Worshiping From Afar

Do you ever worship from "afar?" For many of us, we've not considered that question. After all, we want to be close to the Lord so why would we want to worship Him from a distance? We are captured by certain worship songs that draw us close to the heart of the Father and make us feel as if we are being held in His embrace. As infinite as God is, He has allowed Himself to be a God that can be personal and "one on one" with those who desire to know Him. So why would I even consider worshiping Him from afar?
If you have ever been in the position of a worship leader for a local congregation, you may have experienced the desire of certain congregants who have longed to worship God from afar. The cultural shift to a postmodern mindset has influenced the approach to worship on the emphasis of making Jesus a "personal God." It is important to the understanding of modern Christians that God be able to relate to us and to show us in a deeply personal way that He loves us. For this generation, "truth" must be more than a conceptual fact that can be verified through logic or science; rather, "truth" must be something that is personally experienced. These are the worshipers who wholeheartedly embrace the music of modern worship. It is intimate, relevant, and easily personalized. There is however, another group of people within the Body of Christ who desire to return to the music of the past: the old hymns!
Hymns often convey the deep theological truths that have been central to the Christian faith but are not without their problems. Lyrically, they are rich with poetic phrases in a language which simply do not communicate to the modern Christian. Musically, many of them are not as engaging as the current rhythms of contemporary music. The argument that many use against their usage is that they simply are not relevant for today's church. In some ways I am inclined to agree. I believe that using hymns with outdated language and foreign rhythm patterns from generations ago makes it a difficult tool in inspiring worship in the church. The essence and goal of the hymns, however, is absolutely necessary but unfortunately lost in the modern day church setting.
As great as the songs about God being near and close to us are, they are at the same time dangerous if the church does not balance that perspective of God. What is commonly called as God's "imminence," it is the seeing of a God that is "near" to us. Yes, He is near and yes, He is intimately personal. But God is much,much more than that. If all I see Him as is my "personal God" then I run the risk of making Him someone that accommodates me. He becomes a God that fits my way of thinking and I can comfortably live out my Christian faith knowing that God is my "closest friend."
The essence of the "hymns" focused upon what is called God's "transcendence." In a simple definition, it is God who is far away because He is the omnipotent,omniscient, and omnipresent unfathomable God! It is God's majesty and splendor that is displayed in ways far beyond our understanding. As much as we would like to believe it, I have to agree with D.A. Carson when he said, "God is not our friend, we are God's friend." He simply cannot become that common to us. Because we have so focused upon being "relevant" to the world around us, we have also strayed and attempted to make God relevant as well. We have lost the awesomeness of God that distinguishes Him as Creator and Ruler of the Universe. We've lost the response of Isaiah who saw the transcendent God and cried "Woe is me, for I am ruined!" (Basically, I'm going to die!) We have promoted God as love, grace, and mercy and have left out the fact that he is King, Judge, and to be feared.
The truth is, unless we learn to see the transcendence of God, we can never come to fully appreciate His imminence. In fact, if the imminence of God is not making you realize His transcendence, then what you are seeing is not a true picture of God. When God drew close to Isaiah, the prophet then realized God's transcendence and he was never the same again! (Isaiah 6). In worship, both a transcendent picture of God and an imminent picture of God must be realized. His transcendence draws us to imminence while His imminence draws us to His transcendence. If its been a while since you worshiped Him from afar, ask God to once again open your eyes to see Him in His glory and transcendence allowing yourself to be surprised at the wonder and awe of our Lord!