This is a topic about which I feel very strongly. I recently had the privilege of presenting on this topic to a group of WELS teachers at the teachers’ conference hosted by St. John’s and St. Mark’s the end of September. Here are some highlights from that presentation.
“Developing.” Teaching children to listen to and perform music with thoughtful, deep understanding is not a random process. It is a carefully sequenced process, requiring thoughtful planning by an entire school faculty, even a whole congregation. There is much research on the appropriate sequence to follow when teaching music. (See below.)
“Musicianship.” Just as a good school aims to produce students who use language intuitively, creatively, and effectively, so also a good school (and congregation) strives to produce students who use music intuitively, creatively, and effectively. And, in fact, research shows that the process of music-learning follows the same sequence as language learning.
“In ALL students.” Music is God’s gift to all people, and he integrated it into every aspect of his creation. Great or small, every student’s musical potential deserves to be maximized, to the glory of the One who gave that musical gift. Unlike American society, we don’t just glorify the performers given a large gift. A small musical gift deserves to be developed, too.
“Active learning.” Music learning is best learned in a very active environment. Music and movement are largely inseparable, and active learning is nearly always more meaningful than passive learning. As a creative art, young musicians must have the opportunity to create and experiment, both individually and in groups.
“Sequential instruction.” Just as in language learning, parents and teachers must immerse children in the sounds and movement of music to build a strong foundation. Next, children must have the opportunity to experiment with their voices and bodies and discover how to make different sounds. Next, reading music is built on these foundations, and finally musical theory enhances the understanding already developed.
“Constructivist learning.” Just as in other areas of the school curriculum, students need to be given many opportunities to make decisions about and take ownership in their music making. The teacher’s role is largely that of facilitator, guiding students into discovering the wonders of God’s creation of music, especially its power to carry God’s Word to the human heart.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
How do we balance “tradition” and “reformation”?
Worship FAQs, part 8 – How do we balance “tradition” and “reformation”?
To help answer our question this month, I will share selected quotes from pages 58-60 of Marva J. Dawn’s book about worship titled Reaching Out without Dumbing Down: A Theology of Worship for This Urgent Time.
“Tradition, along with its correlative authority, was once one of the strongest sinews that held Western society together. …
“[Quoting David Wells]’Tradition is the process whereby one generation inducts its successor into its accumulated wisdom. The family once served as the chief conduit for this transmission, but the family is now collapsing, not merely because of divorce, but as a result of affluence and the innovations of a technological age. … [Mass media and technology] now provide the sorts of values that were once provided by the family. And public education … has also contracted out of this business, pleading that it has an obligation to be value-neutral. So it is that in the new civilization that is emerging, children are lifted away from the older values like anchorless boats on a rising tide.’
“In its desire to hold on to the traditions of its faith and to pass them on carefully, the Church is, to some extent, alien to this new civilization. …
“The Christian faith has always been odd … However, when churches … [become] completely alien to the culture in sticking to traditions or celebrating them in ways irrelevant to normal life – then Christians separate themselves from the world in a [way that] … prevents ministry to the culture from which they remove themselves.
“[Opposite tradition] is the need constantly to revitalize the tradition, to express the heritage of the faith in new worship forms that are accessible to the world around the Church. The primary key for holding the two … together is education – teaching the gifts of the faith tradition to those who do not yet know and understand them and teaching those who love the heritage some new forms in which it can be presented to others.
“To accent either … without the other is to lose them both. To utilize only new worship forms without connections to the past heritage is to isolate only a few years out of the 3,500-year history of the Judeo-Christian tradition. Reformation always returns to and deepens the gifts of the original. On the other hand, without reformation the tradition becomes distorted, stale, or dead – or an idolatry.
“[Let us] balance … tradition and revitalization, old and new. [Let us] preserve the tradition of faith without letting it become … inaccessible. [Let us also] participate in the present culture without thereby losing our soul.”
To help answer our question this month, I will share selected quotes from pages 58-60 of Marva J. Dawn’s book about worship titled Reaching Out without Dumbing Down: A Theology of Worship for This Urgent Time.
