There is a difference between "FEELING engaged and active" by physically being active in the pews through writing your thoughts down. But BEING ENGAGED with the Word and Community at the same time is a bit different, I'd argue.

Along this line of sit & soak vs. worship with active peer dialog, I encourage you to try out live online worship experiences sometime – such as http://www.liquidchurch.com — after a couple of times, you may find the live chat component, monitored by pastors, completely transformational.

The fact that you can ask questions, share insights, support others in their struggles during the message, learn about others' theological perspectives, learn about how others are receiving God's word, and just plain old asking for definitions of words, phrases or concepts just mentioned in the sermon — all may broaden how you approach God in worship.

If you are aware of Lectio Divina, an ancient Christian practice of praying the Scriptures, one method is to do it within groups. In a similiar sense, it is an individual personal experience (like you in the pews in relation to the preacher and sermon). But the communal interaction throughtout Lectio Divina experiences is what makes it so divine and impactful. The interaction, sharing, reacting and building upon others' journey down the same path is what makes Lectio Divina amazing.