Experiential Worship

I'll have to admit, experiential worship is a newer concept to me, and at times a bit difficult because it requires you to step back and focus in a busy world which is tough for me. With that said, I had an amazing experience during a time of experiential worship this last weekend, and I want to pass it on to you to possibly use for your youth ministries. NOTE-this is not my idea, just something I wanted to pass on.

Here is how it works. You take 8-10 various spices of varying flavors-sweet, spicy, bitter, etc. and put them in individual bowls. You then have participants walk through the line and pick out three spices of their choosing. Once the person has their spices, they are to find a place where they can take the time to focus and then taste each spice one by one and listen/pray to see what the Lord has to say to them. That may sound strange, but the chance to step back and take a few moments was amazing, and I would encourage you to try it if you are looking for some experiential worship opportunities.

So for me, I chose seasoning salt, Italian spices, and sugar. I started with the seasoning salt and immediately it made me thirsty. As I sat there reflecting, I found myself thinking about the verse that says hunger and thirst for His righteousness, and I was reminded that in the busyness of life I need to remember to always long for more of the Lord. When I moved on to the Italian spices-which I love on pizza and other various dishes, I found that they were bitter alone and did not taste very good at all. This reminded me that things that are enticing may not always be beneficial, and if I am not careful they can get in the way of my relationship with God. Finally I tasted the sugar and immediately the thought of "taste and see that the Lord is good." God is better than anything the world could ever offer to me, and I need to remind myself of that daily.

As I said, this type of worship experience is difficult for me, but was awesome. I hope to explore this more, and would encourage you to do the same for yourself and your youth ministries if you are involved with one.

That's my idea for the week, thoughts?