“Tradition, along with its correlative authority, was once one of the strongest sinews that held Western society together. …
“[Quoting David Wells]’Tradition is the process whereby one generation inducts its successor into its accumulated wisdom. The family once served as the chief conduit for this transmission, but the family is now collapsing, not merely because of divorce, but as a result of affluence and the innovations of a technological age. … [Mass media and technology] now provide the sorts of values that were once provided by the family. And public education … has also contracted out of this business, pleading that it has an obligation to be value-neutral. So it is that in the new civilization that is emerging, children are lifted away from the older values like anchorless boats on a rising tide.’
“In its desire to hold on to the traditions of its faith and to pass them on carefully, the Church is, to some extent, alien to this new civilization. …
“The Christian faith has always been odd … However, when churches … [become] completely alien to the culture in sticking to traditions or celebrating them in ways irrelevant to normal life – then Christians separate themselves from the world in a [way that] … prevents ministry to the culture from which they remove themselves.
“[Opposite tradition] is the need constantly to revitalize the tradition, to express the heritage of the faith in new worship forms that are accessible to the world around the Church. The primary key for holding the two … together is education – teaching the gifts of the faith tradition to those who do not yet know and understand them and teaching those who love the heritage some new forms in which it can be presented to others.
“To accent either … without the other is to lose them both. To utilize only new worship forms without connections to the past heritage is to isolate only a few years out of the 3,500-year history of the Judeo-Christian tradition. Reformation always returns to and deepens the gifts of the original. On the other hand, without reformation the tradition becomes distorted, stale, or dead – or an idolatry.
“[Let us] balance … tradition and revitalization, old and new. [Let us] preserve the tradition of faith without letting it become … inaccessible. [Let us also] participate in the present culture without thereby losing our soul.”
Why do worship music styles have to change?
Worship FAQs, part 7b – Why do worship music styles have to change?
“Sing a new song to the Lord!” exhorted the Psalmist. Of all the elements of the public worship of God’s Church, our new song and the Lord’s Supper alone will endure beyond this life.
So what is the Christian Church’s new song—our new song? In the context (Psalm 96 and 98), it is clear the Psalmist’s “new song” is defined primarily by the content and message of the song, rather than by its musical style. The Psalmist’s new song, flowing from a heart of faith, celebrated that God’s promise of the Messiah who would save all people from their sins was as good as done, eternal life in heaven was certain, and the “old song” of the condemnation of God’s law and the hopelessness of our human condition was obsolete. The “new song” is the Gospel message!
This Gospel is also our new song. “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again!” This new song fills our voices and lives as we proclaim it to the world around us. It connects us with believers of all times and places, including those already singing it around the heavenly throne.
The Psalm verse has a secondary meaning, though, in that the Psalmist had just written a new Psalm for God’s people to sing. God’s people have always found it beneficial to write new song texts (always “to tell the old, old story”) and new musical settings (sometimes in new musical styles), as part of the ongoing renewal and reformation that is always necessary in the Christian Church on earth. This happens very naturally, as poets and composers, with God’s Word in their thoughts and faith in their hearts, sit down to write new songs for God’s Church in their specific time and place.
One of the marvelous things about God’s created gift of music is the immense variety possible. And God’s people throughout history have very naturally put the Church’s new song into nearly every musical style. In most cases, this has proven beneficial for the mission of the church in those times and places. Missionaries do the same as they work with local believers to utilize musical styles familiar to their mission prospects.
Will some popular musical styles of today prove beneficial in our worship? If we follow the natural pattern of renewal and reformation that has continued throughout the history of the church, then yes. If we are to show concern for the multitudes around us who know very little beyond popular culture, then yes. To what degree? And how quickly? These are difficult questions to answer, and I hope in any new songs to be written and sung, we make wise choices in service first and foremost to the new song of salvation and not to our personal preferences or popular opinion.
“Sing a new song to the Lord!” exhorted the Psalmist. Of all the elements of the public worship of God’s Church, our new song and the Lord’s Supper alone will endure beyond this life.
