God: The Object or Subject of Worship? March 27, 2008
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THE ORDERS OF WORSHIP FOR SUNDAY, 3/30/08 (pdf file)
By Dr. Robert E. Webber, from Worship Leader magazine September 2005 issue.
Many of you know that I have been struggling with the issue of me-oriented worship. Those of you who have walked this path with me- some agreeing, others disagreeing – are probably saying “Oh No, not another article on the same subject!” Well, yes, but with a completely different question for you to explore. The issue is this: In your worship planning do you view God as the object of your worship or the subject of worship?
The Right Question
It has been said that we don’t have answers to our problems because we do not ask the right question. In my years of struggle with narcissistic worship the question of God as the object or the subject of worship has never surfaced until recently. Maybe it has been articulated in your mind and you have settled the question. But for me the surfacing of the issue has clarified the fundamental dis-ease I’ve had with I-Me-My worship. I invite you to explore with me the difference between God as the object of our worship and God as the subject of worship.
God as the Object of Worship
I grew up with a three layered understanding of the universe. God is “out there” or “up there,” the earth is here and below it all is Hell. Most Christians probably function with a visual world view with God seated on the throne in God’s heavens and down below is the earth where people dwell, and in the center of the earth or somewhere below the earth there is a raging fire where those who refuse to believe in God are consigned to eternal death and separation from God.
The three tiered view of the world is not only a spatial configuration in our minds, it is also a visual picture expressed in countless works of art. We have all seen depiction of heaven as that place “out there” where God is seated on his throne surrounded by the cherubim, the seraphim, the angels, and archangels and the countless saints who have gone before worshiping in eternal perpetuity.
This spatial and visual view of God results in a human language that expresses worship to God as the object of praise. I am the subject who worships God. God is the recipient of my efforts on his behalf.
God as the Subject of Worship
The concept of God as an object, an essence who, so to speak, “sits out there” is a Greek idea, not a biblical understanding of God.
The biblical God is the God who acts. He creates, becomes involved with his creation, calls Israel into existence to be his own people, makes himself known to them in Law, present to them in the Tabernacle and leads them into the future. In their history he gives types and shadows of his forthcoming involvement in history to redeem the world. He becomes incarnate in Jesus, dies for us, is resurrected for us, ascends into heaven where he intercedes for us, will return to complete his redemption of the world in the New Heavens and the New Earth.
If we are going to use the subject/object distinction, the scenario of God’s story clearly envisions God as the subject and the world as the object. God creates the world, loves the world, cherishes the world, and saves the world with his own “two hands”, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The incredible and radical story of God is that he loves the world so much that he enters into the suffering of the world so that through his death, sin is defeated, death is overcome, hell is conquered. And in his resurrection, life, the true life of the Spirit is recovered and man and the world is made new. Is this good news or what? In all these actions, God is not an object, but the subject who is at work in the world, redeeming it and restoring it to himself.
What, then, is Worship?
If God is the subject of worship, how then should we worship? Several things are clear: 1). We do not enthrone God or seat him in the heavenly places. He is not an object who needs us to add anything to his glory. He is most glorious in himself. 2). Worship remembers, enacts, and lives out the story of God. We sing, preach and enact at the Table the wonders of the God who as subject creates, redeems and makes all things new. This worship involves the mind, evokes the emotions, engages the body and all the senses. 3). Doing God’s story, impacts us, the objects of God’s actions. Our true worship then, is to tell and enact how God the subject rescues the world, the object of his love. In worship, God the subject, shapes us the object, into the image of his Son so that we offer our lives to God by living into his death (dying to sin) and living into his resurrection (rising to the new life in the Spirit).
Intelligent, Meaningful Worship February 28, 2008
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From Worship, Community, and the Triune God of Grace by James Torrance:
…anything we say about worship – the forms of worship, its practice and procedure – must be said in light of him to whom it is a response. It must be said in the light of the gospel of grace. We must ask ourselves whether our forms of worship convey the gospel. Are they an appropriate response to the gospel? Do they help people to apprehend the worship and ministry of Christ as he draws us by the Spirit into a life of shared communion, or do they hinder? Do they make the real presence of Christ transparent in worship, or do they obscure it? To answer these questions, we have to look at the meaning, the content of worship, before we can decide whether our traditions and procedures are adequate. More profoundly, we have to consider our doctrine of God in worship. Is he the triune God of grace who has created us and redeemed us to participate freely in his life of communion and in his concerns for the world or is he the contract-God who has to be conditioned into being gracious by what we do – by our religion? If our worship is to be intelligent, meaningful worship, offered joyfully in the freedom of the Spirit, we must look at the realities which inspire us and demand from us an intelligent, meaningful response. So the apostle says in Romans 12:1 – after expounding the gospel of grace in the first eleven chapters – “With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers (and sisters), as an act of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him” (J.B. Phillips).
