My junior class was greeted by an older gentleman with a warm smile and dressed in all black. We stepped foot into the historic building, and my heart raced as I saw that every door held colorful stained glass windows. I looked ahead and read the words, “Lift up your heads, o ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come in.” It really felt like the King of Glory would feel welcomed there! We were escorted into the adorned sanctuary and seated in the second row. I saw the intentional beauty displayed everywhere that my eyes could land and my heart was led to worship. A moment later, the service started with a prayer, and the words that filled the room fit perfectly. I couldn’t contain the awe stirring within me.

The first time I went to a liturgical church, I fell in love. As a writer, there is something about reading the poetic words of prayer and petition from a book. The book of Common Prayer was first written and published in 1549. Thomas Cranmer authored the book, and it has continued to receive edits, additions, and various changes throughout the decades. However, the present copy of the book is from 1979. The use of this book is found in numerous churches, songs, and prayers. In fact, I bet many would be shocked at how often the words are used with their origin unknown. 

Unfortunately, I am definitely an anomaly in my love for liturgy and poetic prayers. Most young adults would snooze at the thought of reading prayers. Our culture is one that peaks on entertainment. The obsession has actually changed a hunger for faith into a greed for entertainment. How can we make our service unexpected? Can we exceed our budget? What is everyone else doing and how can we do it better? It seems that our heart intention has been infected. If our goal is entertainment, then what’s our message? Further, if our message is confused then what’s our mission? 

On the contrary to our present culture, INITIATIVE (a non- profit organization I work for) has seen a revival of prayer among young adults. Each Fall and Spring, we host a multi church, multi generational, multi cultural, multi denominational worship gathering. It’s both unheard of, and awe- inspiring. It’s called Harmony and people’s feedback would say that it’s our most popular event.  

Millennials don’t have to love liturgy to value history, they don’t have to read the Book of Common Prayer to trust that God hears them, and they don’t have to change their church to desire unity. However, exposure to each of these increases their need for the unified body of Christ. There’s an undeniable divine power when the World sees the Church come together. The message, as believers, is that Jesus defeated sin and death for the redemption of His bride. That means that our mission is joining God in the process of restoration. We have the privilege of seeing this happen slowly and surely as we worship as a unified body.

Most church- goers pride themselves in which church they go to, what’s offered, and how great the music is. These things, although impressive, are not the core to what cultivates worship. God present among His people is what inspires our worship. His word, His nearness, and His Church are the components to the most beautiful gathering. Surprisingly, this is what young adults want. They want to strip away the contention, competition, and polarization. We crave community, and we’re learning to embrace the discomfort that comes with it.

INITIATIVE values unity in diversity, because we notice that our culture is divided and under constant attack. We wish to engage culture and lift up truth. William Wilberforce, the abolitionist for the European slave trade, once said, “We need to make goodness fashionable”. This, too, is our goal. More specifically, that the prayer of Jesus in John 17 would be high and lifted up, and that His name would be praised because of the love of His Universal Church. We believe that if unity was modeled well, then more people would be attracted and drawn towards faith in Jesus Christ. Scripture instructs the heart of what we do and why, but culture impacts how we do it. INITIATIVE values history in the way that we host each gathering in a beautiful traditional building, simply worship with an acoustic set, and sit close together in classic church pews. This may look very different from the majority of people who come to worship with us, but transformational once they’re exposed to the simple act of worship. The people who lead prayer are 5 diverse DFW pastors, and the worship leaders are also collected from churches across the city. This is equally as foreign, seeing as most people would only know their own pastor, Harmony provides an opportunity to be led in prayer by another honorable pastor in their city.

Prayer, all by itself, is supernatural. It doesn’t need to be dazzled up with colorful lights and big speakers. Something happens within the heart when we communicate with the God of all creation. It could happen in a room of colorful lights and big speakers, but that’s not what makes it special. The Holy Spirit does that on its own. People are divinely drawn into worship by the presence of God. We believe that unity in Christ reveals God’s heart, and His Spirit helps heal and restore us to that. So, if Jesus is the centerpoint and the gospel is the One Truth, then the lesser distinctions can fade. According to John 17, this prayerful dependence by the church is the beginning of evangelism. 

John 17:23 

‘I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.”

 

Chelsea Vaughn has served a ministry she helped start in the DFW area since she graduated from college. She received her undergraduate degree at Dallas Baptist University in Communication Theory. She hopes to spend her life using her gift for communication to reach culture and communities with the love of Jesus.