Worship as soccer

Last week I began to express a metaphor for worship as football. While there may very well be wonderful things about the football approach and understanding of worship, I find it to be too 'control' focused and highly protective. Rather, I wonder what would it be if worship were approached not as football but as soccer?

Soccer seems like the ultimate game of trust. Each team knows what they are doing even though they do not come together as a total unit throughout the game to check in with each other. As the plays develop each person must be keenly aware of what they are doing as individuals but must make sure their actions are connected to the overall plan of the team. There is a lot of deviation that happens throughout the course of the game, but that deviation must instantly be figured into the scheme of the game. For instance, if one player in the 'back' position decided it would best serve the team to move to a forward position, then communication happens on the fly (verbal or not) and the other team members must cover the actions taken by the former 'back'.

There are not a lot of pads in soccer, just thin shin guards. So if you want to tackle someone, you have to physically touch them. This is dangerous for both players, not just the one being hit. There is one coach, but they do not have control over the plays as they develop. There is no play to "call", only persuasion.

If you see a soccer game in Europe, the crowd is very involved with the game - and not just when there is momentum. People are singing and dancing, with a feeling that what you are doing as a crowd actually effects the game. In fact, if you are not singing and dancing in the crowd, you stand out.

The spontaneous play of the game could very well contribute as to why soccer is known as the "beautiful game".

Can you connect going up stairs with worship

I found this video, and while it is not profound it does seem to visually articulate something about human nature.



My question is, in light of this experiment, what do you think could change in worship to have 66% more people using the path of worship than another path?

Or, if that is too specific or outside your normal thinking, what about these questions:

What can you do to change a mundane behavior into something people want to participate in?

What if music cam with every footstep?

How can you and I nudge people to partake in activities/actions which are better for their health?

Would you have stopped in your day to 'play' a bit on the stairs?

Worship as football

It is becoming clearer to me the more I consider worship the more I realize my metaphor for worship is conflicting to the dominate metaphor at the setting I find myself located. It seems we tend to approach worship as one might approach a the game of football. These are just some thoughts I have so far on this metaphor.

*(To be honest I have never played football and am more than willing to admit my observations of the game are limited. I also know metaphors break down if stretched too far and so I mindful of too much stretching. But here we go.)

Football seems like the ultimate game of control. Each team knows when they are on offense and when they are on defense. Whatever side of the ball you are on, every 40 or so seconds there is another play. Each play, is drawn up and each person has a specific task they must do in order for the play to work. There is little deviation from the play. Even the quarterback is given options of routes which are in a priority dependent upon the factors of the game. Pads are used in football to protect the players from crashing into one another. Although it is dangerous, it is as controlled danger as we might get. In football, there are so many players and back ups for the backups. There are several coaches who specialize in their area from defensive line coach to special teams coach. When a play 'breaks down' it is considered wasted or it is the opportunity for creativity (I am sure you all have seen the plays where there is are 15 laterals done in order to get to win the game. Those are amazingly memorable and fun to watch). Football audiences are involved with the game only if there is momentum (and if you are a fanatic and use body paint, you are considered extreme and a bit odd.)

Perhaps the issue of worship is not only we dominantly view it as the "start" to the detriment of the "culmination" of our week, but also that we approach worship as a football game.

Tomorrow I will put some thoughts down to the question, "What if we approached worship like a soccer game?"

Until then, what do you think thus far?