I talk a lot about worship as preparation.
Back on a WCMS post, my friend Jason I. asked me to explain myself a little bit. I'm happy to do that, because I know I need to be intentional about making my thoughts clear when it comes to worship. Though so many churches have embraced "worship" and made it more of a priority (regardless of style,) many of us forget to spend time formulating our thoughts and making sure they are clear.
This may seem a bit boring, but I figured I'd tell you what I think about worship...what I believe it should do...what I believe it accomplishes.
- Worship Is A Priority
It's not that I forget this principle...I just tend to assume we're all in agreement on it. I believe God deserves praise - honest, passionate, reverent, unashamed adoration. Isaiah tells us (as do others) that God gets this non-stop in the Throne Room from the angelic hosts around Him. It's my belief that when the saints gather together, we are commanded to follow suit. We worship God with our songs and prayers and applause and silence because He is worthy of that. Plain and simple. Some folks call that "keeping the main thing the main thing."
Worship is first and foremost about offering up our thanks and reverence to God. That aim ought to guide us...whether we're in a pew or on a stage or even alone with the Father. Personally, I think one of the best way to get in this mindset is to ask for God's help - His help in reminding us of the great things He's done; help in aiding us to recall what scripture says about Him; help in express our thanks in ways that are Biblical and reverent. - Worship Is Personal
Worship is an amazing thing because, at its core, it's a personal thing. Even though we gather together corporately so often to do it, each of us bear a responsibility to come with our hearts and minds prepared.
Lots of folks would agree that "worship is personal," but unfortunately, many of us don't to anything to get ready for it. We just roll in and start worshipin'! Worship leaders and pastors also bear a responsibility in this - we've got to do a better job of pastoring our people and teaching them how to set their minds on things above before the actual worship service ever starts.
In addition, when you get a room full of people who have come prepared in this way leading worship is one of the easiest jobs in the world! - Worship Is Preparation
Jason I. is right...this is a big one with me. Because worship is a priority and it's such a personal matter, it can often loom larger than any other part of a corporate gathering.
Years ago, I got convicted about this...in my own life and in what I saw in so many churches and retreats and revival services, etc. God began to convict me that I was more concerned and excited and hopeful and focused on the singing of songs than the study of His Word.
To understand this conviction, let me pause here for a little statement of belief - I believe God's Word is divinely inspired. I believe that the Father, in His power, communicated these words to His prophets. I understand that interpreting the Bible is a difficult thing...and I don't have all the answers...but my personal belief is that it is the Holy and Inspired Word of God. I believe that it is without fault or error.
However, I don't believe that worship songs are without fault or error. Personally, I don't believe they are the inspired Word of God. I don't think they are sacred. Blessed of God? Absolutely, but not divine.
As that belief about worship songs grew in my life, I was convicted that I was placing more of my time and energy on the words of man (which are susceptible to fault) instead of the Word of God (which is without fault in my own personal belief.)
Because of that, I believe that acceptable worship is that which will prepare us and focus us for his Word. In my philosophy, worship that doesn't do that is lacking something vital. This can take lots of forms - preaching, collective reading of scripture or even the worship leader reading scripture before a song - regardless, I think it's so important for us to make sure that God's Word is proclaimed every time we get together. I'm not sure if that makes me a fundamentalist or a Bible-ist or some such other -ist or-ism, but that's me.
Love to hear from you!
8 comments:
Maybe I'll flesh this out on my blog, but,
1. Worship is primarily corporate.
2. Worship is preparatory--for taking dominion in the world the rest of the week.
3. Worship is primarily ethical in nature.
Thanks Todd! I look forward to growing in our understanding of God, His Word and our worship of Him together. I am thankful you are my worship pastor.
"Because of that, I believe that acceptable worship is that which will prepare us and focus us for his Word."
Can we not use the Word of God to usher His people *into* worship? It happens all the time -- we're reading a verse or passage and suddenly we are struck by the awesomeness of God and we have no other response but to worship.
I'm starting to think we've got our services backwards. What if service started in silence with prayer to prepare our hearts, followed by scripture to instruct and teach -- would the response to that not be genuine, acceptable worship?
