John Kpikpi

THE BATTLE FOR WORSHIP 1: AN ALLEGORY

It was in London. The stage was set. The fans had gathered in their thousands. They were ready for a ball! The curtains parted to reveal a giant silhouette of Michael Jackson in a characteristic pose and the massive auditorium erupted with the roar of the fans. The star himself was waiting in the wings to make his entry. The much-awaited concert was about to begin. Both Michael and his fans had been long anticipating this moment. Michael had been dying for it. Then an unexpected message from the producers:  "Michael, there have been some changes and we'd like you to know that you have fifteen minutes to perform tonight."

Non-plussed, Michael asked if they meant he had fifteen minutes for his opening medley.  No, actually, they meant fifteen minutes for the whole concert. The thing was, recent research into the prevailing culture in London suggested that fifteen minutes was the optimal amount of time for fans to meet with a star and keeping to this time limit would actually lead to many more fans joining the Michael Jackson Fan Club. Aghast, Michael exclaimed, "But I need much longer to perform the show I've been anticipating and rehearsing all these months."

"Sorry Michael, but we also found out that many people in our nation do not like it when concerts 'go wild' and we fear that if you play for longer than fifteen minutes some fans will begin to get over-excited and their extreme behaviour will put others off so that they won't want to come back again."

"But do you understand what a concert is all about and why I came all the way from the USA to London to give one?"

"Well, that's not what is important right now. We are in charge of this event and we know exactly what works in our culture and in this city. Moreover, the future benefits are all for you because, when we do things this way, you will not lose the new people who are coming to one of your concerts for the first time. This way, we can build up your fan base. Believe us, Michael, it is for your own good."

Surprised at their patronising tone, Michael nevertheless agreed to observe their time limit. After exactly fifteen minutes of play, the producers announced the end of the show and urged all the fans to sit down in small groups and discuss the history and achievements of Michael Jackson and how they could learn from him.

The crowd yelled, "We want more of Michael, we want more of Michael, we want more of Michael!!!" In his changing room, Michael was troubled and frustrated: "I want more of my fans, I wanted to spend so much more time with my fans, I love my fans, I was looking forward to having a real ball with my fans, but see what I am being served by my producers - do they really not know what I am all about?"

Michael thought this was a one-off case, but when he received the same treatment again and again, he decided not to do any more Michael Jackson Shows in London. The producers were not perturbed, they simply went and got some big screens and began to use video recordings of Michael's previous concerts. They congratulated themselves. "Surely this is even better: we do not have to deal with Michael, who can be difficult sometimes, and guess what? We can turn him on and off just as we wish!"

The videos worked for a while but after some time people who were looking for real-life encounters with their idol stopped attending the concerts, and things disintegrated from there. They were looking for a person, not an image!

Do I need to explain this allegory? When the Lord Jesus walks into his church, he is expecting to have a real ball with the people he loves dearly - the people he gave his life for in order to spend time, really good times, with them. For Jesus, there isn't anything quite like a corporate meeting with his people in worship and praise.  He is looking for churches where there is no rule about the time 'allowed' for praise and worship, where his followers have the opportunity to reach the place in praise which foreshadows the unlimited praise they will one day offer him for eternity and which even now surrounds the throne in heaven.  Sadly, Jesus' new breed of producers (leaders of his people) have a different idea about what Jesus should receive from his own people. Some say fifteen minutes, others say thirty minutes while others permit an hour.  All of them say that it's all for the good of the Lord Jesus. They want to increase his fan base  (church membership).  Yes, yes, yes, says Jesus, but isn't there a time for everything under the Son? A time to evangelise and a time to pray, a time to preach and a time to worship? When will you show some respect to me and come and ask me what I really want? I thought your meetings were Jesus Christ Shows. I thought they were all mine. I thought they were all for me and by me and through me!