Who is the audience?

I've been reading Soren Kierkegaard's 'Purity of Heart Is To Will One Thing' (in Douglas V. Steere's 2009 translastion). It begins with an odd twist in the introduction.

The translator suggests reading chapter 12 before beginning the book. I thought this strange - until I read chapter 12. Kierkegaard talks about the listeners role in a devotional address. I would suggest you could say it's no different for someone hearing a sermon or attending a worship service!

Most of us think the listener is to be us - the reader or hearer. Not according to ol' Soren. He likens it as to a play. There are the prompters (who tell the actors what to say), the actors, and the audience. Or... (p.99)

"In the theater, the play is staged before an audience who are called theatergoers; but at the devotional address, God himself is present. In the most earnest sense, God is the critical theatergoer, who looks on to see how the lines are spoken and how they are listened to: hence here the customary audience is wanting. The speaker is then the prompter, and the listener stands openly before God. The listener, if I may say so, is the actor, who in all truth acts before God."

"Or to put it in another way, it is as if a subordinate functionary of the church, who is without authority should read aloud the prescribed prayer. Properly speaking, it is not the church functionary who prays. The one who prays is the listener who sits in the church and opens himself to God while he listens to the reading of the prayer. Yet the listener does not speak, his voice is not heard, nor does he pray softly to himself; but silently and with his heart he is praying in the presence of God by means of the audible voice of the one who reads out the prayer, and whispers to him what he shall say..."

 So often we view ourselves "sitting in the pews" as the audience, and therefore see our role as either praising the speaker or... criticizing. When it is ACTUALLY God who looks on, seeing how we respond and what we do with that we read or hear! This makes a huge difference, and we would all do well to be reminded of this often (at least I know I need to be). I don't sit in attendance or read something in order to pass judgment on it! What if, instead, the judgment is God's to pass - in how we respond???

Hmm. Some stuff to think about there, no?

***

James 4:12

"There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?"