So what is the Christian Church’s new song—our new song? In the context (Psalm 96 and 98), it is clear the Psalmist’s “new song” is defined primarily by the content and message of the song, rather than by its musical style. The Psalmist’s new song, flowing from a heart of faith, celebrated that God’s promise of the Messiah who would save all people from their sins was as good as done, eternal life in heaven was certain, and the “old song” of the condemnation of God’s law and the hopelessness of our human condition was obsolete. The “new song” is the Gospel message!
This Gospel is also our new song. “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again!” This new song fills our voices and lives as we proclaim it to the world around us. It connects us with believers of all times and places, including those already singing it around the heavenly throne.
The Psalm verse has a secondary meaning, though, in that the Psalmist had just written a new Psalm for God’s people to sing. God’s people have always found it beneficial to write new song texts (always “to tell the old, old story”) and new musical settings (sometimes in new musical styles), as part of the ongoing renewal and reformation that is always necessary in the Christian Church on earth. This happens very naturally, as poets and composers, with God’s Word in their thoughts and faith in their hearts, sit down to write new songs for God’s Church in their specific time and place.
One of the marvelous things about God’s created gift of music is the immense variety possible. And God’s people throughout history have very naturally put the Church’s new song into nearly every musical style. In most cases, this has proven beneficial for the mission of the church in those times and places. Missionaries do the same as they work with local believers to utilize musical styles familiar to their mission prospects.
Will some popular musical styles of today prove beneficial in our worship? If we follow the natural pattern of renewal and reformation that has continued throughout the history of the church, then yes. If we are to show concern for the multitudes around us who know very little beyond popular culture, then yes. To what degree? And how quickly? These are difficult questions to answer, and I hope in any new songs to be written and sung, we make wise choices in service first and foremost to the new song of salvation and not to our personal preferences or popular opinion.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Why don’t worship music styles change more quickly?
Worship FAQs, part 7a – Why don’t worship music styles change more quickly? (Next Month: Why do they have to change at all?)
The two questions above get at the heart of a debate that has been causing tension in many American Christian churches for at least 30 years. Often, people think of it in terms of the “old” music versus the “new” music. More accurately, it is usually a question of the value of certain styles of music from the American pop culture versus the value of other styles of music that have been passed down to us from previous generations.
To answer the first of the two questions this month, we first need to have a basic reality check about American pop culture.
American pop culture is consumer-driven (interpretation = profit). Therefore, it is based on marketing and advertising, and on the mindset of keeping up with the trend-setters, the neighbors, the upgrades, the latest technology, and so on. The unchanging Word and Will of God are seen as old-fashioned and irrelevant. Whereas pop culture is in many ways about fitting in, Christians are called to stand out from a sinful culture and to stand up for the truth. We will look and act “different” from the sinful world around us. Whereas popular music has goals of exciting people’s emotions, making a statement, and entertaining the masses, worship music has goals of proclaiming God’s Word, praising the true God, and connecting believers across time and space.
It bears repeating: God’s Word and Will never change, never need updating or upgrading, and in fact can never be improved upon. In a culture that prizes change and “improvement” and too quickly disregards the lessons and wisdom of previous generations, God’s people understand and treasure the constancy of God’s promises and commands and the value of learning from and keeping a connection with previous generations.
The music of corporate worship reflects these truths. Music that uplifted countless believers of previous generations has inherent value for us yet today. It connects us with believers around the world who use the same music, as well as the believers who have come before us and are yet to be born. Worship music is designed to bring people together. In contrast, popular music changes so quickly and caters to personal preferences so much that it can’t effectively connect us to other age groups or generations.
So, does good worship music NEVER change, then? Absolutely not! Read next month for “the rest of the story!”
The two questions above get at the heart of a debate that has been causing tension in many American Christian churches for at least 30 years. Often, people think of it in terms of the “old” music versus the “new” music. More accurately, it is usually a question of the value of certain styles of music from the American pop culture versus the value of other styles of music that have been passed down to us from previous generations.
To answer the first of the two questions this month, we first need to have a basic reality check about American pop culture.