Art and Holiness February 15, 2008
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From Unceasing Worship: Biblical Perspectives on Worship and the Arts by Harold Best:
Psalm 29:2 admonishes, “Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness” (NKJV). Here, once again, we face the reality of worship as a continuing state, because holiness itself is a continuing state to which we are called as redeemed outpourers. Furthermore, the relentless holiness of God is the only beauty that he possesses. It is not aesthetic beauty but the beauty (there no other English word for it) that self-inhering holiness exudes. Yet when we mention the beauty of holiness in the same breath we use to speak of God as the consummate Artist, we set a trap and then fall into it. Because of our flirtation with the idea that beauty is truth and truth is beauty, and because of the tendency of many to assume that the purpose of the arts in worship is to create a sacred bridge into the holy of holies, we are prone to reverse the order of the verse like this: “Worship the Lord in the holiness of beauty.” All philosophies of “the beautiful,” if they are biblically grounded, must stop short of connections between aesthetics and holiness, no matter how temptingly close they might superficially appear to be.
Any concept of God as the consummate Artist is worrisome even apart from the discussion about beauty and holiness. If he is the consummate Artist, then he is also the consummate Plumber or Engineer or Farmer, but we do not usually talk this way because these activities are not perceived to reach to the mystical level that art does. The problem with hooking God up to art the way we do is that a special justification and otherness are too easily imputed to art. Because we have named God as the ultimate Artist, we imply that our artistic creativity is a cut above other kinds of human creativity.
What is Contemporary? January 21, 2008
Posted by AUC Worship Administrator in Worship and Spiritual Formation, Worship and Theology.2 comments
I dislike the terms contemporary and traditional when referencing worship. Aside from the rhetorical and emotional baggage they carry, these terms don’t work. In the realm of “contemporary” worship there are several camps: cutting edge, choir-led (i.e. Hillsong), blended (which is rarely successful or representative), or late nineties (several guitars, drummer, three or four singers). AUC, which started its “contemporary” service in the mid-nineties, defined contemporary as several guitars, a piano, drums, three or four singers, with the congregation singing songs from a 10-15 year span (“Shout to the Lord,” “He is Exalted,” etc). While churches around the country have continued to evolve their definition of contemporary, AUC has not moved much (we’ve just shifted our 10-15 year span). Our contemporary service is essentially a traditional service with different instrumentation.
To examine our future as a “contemporary” service, as defined by the worship committee, let’s explore a definition of the word contemporary. What is contemporary is what is modern or new (and it doesn’t need to be newly created to be new – it may be new to you). Contemporary is constantly shifting (as demonstrated in the varying manifestations seen above).
Consider this observation by David Bennett (author of, “If These Drums Go, I Go: From Contemporary to Blended Worship”):
When we let trends fully shape our worship, the Church becomes an inert, tamed-down, and outdated version of the culture it supposedly wishes to be distinguished from. We neither succeed in living the gospel, nor do we remain “contemporary,” when the state of being “contemporary” fluctuates almost daily. What endure are the living teachings of Christ, preserved through God’s community, the Church.
The future of contemporary worship is emerging around the country as the following: an authentic encounter with God characterized by the use of creeds, readings, written prayers, visual arts, and music that is accessible and (at times) somber and meditative. This approach to contemporary is called “ancient-future” because it seeks to connect our future as the church (connecting with culture) with our roots (2,000 years of church history). It is important to avoid allowing trends to fully shape our worship. It must be grounded in those elements which have persisted throughout church history while always connecting with its surrounding culture (contextualization). These two components should never be separated.
When we find ourselves saying, “That wasn’t very contemporary” to a service which may have included creeds, readings, hymns, or even Gregorian chant, perhaps we should rethink what is contemporary. I encourage everyone to explore this matter. Visit other church websites, read on the newest developments and thinking on worship around the country and the world. Please don’t assume AUC has the corner on worship (regardless of the service you attend).
engaging the culture December 4, 2007
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Let me preface this post with a disclaimer: being Church and engaging the culture in a way that is faithful to the Gospel and to our purpose as God’s people is a difficult and ongoing task. Our (the Church universal) finer details of theology are shifting and changing as we wrestle with studying a God that is infinitely beyond our understanding. It is only by God’s continual grace that we can pursue such a noble task.That said, let’s dive in.
