Lakewood (Part 3)

In prayer, one of the worship leaders spoke on how we were there to worship God and to see God high and lifted up.  Behind her on the screen, traditional images of stained glass windows and crosses and even a crucified Christ appeared.  I’ve been combing the internet looking for the lyrics of the song we sang, but I’ve been totally unable to find it.  The guitar had taken an 80s power ballad sort of turn, and the backlighting had shifted from blue to magenta as the soloist took center stage and sang under a spotlight.  “I trust in You. . . . I hide underneath Your wings. . . . I cry out, Lord, I long to see Your face, mighty Rock of Ages. . . . Take me away to the secret place. . . .”  From here, she transitioned into the next song, and I’ve actually found youtube videos of this same soloist performing this same number, but the videos come off a bit cheesy and tawdry and don’t really do her singing justice, so I’ve elected not to post them here.  If you’re curious, you can search for “Lakewood In Your Presence” and find the video, but again, the videos are a bit hokey by comparison to seeing it live.

At Your feet the highest place of worship

We humbly bow yet boldly enter in

Tears will flow for joy is overwhelming

Only in Your presence only

Undeserv'd yet welcomed at Your table

In this house yet all alone with You

I am free yet held within Your chamber

Only in Your presence only

In Your presence in Your presence

Oh most high our hearts cry to You

In Your presence

We cry Holy, Holy, Holy, Holy

Only in Your presence

Holy, Holy, Holy, Holy

Worthy, Worthy, Worthy, Worthy,

Mighty, Mighty, Mighty, Mighty.

There was another prayer expressing thanks for God’s presence there in the sanctuary, before we transitioned into the next song:

Worthy is the,
Lamb who was slain
Holy, Holy, is He
Sing a new song, to Him who sits on
Heaven's Mercy Seat

Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come
With all creation I sing:
Praise to the King of Kings!
You are my everything,
And I will adore You

Clothed in rainbows, of living color
Flashes of lightning, rolls of thunder
Blessing and honor, strength and
Glory and power be
To You the Only Wise King,

Filled with wonder,
Awestruck wonder
At the mention of Your Name
Jesus, Your Name is Power
Breath, and Living Water
Such a marvelous mystery

The soloist stopped at one point and seemed to be overcome with the emotion of the song.  There was a grand pause in the music before the request came for all of us to lift our hands as we continued to sing.  It was a remarkable experience, especially since I’m not really the type to lift my hands in worship.  Every hand was raised in that room as we finished the song, and Joel returned to the stage to lead us in prayer.  I recorded as much of the prayer as I could:  “What You have blessed, nothing can curse. . . . No good thing would You withhold. . . . You are bigger than anything we’re facing.  Amen.”  From here, Joel turned his attention toward us directly and brought words of pardon and reassurance: “There is no mistake that can’t be made up by God, but so many people hang onto their sins.  God’s forgiven them, but they can’t forgive themselves.”  Joel assured us that God brings forgiveness and wants what is best for us.  “God wants the best of our lives for the rest of our lives.”  He then referred us to the command in Hebrews to hold fast to the profession of faith, saying that we needed to magnify God, not our own problems.  Up to this point, I was pretty much in total agreement with all that Joel was saying, but then he added a somewhat iffy coda: God arranges everything in our favor.  I guess I was still in agreement with that, but I think I have a different definition of favor (more on that later).  Joel extended the offer for anyone to come up and pray during the next song.  He and several volunteers would be at the front as we sang.

Create in me a clean heart, a clean heart
for I have turned my face from You
Save us from our ways oh God, oh God
for we have turned away from You
Lord have mercy

We will run to you, we will run to you
Turning from our sin we return to You
Father heal your world, make all things new
make all things new

Your love and mercy build and shape us
Break down and recreate us now
Lord have mercy

Oh, bring us back to You . . .