American pop culture is consumer-driven (interpretation = profit). Therefore, it is based on marketing and advertising, and on the mindset of keeping up with the trend-setters, the neighbors, the upgrades, the latest technology, and so on. The unchanging Word and Will of God are seen as old-fashioned and irrelevant. Whereas pop culture is in many ways about fitting in, Christians are called to stand out from a sinful culture and to stand up for the truth. We will look and act “different” from the sinful world around us. Whereas popular music has goals of exciting people’s emotions, making a statement, and entertaining the masses, worship music has goals of proclaiming God’s Word, praising the true God, and connecting believers across time and space.
It bears repeating: God’s Word and Will never change, never need updating or upgrading, and in fact can never be improved upon. In a culture that prizes change and “improvement” and too quickly disregards the lessons and wisdom of previous generations, God’s people understand and treasure the constancy of God’s promises and commands and the value of learning from and keeping a connection with previous generations.
The music of corporate worship reflects these truths. Music that uplifted countless believers of previous generations has inherent value for us yet today. It connects us with believers around the world who use the same music, as well as the believers who have come before us and are yet to be born. Worship music is designed to bring people together. In contrast, popular music changes so quickly and caters to personal preferences so much that it can’t effectively connect us to other age groups or generations.
So, does good worship music NEVER change, then? Absolutely not! Read next month for “the rest of the story!”
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
What is the role of “flow” in a worship service?
Worship FAQs, part 7 – What is the role of “flow” in a worship service?
The chief actor in a worship service is God, so everything about the worship service should draw our attention toward God rather than away from him. Distractions need to be eliminated, even ones that might arise from the worship service itself.
The “perfect” worship service might be one that flows so smoothly and focuses so entirely on God that the worshipers barely notice the different parts of the worship service going by. There are many common things that tend to disrupt this flow and focus of a worship service, such as:
• Musical styles or anything else that shocks the worshipers, unless done in a way that clearly draws attention to God, not away.
• Too many unfamiliar things introduced too abruptly.
• Unnecessary or untimely announcements.
• An unclear theme to the worship service due to readings, music, or sermon texts not matching up with one another.
• Distracting noises in the sanctuary (sound system issues, noises from outside the sanctuary, distracting neighbors in the pews).
• Worshipers using electronic devices (cell phones; cameras, especially with the flash on; video cameras).
• People present but not actively participating.
• People entering or leaving the sanctuary during the service.
There are also some things that tend to help maintain the appropriate flow and focus in a worship service, such as:
• The natural progressions found in liturgical orders of worship.
• Worshipers having hymns and parts of the liturgy memorized, or at least at a high comfort level.
• Worshipers marking hymns and Bible readings ahead of time.
• Appropriate announcements and a clear bulletin and/or slide show projected on a screen to guide the worshipers, especially for guests or when something is unfamiliar to a majority of the worshipers.
• Introducing new things at an appropriate pace.
When a worship service flows smoothly and distractions are limited, then our focus and attention in worship are more likely to remain where they should be—on God as he comes to us in his Word and the Sacraments. This is a worthy goal!
The chief actor in a worship service is God, so everything about the worship service should draw our attention toward God rather than away from him. Distractions need to be eliminated, even ones that might arise from the worship service itself.
The “perfect” worship service might be one that flows so smoothly and focuses so entirely on God that the worshipers barely notice the different parts of the worship service going by. There are many common things that tend to disrupt this flow and focus of a worship service, such as:
• Musical styles or anything else that shocks the worshipers, unless done in a way that clearly draws attention to God, not away.
• Too many unfamiliar things introduced too abruptly.
• Unnecessary or untimely announcements.
• An unclear theme to the worship service due to readings, music, or sermon texts not matching up with one another.
• Distracting noises in the sanctuary (sound system issues, noises from outside the sanctuary, distracting neighbors in the pews).
• Worshipers using electronic devices (cell phones; cameras, especially with the flash on; video cameras).
• People present but not actively participating.
• People entering or leaving the sanctuary during the service.
There are also some things that tend to help maintain the appropriate flow and focus in a worship service, such as:
• The natural progressions found in liturgical orders of worship.
• Worshipers having hymns and parts of the liturgy memorized, or at least at a high comfort level.
• Worshipers marking hymns and Bible readings ahead of time.
• Appropriate announcements and a clear bulletin and/or slide show projected on a screen to guide the worshipers, especially for guests or when something is unfamiliar to a majority of the worshipers.
