Rev. Dr. Todd Renner shared with a workshop he was co-leading something from Kierkegaard and his metaphor of worship as theater. I have not read Kierkegaard to know the context of this metaphor, and I have not taken time to look the source up, but here is how Dr. Renner shared it to our group.
There were three aspects of traditional theater:
- Audience
- Actors
- Prompter (situated out so to cue the actors if they forget a line)
In worship it is commonly understood that:
- The congregation is the audience
- The preacher is the actor
- God is the prompter - provoking/inspiring the actors
Kierkegaard used this metaphor but argued:
- The congregation is the actor
- The preacher is the prompter
- God is the audience
I am not sure what to make of this at this time, it really is just something to meditate on and consider the role of worship in our lives. Consider what role you fill and where you see God in it all.