Just thinking out loud.
After hearing Todd's perspectives there are many points of agreement. In principle I agree with all of this points, with one fundamental diffference. Bible Church traditions place the purpose of the ecclesia as the preaching and study of His Word. My liturgical friends point to the eucharist as the purpose of the gathering. I am not going to debate those points here but rather to draw them together with hopefully a unifying third perpective. While Todd stated worship is a priority, my conviction is that worship, whether gathered as the church or alone in devotion, is our penultimate priority as the created. We are created to worship (see the Westminster Confession and the writings of A.W. Tozer for a better articulation of this position than I can give). My rational though for this position is theological. Here I betray my reformed tendencies: I view worship as not preparation but as response, response to who God is and what He has done. God has intervened into human history to draw us to Himself. He acted first (Rom. 5:6-8) Our response ought to be to fall face down and worship. Similarly, upon the hearing of the Word, we are moved to response. That response is worship. Holy Scripture through the work of the Holy Spirit convicts and corrects us and creates in a us a deeper understanding of our God whom we worship. The one instance in which I see worship as preparatory is in terms of spiritual warfare. We see consistent examples in the Hebrew Scriptures in which the musicians were sent out before the battle in an act of preparation (a familiar example is that of the battle of Jericho). So here in brief (or maybe not so brief) are some of my thoughts on worhip as response.
You're absolutely right, Paul.
I don't think I'd say that we have it backward...in fact, I think that the "order" of worship is a pretty varied thing. I've served in churches and at events where folks tried that very approach your suggesting. In some of those cases, it was awesome. Other times, it didn't seem to work. In my experience, those that failed did so because we had congregants didn't know how to respond to that particular order. Doesn't mean it's wrong...also doesn't mean that it's the only right way either.
God seems to always remind me that this work is one of trial-and-error. That's not to say we work from a checklist. ("Crowd applauded...check!") But I think it's important that we try these ideas...lots of them sound awesome in our heads...but until we instruct our folks and try this stuff out, it's hard to deem something more beneficial or not.
Now, this is personal...but I love worship that starts with song. It may seem boring or traditional, but when I've been in worship that's been a more mixed up, it's felt weird to me. Again...that's just a personal thing.
Kinda' creates a question...
Is there value in conducting worship with musical worship on the front end? Is it better? Worse? Does it depend on the church?
Love to know what you think!
While I do think every congregation is different, I don't think they are as different as they are similar -- or at least should be similar.
I think we have started to expect next to nothing from people who come to church. We cater to the lowest common denominator (what if there is a non-believer in the congregation?) which is resulting in weak Christians.
Is there value in starting with music? Sure, but we have to ask the serious question: "Is the congregation ready to speak these words about and to God?" Have we given them time to prepare their hearts?
I can only speak for my place, but I will say this:
My congregation doesn't always show up with hearts ready for worship. (And I'd venture most other churches don't either...)
But here's my thing...I'm okay with the musical worship becoming that process. I'm okay with planning something at the beginning of a service that serves as a 25-minute focusing aspect. I'd say that if you've got a congregation rolling in on Sunday morning that's unprepared, then opening with silence isn't going to make much of a difference. In fact, it might be worse! Ha!
To me, this reinforces more of a teaching aspect more than a service programming element. For me, this convicts me that I need to do a better job of pastoring and teaching people how to enter worship on Sunday morning.
However, if you've seen this done well, Paul, I'd love to know about it. I love learning and trying new things...my fear is that not many pastors and worship leaders actually do this in reality...I may appreciate something philosophically, but I love hearing how it's actually implemented.
I am so glad that I clicked over, today. I love the way you wrote your thoughts on worship. I have to be honest and say I was convicted. I love music and praise songs. I love to sing songs of thanks and praise to my Lord. It can bring to such a place of worship. However, I have no doubt that, on many occasions,I was much more excited about what songs we were going to sing than what scripture was going to be read. I had never really thought about it before. I don't ever want to put man's words above God's inspired Word. Thank you for that reminder.
I loved this post.
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