• Introducing new things at an appropriate pace.
When a worship service flows smoothly and distractions are limited, then our focus and attention in worship are more likely to remain where they should be—on God as he comes to us in his Word and the Sacraments. This is a worthy goal!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
What does “liturgical worship” mean? (continued)
Worship FAQs, part 6 (continued) – What does “liturgical worship” mean?
“Liturgies” in the sense of orders of worship ensure that the priests in the pews are actively involved in many aspects of worship: confessing sins, praying, speaking and singing the truths of God’s Word in praise to the Triune God, responding to God’s Word and Sacraments in praise and thanksgiving, encouraging the other worshipers, participating in the precious Sacraments, responding to God’s gifts with offerings of our own, and so on. “Liturgies” ensure that the focus of our worship services always remains on God, on his saving acts, and on his precious Word and Sacraments. “Liturgies” set the pattern for the Christian life: first receiving from God his precious gifts through Word and Sacrament, and then responding to God with our whole lives and everything we possess. “Liturgies” ensure that the basic truths of the Christian faith are reviewed and renewed regularly, both for those of us who so quickly forget and also for those who are entirely new to the Christian faith.
One of the “liturgies” commonly used in liturgical worship has earned the title of “The Liturgy.” “The Liturgy” is a particular pattern for worship that has its foundations in the worship of the early Christians, which in turn had its foundations in the worship of God’s Old Testament people and in the upper room of Jesus’ Last Supper. “The Liturgy” as we use it most often in my church body, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), is found on page 15 in the front part of our hymnal, where we call it the “Common Service” with Communion. It is found in many forms in many books across "liturgical" denominations. God’s people throughout the ages have found this particular pattern of worship to be useful and beneficial. In it we find vivid reminders of who God is and what he does, as well as who we are, what we need, and how we get it. Worship planners often insert “new” versions of parts of the liturgy, such as new musical arrangements of some of the songs. The basic pattern for worship in “The Liturgy,” though, still echoes what those brothers and sisters of ours in the early Christian church thought would best fit the Gospel message and Sacraments we so treasure in our worship.
Does God command that we use “liturgies” or “The Liturgy” in our “liturgical” (work of the people) worship? No. Have liturgies, especially “The Liturgy,” served the Church well for almost two thousand years? Yes. Do these historical patterns for worship still serve the Christian Church well today? Yes, they do. They help keep the focus where it belongs, and they help keep the priests in the pews active in their priesthood. In our liturgies, God comes to us and the liturgy (work of the people) goes on!
“Liturgies” in the sense of orders of worship ensure that the priests in the pews are actively involved in many aspects of worship: confessing sins, praying, speaking and singing the truths of God’s Word in praise to the Triune God, responding to God’s Word and Sacraments in praise and thanksgiving, encouraging the other worshipers, participating in the precious Sacraments, responding to God’s gifts with offerings of our own, and so on. “Liturgies” ensure that the focus of our worship services always remains on God, on his saving acts, and on his precious Word and Sacraments. “Liturgies” set the pattern for the Christian life: first receiving from God his precious gifts through Word and Sacrament, and then responding to God with our whole lives and everything we possess. “Liturgies” ensure that the basic truths of the Christian faith are reviewed and renewed regularly, both for those of us who so quickly forget and also for those who are entirely new to the Christian faith.
One of the “liturgies” commonly used in liturgical worship has earned the title of “The Liturgy.” “The Liturgy” is a particular pattern for worship that has its foundations in the worship of the early Christians, which in turn had its foundations in the worship of God’s Old Testament people and in the upper room of Jesus’ Last Supper. “The Liturgy” as we use it most often in my church body, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), is found on page 15 in the front part of our hymnal, where we call it the “Common Service” with Communion. It is found in many forms in many books across "liturgical" denominations. God’s people throughout the ages have found this particular pattern of worship to be useful and beneficial. In it we find vivid reminders of who God is and what he does, as well as who we are, what we need, and how we get it. Worship planners often insert “new” versions of parts of the liturgy, such as new musical arrangements of some of the songs. The basic pattern for worship in “The Liturgy,” though, still echoes what those brothers and sisters of ours in the early Christian church thought would best fit the Gospel message and Sacraments we so treasure in our worship.
