Diversity, Liturgy and Mr Potatohead
"Mr. Potatohead is the answer!" I said excitedly to my colleague as we sat down for a chat. He simply looked at me like I had five potato heads of my own.
"Really, think about it", I went on. "Mr Potatohead – you remember, the toy with all the bits and pieces you put on to make funny faces? Well, there are certain givens, aren't there? You have the potato itself, the arms and legs, and the holes for the other bits. But then you decide whether you'll put big eyes or small eyes in the eyeholes, big ears or little ears in the ear holes, a long thin nose or a short bulbous nose in the nose hole. Depending on which eyes, ears and nose you choose, the face will look different. But you can't get around the fact that it's a face, and the eyes go where eyes go. Sure, you could go down the Picasso route like Mr Potatohead in the film Toy Story, and put a nose in the ear hole and an eye in the nose hole, and a mouth in the eye holes. It might be a creative work of art, but Mr Potatohead can't actually function with that kind of distortion." So went my brainstorm over how to describe the potential of the Church to express the diversity of its multicultural communities in worship.
Not long ago, I attended a conference where a leading advocate of racial justice issues suggested that multicultural worship did not exist; more than that, raised doubts that it was even possible. The indication was that there are many churches with multiracial worship: that is, churches where people from various races and cultures meet together for worship, and where the worship style reflects a particular culture. But none had achieved the ability to reflect the diversity of the congregation in the worship service, making it a truly multicultural worship. I found it one of the most challenging statements I had heard in a long time.
Like many congregations, the people I worship with are becoming an increasingly diverse church fellowship. I wondered how isolating or exclusive our worship might seem to someone who is not white, or middle-class, or western. I started to think of ways we might be not only a more inclusive community, but one whose diversity is reflected in our worship practice. Maybe I was seeking after the impossible, or even the undesireable – a capitulation to culture.
When I considered a biblical view of worship, I realised that worship should at least vaguely reflect some liturgical elements, with adequate attention given to adoration and confession; word and sacrament; response and commission. These are the functions of worship, or the 'givens'. But functions necessarily have forms, and we don't have a lot of biblical instruction on worship form, beyond exhortations to come before God with a right attitude of heart and mind, with a concern for the marginalised; to be Christ-centred and respectful of others; not to exclude people; and not to be attention-seeking, disruptive or disorderly. We are challenged by the exhortation that believers belong together as his worshipping community regardless of age, culture or socio-economic status. The eschatological vision of one body worshipping Christ is all the more exhilarating because of the apparent diversity of tribes and tongues singing together one song before the throne of God. So I have to believe in the ideal of diverse cultures worshipping God together in unity, even though I'm not sure what it might look like.
Worship is directed towards God the Father, centres on Jesus Christ, and is enlivened by the Holy Spirit. But it also serves to edify believers. In fact, the edification of believers is partly what causes Paul to be so concerned about proper order in worship. Worship style can have the effect of failing to edify believers if they do no understand what is happening, or are alienated from the proceedings. Certainly, our worship is to be Christ-centred, and dependent on God's revealed nature rather than any particular culture. Yet, the embodied nature of our faith indicates that the inclusion of all cultures in our worship has to mean more than sitting and standing together at the same time. When we glimpse the glory of Christ, we are challenged to recognise that he has made a place for people from every culture, and we must make every effort to encourage not only a diversity of inclusion, but of participation and leadership.
Which brings us back to Mr Potatohead. If we understand what worship is, why it is, and whom we worship, then we will have certain givens that demonstrate our oneness in Christ. The eyeholes and the earholes have to be there, regardless of our cultural perspective. But from there we can be expressive. We can adjust the sizes of the eyes, and choose a flowery hat and a spotted tie instead of the top hat and stripey scarf. We can celebrate, and enjoy our diversity, so long as the at the end of it, the worshipping community is edified, and God is glorified by our Potatohead face. And I hope it makes him laugh.
Anna Robbins is Director of Training and Lecturer in Theology and Contemporary Culture at
EAUK.org
