Friday, February 23, 2007
A Rare Convergence
Thompson CT is famous! Approximately one half mile west of the granite tri-state marker of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, a few stones and rotting boards mark the former location of a train station where a rare historical event took place. Chuck Straub describes the event (including pictures and directions to the exact location of this event) on his web site . Here are a few key paragraphs from his account:
“During the early, foggy morning hours of December 4th 1891 four trains would meet in East Thompson, Connecticut with disastrous consequences. No one could have known earlier that morning that they were all destined to go down in history in what would later be known as The Great East Thompson Train Wreck. This spectacular crash of four trains, is the only train wreck of its' kind in the history of railroading in the United States.”
“It all happened in what is now known as the "quiet corner" of eastern Connecticut…. Within a matter of minutes, two trains collided head on, a third train smashed into the debris of that wreck and then a fourth train slammed into all of that debris. The amazing thing about all this wreckage is that only 2 train men were killed and 1 passenger was never found but believed killed in the burnt out wreckage. About 500 feet of burnt out, twisted wreckage and debris covered the tracks.”
This amazing story exemplifies the kind of convergence that is to be avoided. We plan for train wrecks to be rare. There is, however, another very unusual kind of convergence that should be pursued: the convergence of spirit, truth, and true worshippers. Jesus describes this convergence as a recipe for successful worship: “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24 KJV)
Powerful and constructive things happen when people worship God in spirit and in truth. It is rare that the will of man and the will of God converge in this balanced manner. It is rare that man is able to be spiritually sensitive and also intellectually accurate. Many of us have known people who felt close to God and spent time in prayer, but may have taken some notions to an extreme. Others of us can recall people who have been so academic and scientific in their approach to God that they had reduced him to a formula. What if we could achieve both?
Jesus instructs us to pursue worship that is both passionate and informed; worship that engages the heart and the head. It is the kind of worship that is practical and spiritual. Since man is a complex being comprised of body, soul (mind, will & emotions) and spirit, and since the supernatural world is so vast and mysterious, one must work diligently to sort through traditions, prejudice, conventional wisdom, subjective experiences, feelings, etc. in order to find a powerful personal or corporate worship experience. As one might expect, prayer is the key to achieving this rare convergence.
- Prayer is emotional and passionate.
- Prayer taps into the supernatural world.
- Prayer provides a venue for the total surrender of one’s mind, will and emotions.
- Prayer provokes physical expressions of love and obedience.
- Prayer, coupled with Bible reading, helps one discover truth.
The end result of worship in spirit and truth is powerful and will often evoke passions and actions not unlike those of sports fans who clap, shout and wave their hands in adoration. The first two chapters of The Book of Acts describes this very kind of worship. It started with a ten day prayer meeting. When a divine convergence of spirit, truth and worshippers was achieved, the crowd was overwhelmed with God’s power. Within hours, the whole town noticed. The entire world has since been rocked by that historic event.
Are you interested in a powerful worship experience? I wonder what would happen if more people in places like the “quiet corner” would let passionate, biblical worship overwhelm their prayer times and worship services. Do you suppose some place in Southern New England could again make history – this time with a rare, dynamic, positive, spiritual convergence of spirit and truth?
Once again, here’s the recipe: "It's who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That's the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration." (John 4 23-24 MSG)
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