?

Think about the space where your church worships.  Ours takes place in a gym looking at a stage.  I’ve noticed this trend in recent years that many churches have gone for this type of casual auditorium type of setting.  We have no windows with sun streaming in or the smell of lilacs wafting through the screen.  I cannot hear the birds chirping blithely a few feet away or see the clouds scuttling across the sky.  There’s no stained glass for me to admire and contemplate and marvel at in its glorious array of colors.  When I watch a wedding or a funeral on TV that’s taking place in Britain, I see their glorious cathedrals and timeless representations of beauty and holiness, and I long for a place - manmade beauty and artisan splendor or else creation sneaking into my senses through windows - where I experience God.  It’s as if He’s right around the corner or up in the balcony looking down at all of us worshipping Him.

Is the Holy Spirit in our church?  Yes, I believe that I have often felt His presence there in the music and in the teaching occasionally.  But it’s almost more like the experience of noticing a bird flapping in a cage than the glorious experience of watching an eagle majestically cross from one side of the river to another.  I mourn the use of my senses as I sit in the dim room, as they are being smothered or at least lulled to sleep.  Does your church environment encourage you to feel God moving and speaking to you, or do you have to stretch to get to that point?

I’ve often found that my spirit worships God best when I am out in the world that He made for me - when I walk through a field of wildflowers or hear the waves of the lake crashing against the shore next to my feet.  I think that my visceral experiences come about in this avenue, when I am suddenly overpowered by the intimacy of a God who formed the intricate apple blossom or the creative and cleverly-designed stick bug wanting to have a relationship with me.

Wait for these times - in fact, go seek them out - and open your soul to what God is speaking to you in those moments.  The voice may not be amplified by a professional sound system, but you’ll have a glorious experience of awareness and profound love for this God who created this day and this place precisely for you and your enjoyment!