Does God command that we use “liturgies” or “The Liturgy” in our “liturgical” (work of the people) worship? No. Have liturgies, especially “The Liturgy,” served the Church well for almost two thousand years? Yes. Do these historical patterns for worship still serve the Christian Church well today? Yes, they do. They help keep the focus where it belongs, and they help keep the priests in the pews active in their priesthood. In our liturgies, God comes to us and the liturgy (work of the people) goes on!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
What does “liturgical worship” mean?
Worship FAQs, part 6 – What does “liturgical worship” mean?
For many of us, the word “liturgical” probably brings to mind the orders of service that we use in worship, usually found in the front of the hymnal, right? “Liturgical worship” must refer, then, to a certain style of worship that follows traditional orders of service, right? And therefore, if these liturgies don’t seem to be reaching people today, we should throw them out (as some churches have done), right? Before we make a final judgment, let’s get a little broader perspective on “liturgical worship.”
When Confessional Lutherans use the word “liturgy,” they are really referring to the work of the people. The Reformation returned us to a Biblical understanding of the “priesthood of all believers.” It is crystal clear in Scripture that every believer has direct access to God’s messages and blessings through his Word and Sacraments. And every believer has the privilege of speaking directly to God in prayer.
At Christ’s death, God ripped in half the thick curtain of the Most Holy Place of the Temple precisely to make this point. No longer must the high priest enter the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement once each year to approach God’s mercy seat on behalf of God’s people. In Christ, each of us as a child of God becomes our own personal priest and may approach the mercy seat of God individually without fear.
Recognizing every believer as a priest means actively involving worshipers in every possible way. Gathered worshipers should never be treated like an audience. They are a gathering of priests! A pastor who recognizes the significance of this serves in worship as facilitator for the priests in the pews. He does this by planning worship that involves the people, by carrying out worship services in an orderly way, and by encouraging the worshipers to be actively involved in every way possible.
If the worshipers in the pews value their priesthood, they will never act like an audience, either. They will actively (and boisterously!) participate in every possible way during worship. They will do so as the congregation speaks and sings. They will also do so by actively involving their hearts and minds in the parts of the service spoken by the pastor. After all, God’s priests do more than just “go through the motions” of a worship service.
So far, I haven’t said anything directly about those “orders of service” that we know as “liturgies.” What do they have to do with the priesthood of all believers and the “work of the people”? A lot! We will have to save that discussion for next time, though. To be continued next month …
For many of us, the word “liturgical” probably brings to mind the orders of service that we use in worship, usually found in the front of the hymnal, right? “Liturgical worship” must refer, then, to a certain style of worship that follows traditional orders of service, right? And therefore, if these liturgies don’t seem to be reaching people today, we should throw them out (as some churches have done), right? Before we make a final judgment, let’s get a little broader perspective on “liturgical worship.”
When Confessional Lutherans use the word “liturgy,” they are really referring to the work of the people. The Reformation returned us to a Biblical understanding of the “priesthood of all believers.” It is crystal clear in Scripture that every believer has direct access to God’s messages and blessings through his Word and Sacraments. And every believer has the privilege of speaking directly to God in prayer.
At Christ’s death, God ripped in half the thick curtain of the Most Holy Place of the Temple precisely to make this point. No longer must the high priest enter the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement once each year to approach God’s mercy seat on behalf of God’s people. In Christ, each of us as a child of God becomes our own personal priest and may approach the mercy seat of God individually without fear.
Recognizing every believer as a priest means actively involving worshipers in every possible way. Gathered worshipers should never be treated like an audience. They are a gathering of priests! A pastor who recognizes the significance of this serves in worship as facilitator for the priests in the pews. He does this by planning worship that involves the people, by carrying out worship services in an orderly way, and by encouraging the worshipers to be actively involved in every way possible.
If the worshipers in the pews value their priesthood, they will never act like an audience, either. They will actively (and boisterously!) participate in every possible way during worship. They will do so as the congregation speaks and sings. They will also do so by actively involving their hearts and minds in the parts of the service spoken by the pastor. After all, God’s priests do more than just “go through the motions” of a worship service.
