Stephen Bateman left a short but excellent comment on yesterday’s post:
“… it’s easy to forget that multimedia should really be multi …”
Exactly.
That thought reminded of what I wanted to talk about today–the power of engaging the five senses in a worship experience. Ever since the Enlightenment, much of the Church has emphasized one sense in particular …
Hearing–I’ve heard that during the Enlightenment, when the Academy was the dominant institution of the day, the Church gave more prominence to the sermon by moving the podium to the center of the platform and extending the length of the teaching. (NOTE: Please don’t hear me say that this is necessarily a bad thing or that preaching isn’t important.) Obviously, the sense of hearing is also engaged by music, such an important part of church life and tradition, and through shared testimonies, Scripture readings, congregational prayers, responsive readings, and spoken word. All of this is good. Of course, for much of church history, talented artists engaged the sense of …
Sight–Stained glass, sculpture, frescoes, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel … we all know about those. You can also find some of the earliest Christian artwork in the Catacombs of Rome. We don’t do as much painting today, but there are all manner of videos, websites, print work, and even architectural projection that are designed to engage the sight of the churchgoer. Good stuff, but why stop there? After all, Jesus established a tradition in which we engage our sense of …
Taste–Communion is such an amazing and meaningful practice. On the night he was betrayed, Jesus told the disciples that the bread and the wine represented his broken body and spilled blood. But the bread and wine weren’t just visual aids–he distributed the elements and they ate and drank. Going forward, they were instructed to repeat the practice and remember him. Of course, taste is pretty closely related to …
Smell–Some churches have found it helpful to continue the ancient Hebrew practice to burn incense, a smell that is unmistakable. Others use candles to set the tone of their worship spaces, a byproduct of which is a unique smell. Some churches are simply full of attendees that wear too much perfume and cologne. Engaging smell is tricky because of personal preferences and potential allergy problems, but the thoughtful use of smell can heighten an experience. And last but not least, there’s …
Touch–I love when my church kicks off Lent by talking about Christ’s temptation in the wilderness. Satan tells him to turn the stones into bread, but Jesus does not. He chooses to let the stones remain stones, relying on the Word and providence of God. At the end of the church service, everyone is encouraged to grab a small stone from baskets at the exits and keep it with them during Lent. It’s a tangible reminder to let the stones remain stones. We can also incorporate touch by shaking the hands of those around us or by writing our sins or struggles in a pot of sand and wiping them away.
I don’t write all of this to tell you that you need to engage all five senses in every church service you host. But let’s go back to Stephen’s comment and remember that it’s powerful to put the “multi” in “multimedia.” When possible, creatively engage multiple senses as you invite people to participate in corporate worship.
If you have any tips or ideas for engaging the senses, please share them with the rest of the class in the comments.
