Worship

Worship, is it a drama? Is it singing a few songs and a lesson we call a sermon? Is worship about connecting with our emotions or with our intellect? Should the service be full of spontaneity or order? Should it be simple or ornate? What is the place of tradition? As I think through these issues I find myself drawn to diverse parts of traditions and innovations. I love to see the Word of God respected by having an Old Testament lesson, an New Testament lesson and a Psalm. If we read it responsively, that sounds good. But I enjoy innovation of bringing in drama teams and slide projection too. The article in Leadership Journal called Richer Blend written by Bob Kauflin tells a similar urge by the author to combine tradition and innovation. He comes from a charismatic church and so his challenge is to take a spontaneous style of worship and put some structure to it. I am not sure I am in the same place but I have gone to those sorts of churches. I believe my current challenge is more on connecting with God in worship. For me the structure is too functional and not enough warmth or engagement of the eternal. While I feel this, I don't know that the fault necessarily falls on others, but on myself. Do I come to worship ill prepared to meet God?

Comments

Unknown said…
To me, worship is about remembering Christ in His way. Maybe it's my Roman Catholic upbringing but it feels a little incomplete in my Lutheran services when we don't share communion to remember Him. Reading old and new testament lessons does help us to learn and remember His upbringing as a Jew and how His life brought us a new covenant -- one new commandment over all others -- so that's good. Doing so in the community of fellow worshipers, sharing their joys and concerns, in the manner that's culturally customary to them helps to see each other as brethren, so that's good too, except when we are not as culturally diverse as His people should be.
11:00 PM
Lisa Smartt said…
I appreciate the discussion, Terry. Phil and I discuss the subject of worship often as part of a small church plant here (Reformed Baptist). To me, the great irony of life is that those of us who are so seemingly "intent on the Word", "Reformed" and focused on Biblical readings...are often the very ones who seem so lifeless in it. On the other hand, friends who worship in a more "enthusiastic" manner seem sometimes tempted to forget that the Word itself has POWER, even when it's free of cultural or personal additions. Do we trust the power of our "creativity in worship" or the power of the perfection of the WORD? With that said (and this almost seems scandalous to say in some Reformed cirles) God gave us emotion and feelings. We have the ability to feel...and that's a good thing. There IS a place where the absolute perfection of the Word and the power of emotion combine in perfect compatible balance. I can hardly wait for heaven.
12:07 PM
pruittcommunications said…
I miss the days at Brother Way's church in Huntington. But still I am not willing to go back there. I want both emotion and mind engaged. I think it what is meant by worship the Lord with all your heart, soul and might. Hope we get this trip to TN pulled off. It seems like it is coming together for Barb.
7:35 PM
Lisa Smartt said…
It has been years since I've thought of the church in Huntington. I too have no interest in going back to "those days." I like the straight forward study of the word and Christ. Looking back at my time at Bethel, I rejoice that we all experienced such joy together and such wild and wooly all-out zealous passion for Christ. I would never call those years "wasted" in the way some college years are wasted. However, with that said, I'm surprised God didn't strike us dead for our haughty sense of "we found the truth" and our youthful legalism which saw the devil behind every tree. I rather like the spiritual period of my mid-40's which allows me to enjoy a good margarita and an Eagles CD. At the same time, I hope that my genuine love for Christ and others has deepened...and that the sense of being a "fellow traveler" has removed some of the pride and offense of my younger days.
2:48 PM
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