So far, I haven’t said anything directly about those “orders of service” that we know as “liturgies.” What do they have to do with the priesthood of all believers and the “work of the people”? A lot! We will have to save that discussion for next time, though. To be continued next month …
Sunday, January 24, 2010
What communication goes on during worship?
Worship FAQs, part 5 – What communication goes on during worship?
Let’s begin by talking about worship services. That name—worship service—hints at where should start.
In a worship service, who does the serving and who is being served? Many people would assume that it’s about us serving God. In reality, though the focus of a worship service is God’s service to us.
Do you know what worship services were called back in the German-speaking period of many congregation Lutheran congregations in America? They were called Gottesdienst—“God’s Service” or “Divine Service.” This name reminded everyone attending Gottesdienst that the focus was on God’s actions, words, and gifts. Let’s always remember that the main purpose of coming to a worship service is to be served by God. We are the guests, and we come primarily to listen and receive. God serves his guests with the Bread of Life in his Word, with the washing of spiritual rebirth in Baptism, and with Jesus’ own body and blood in, with, and under the bread and wine in Holy Communion.
So what about all the parts of the service where we are doing the speaking—or, for that matter, the singing, the offering of gifts to the Lord, and so on? Well, any good conversation has two people speaking back and forth with one another, right? This is also true in worship, where God’s gifts and words to us cause us to respond back to him. It couldn’t be any other way. After all, James says faith without works is dead. So we would expect to see people responding to God as a natural result of listening to his voice.
So, God first speaks to us. His speaking to us creates in us a desire to respond in songs, prayers, and offerings. So, is that all of the communication that goes on in worship? No, it is not.
There is another important type of communication in worship that happens among the believers gathered in the pews. Hebrews 10:25 reminds us clearly that Christians have a duty to encourage one another by being in worship. You know how encouraging it can be to show up for worship and see every pew full and hear voices of your fellow believers singing and speaking boldly around you. You owe the same encouragement to those other believers. Be there! Sing out! Pay attention!
Worship services set the pattern for the rest of our lives. Daily we listen to God in his Word, remember our Baptism, and long for the next time we can enjoy his gifts in Holy Communion. Daily we respond to him by living our lives for him. And daily we encourage one another from God’s Word.
Let’s begin by talking about worship services. That name—worship service—hints at where should start.
In a worship service, who does the serving and who is being served? Many people would assume that it’s about us serving God. In reality, though the focus of a worship service is God’s service to us.
Do you know what worship services were called back in the German-speaking period of many congregation Lutheran congregations in America? They were called Gottesdienst—“God’s Service” or “Divine Service.” This name reminded everyone attending Gottesdienst that the focus was on God’s actions, words, and gifts. Let’s always remember that the main purpose of coming to a worship service is to be served by God. We are the guests, and we come primarily to listen and receive. God serves his guests with the Bread of Life in his Word, with the washing of spiritual rebirth in Baptism, and with Jesus’ own body and blood in, with, and under the bread and wine in Holy Communion.
So what about all the parts of the service where we are doing the speaking—or, for that matter, the singing, the offering of gifts to the Lord, and so on? Well, any good conversation has two people speaking back and forth with one another, right? This is also true in worship, where God’s gifts and words to us cause us to respond back to him. It couldn’t be any other way. After all, James says faith without works is dead. So we would expect to see people responding to God as a natural result of listening to his voice.
So, God first speaks to us. His speaking to us creates in us a desire to respond in songs, prayers, and offerings. So, is that all of the communication that goes on in worship? No, it is not.
There is another important type of communication in worship that happens among the believers gathered in the pews. Hebrews 10:25 reminds us clearly that Christians have a duty to encourage one another by being in worship. You know how encouraging it can be to show up for worship and see every pew full and hear voices of your fellow believers singing and speaking boldly around you. You owe the same encouragement to those other believers. Be there! Sing out! Pay attention!
Worship services set the pattern for the rest of our lives. Daily we listen to God in his Word, remember our Baptism, and long for the next time we can enjoy his gifts in Holy Communion. Daily we respond to him by living our lives for him. And daily we encourage one another from God’s Word.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