From where we were sitting, we could see Joel’s face as he embraced one of the men who had come up for prayer.  Joel had his eyes clenched tight and was whispering into the man’s ear what looked to be words of great comfort; it seemed like they both might be on the verge of tears.  Victoria was praying with another worshiper just a few feet away, and a slew of other volunteers had come up to assist in getting through the long line of people seeking prayer.  The line closest to our seats must have had forty or more people in it, as it stretched all the way back to the next block of seating.  At one point, an usher had to tell a group toward the back that they would not get to them in time, so they would need to go to another team of prayer volunteers waiting near the sanctuary exits.  After the time of prayer drew to a close, the singers returned to the stage and led us in a fast-paced, celebratory chorus that featured a lot of triumphant raising of fists and bouncing in place with excitement.  Joel in particular was smiling big and clapping along with the music.

What does it mean to be saved?
Isn't it more than just a prayer to pray?
More than just a way to heaven?
What does it mean to be His?
To be formed in his likeness?
Know that we have a purpose.

To be salt and light in the world,
in the world.
To be salt and light in the world.

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, say so, say so!

Oh that the church would arise.
So that we would see with Jesus' eyes.
We could show the world heaven.
Show what it means to be His.
To be formed in his likeness.
Show them they have a purpose.

I am redeemed, I am redeemed
I am redeemed, I am redeemed
I am redeemed, I am redeemed

It was impossible not to be swept away in this song.  Even though people had been talking here and there, the time of prayer had been an intense buildup for everyone present, and this song was a massive release of all that pent-up energy.  As we sang, a few strange words appeared on the screen: “Tokens A29, C552, K43.”  Sanetta and Ben were both strangers to this sort of thing, so after the service, I relayed the information I had picked up on my visit to Mars Hill-- that these were numbers given to parents with children in the nursery so that they could be alerted if there was any sort of problem.  Sure, there had been a few theologically questionable comments, but up until this point, Lakewood was a great worship experience for all of us.  All three of us were feeling a very spiritual and enthusiastic vibe, and I was blown away by the musicians’ ability to worship and perform without either action ever detracting from the other.  It was amazing to behold and amazing to be a part of it.  Still, this is where things started to get kind of weird.

Things Get Kind of Weird

Following the song, Victoria returned to the stage amid quiet piano music to give a short devotional, encouraging us to “release ourselves to the Father.”  She explained that we often struggle with trying to be good enough, and she provided an example from her own life.  Not too long ago, she and Joel and their kids had been running through the airport with carry-on bags in hand in a desperate attempt to make it to their connecting flight, and airports tend to stress Victoria out even when there’s not a plane to be reached within the next few minutes.  They arrived at the gate just in time, only to find out that the flight had been delayed anyway, so they had nothing to do but sit down and breathe a sigh of relief.  In that moment, a passage of Scripture floated into Victoria’s mind, the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28: “Come unto me, all who are weary, and I will give you rest.”  We all need to take a break and exhale from time to time, and Christ came to give us a refreshed life.  After all, God knew that we would face struggles in this life, but Jesus says to come with our burdens, and then He doesn’t judge us for the loads we carry.  We try so hard to be perfect, but we define perfection on our own terms and try to make it happen in our own timeframe, and God doesn’t work like that.  God is beyond time.  There’s no clock in Heaven.  God works with us no matter how long it takes, so we need to let ourselves be at peace as God works on us.  After all, “a mind at peace brings peace to the whole body.”  God has all the time in the world, so we should use this time of worship to take a breather and let God do the work.  (Okay, yeah, still pretty much on board with all this.  Pretty good stuff.)

Dr. Paul Osteen (right)

Victoria then introduced Dr. Paul Osteen, Joel’s brother who had just returned from a 10-day medical mission trip to Africa (specifically Mfangano Island in Lake Victoria close to the Ugandan border).  Paul explained that there was almost no medical care in this area and rejoiced that they were able to provide basic care to so many people.  Okay, so far so good.  He was also proud that they had evangelized to so many, and, as he said this, an image appeared on the screen behind Paul that made my blood boil.  I have scoured the internet looking for this image so that I wouldn’t have to describe it, but it looks like I’m stuck.  The photo featured a white missionary (possibly Paul himself, but I can’t recall) next to a very traditional-looking “native” who was smiling and holding up a small book.  Alright, already kind of offensive because of the whole “poverty pornography” angle, but it gets so much worse.  Check out what Lakewood hands out on mission trips:

Ben and Sanetta and I were all three stunned.  No Bibles or individual gospels?  Just Joel Osteen booklets?  Wow, that just doesn’t sit right with me.  Paul went on to explain that Lakewood tithes had paid for the trip and for the supplies, and since they were about to pass the buckets for the offering, a slide appeared on screen telling us how to write checks to the church (which needed to include a special member number for filing purposes-- after all, a big church means a lot of filing).  Paul reminded us that, according to the words of Malachi and Deuteronomy, tithes belong to God, and if we obey that commandment, we can expect a blessing in return.  God already has a blessing set aside for us; we simply need to activate it and put it in motion with our dedication.  As the plastic buckets bearing the Lakewood logo were passed, the black female soloist began singing with a voice that reverberated all over the worship space.  Ben cited the song as the highlight of the evening for him, but I was distracted at this point.

I was still reeling from the fact that they hand out Joel Osteen books instead of Bibles on mission trips.  I mean, according to 2002 census data, Uganda is like 84% Christian, so it’s not like Bibles are banned over there or something.  It’s not like the church had to bring Joel Osteen books because more obvious Christian texts would’ve been seized by a draconian government.  Now that would’ve made me sympathetic, but not this.  You can’t even really argue that Joel’s books are cheaper to produce than Bibles because there are plenty of charitable organizations out there that certainly would’ve supplied Bibles for a trip like this at a price that Lakewood could’ve easily afforded.  Giving out Joel Osteen books instead of the Bible is just . . . is just . . . well, I’m still finding the exact words for just how bizarre it is.  I just don’t even know how to respond.  To me, one of the most fascinating aspects of Christian missions is how other cultures are permitted to interpret the Bible for themselves and then bring such fascinating new theological concepts to the table as a result-- liberation theology, Ubuntu, etc.  As Christians, we’re supposed to spread the message of Christ around the world, and then other nations embrace and embody that message in different ways.  That’s one of the many beautiful implications of being a universal body with a diverse array of parts.  On the other hand, I’m scared that Lakewood might just be spreading Joel around the world, and that’s just inappropriate.  I like Joel Osteen, but he’s no substitute for Jesus, and even though I’m actually a little ambivalent on coupling medical missions and evangelism in the first place, I really wish that the people of Mfangano Island had gotten access to a Bible that they could read and interpret for themselves rather than a book of Joel’s Scripture-based musings.  Other things would get under my skin in that service, but the image of a Mfangano Islander holding up a Joel Osteen book is permanently seared in my brain and will continue to bother me.  Props to Paul Osteen for the medical side of things, but that’s some pretty shady evangelism.

I snapped back to reality.  Ben was right; the soloist did have a beautiful voice, and the choir were now singing along enthusiastically behind her:

I know that you don't feel your best
Hold on, Be strong,
God's not forgotten you

Broken dreams got you feeling blue
Hold on, be strong
God's looking out for you

Just remember at the end of the day
The favor of God can open the way
God's favor, is more precious than life
(God's favor, more precious, than life, to me)

I know that you don't feel up to the fight
Hold on, be strong
The battle is not up to you

Oh I hear you say, it just ain't no way
Hold on, be strong
God's got the final say

Just remember in the midst of your down
The favor of God can turn things around
God's favor more precious than life
(God's favor, more precious, than life, to me)

So what if doors are closed
God's favor can bring high places down
I know that you've been faithful
And when God gets ready to bless you
There is nothing no man can do
God's favor, more precious than life

The camera crane provided a few wide, sweeping angles as the soloist sang the last lines, and there was a little bit of transition music as the performers left the stage and a stagehand brought out Joel’s pulpit, an elegant wooden structure with sloping legs and the Lakewood crest right in the middle.  Joel would seldom stand behind it and walked around on either side of it for most of the sermon (giving his message that much more of a personal and folksy vibe-- he was always talking with us, not at us), but the pulpit was a good resting place for notes, water, and other essentials.