Faith: A Sabbath Worship Experience

Spectrum Staff | January 2, 2015

Welcome to Sabbath Worship with Spectrum.

This is my first Sabbath as curator of this collection of art expression pieces meant to act as a kind of journey in worship. As nearly all Spectrum readers have probably already realized, spiritual experience is wholly abstract and happens between synapses in the mind, and so we create acts of religion to symbolize, process, and share the shadows of what we spiritually experience. For this reason, the language used in spiritual circles tends to have a variety of interpretations assigned to it. At the outset I will share with you the strain of definitions that I will be functioning within. I use the following definitions for the following terms. Spiritual: That having to do with what is both incalculable and experiential. Worship: The active acknowledgement of self-limitation in the face of the incompressible. The Kingdom of Heaven: The body of people committed to pursuing actions to build up the ideals of Heaven as stated by Jesus – egalitarianism, love for God and others, servant leadership, etc. These are the presuppositions on which this collection of expression pieces rests.

I remember when I was 14 having the distinct feeling that I would somehow figure everything spiritual out and I would then live in a state of contented spiritual comfort. What I have found instead is that my experience ebbs and flows between feeling spiritually comfortable and spiritually restless. Is this a common experience? Are some blessed with absolute spiritual comfort here on earth? Is such a comfort truly a blessing? This piece reminded me of the balance between states of restlessness and comfort.

Introit: Daniel Waples – hang drum solo

Opening Hymn: Mormon Tabernacle Choir – Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Call to Prayer: Andrew Peterson – Queen of Iowa

Opening Prayer: David Meyers – Doubting Thomas

Spoken Word: Lesley Hazleton: The doubt essential to faith

Steve Moor is a middle grade teacher, a youth mentor and a worship leader in Portland Oregon.

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