The Church is given a clear and distinct mission in Scripture and affirmed by the confessions of two millennia. For a large part of history (middle ages) the Church was the driving force behind culture. In the last few centuries that role has moved from leading to following as the Church has struggled to keep up with the changes in the surrounding culture (speaking in terms of the Western Church). A great example of this turn was through the dawn of modernity and Enlightenment philosophy. The Church, in an effort to remain relevant, integrated rationalism and modern thought with theology, and today, in many places, looks no different than the surrounding culture. For a contemporary example one can look at the far extreme ends of the emerging church movement and their concessions to the demands of postmodernity.
Rodney Clapp and Robert Webber pose this question in “People of the Truth: The Power of the Worshipping Community in the Modern World”: “Can the church concentrate first (though not solely) on its worship and its mission without withdrawing from wider society, without dwindling into an ineffectual and sectarian body” (6)? Is it possible then, in the context of a culture that is (and was and always will be) hostile to the true demands of the Gospel for the Church to utilize culture not only for its benefit but also for ideas and concepts without compromising those demands? I believe the answer is yes.
Theology, according to John Franke, is “disciplined consideration and exploration of the content of divine revelation” (“The Character of Theology”, 13). To then understand theology in a fuller sense there must be a basic acknowledge that divine revelation may happen outside of the Church, because as Franke states, the Church is “not the full embodiment of God’s Kingdom” (18). In this way the Church is enabled to actively seek out and redeem for the glory of God elements of culture that may exhibit pieces of theology or Christology. As a practical example, look at the film trilogy The Lord of the Rings. Many elements of these movies display themes in the Christian story, including the struggle between good and evil and an eschaton-like consummation. In some cases these films have been used as means to engage those outside the faith in a dialogue about God and his story (essentially, theology). Additionally, the movies gave some Christians new analogies and images to associate with issues such as sin, spiritual warfare, and redemption. In this fashion culture made a positive impact on the Church’s interpretation of biblical and theological themes. Further examples may be pursued in art, music, literature, and even philosophy.
However, in pursuing such elements it is important for Christians to hold firm to the dogma of the Church universal through the last two millennia. By relying on the Holy Spirit, engaging with Scripture, and remaining committed to Christian community, the Church can pursue such dialogical and redemptive elements with confidence.
To do this effectively (and universally) Christians must rethink their approach to doing Church. In some traditions, Christians have developed well the concept of thinking about God devoid of emotions; likewise some Christian traditions emote well about God without thinking of him. Christians must take a holistic approach to theological reflection (thought and emotion) to develop a fuller framework from which to engage the surrounding culture. In a world that is devoid of meaning and purpose the Church must be the social and political organism that not only provides redemption and purpose, but also exemplifies what it means to be made in the image of God.
By incorporating both thought and emotions, and “by recognizing and reaffirming its own distinctive identity and vision, the church can in fact be a more potent social and political presence than it is now” (Clapp and Webber, 6).
- Christopher Montgomery
Worship: Meaning and Purpose November 13, 2007
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Insights from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship at Calvin Seminary in Michigan:
1. When we worship the God of Jesus Christ, we are approaching something more like a community of divine persons than an isolated and remote power. In worship God is not only the holy transcendent One we praise, but also the Spirit at work in our hearts and the Son who perfects our imperfect praise.
2. We do not worship in order for God to love us, but because God loves us.
3. In just about every church every Sunday, some people come to worship with smiles, others with tears. Biblically-informed songs allow us to express both emotions with honesty.
4. The power of worship does not finally come from our own creativity, imagination, intellectual rigor, or emotional output, but from the Holy Spirit, who may choose to use any one of these things. Worship—even our own worshiping—is more like a gift to receive than an accomplishment to achieve.
5. The relationship we enact in worship is more like a marriage than a contract.
6. When we sing in praise of Christ, we should picture in our minds that the one who reigns in glory still bears the scars of suffering.
7. Deists love prayers and songs about the timeless attributes of God. Classic Christian orthodoxy values prayers and songs that retrace a history of God’s actions in the world over time.
8. Christian faith is certainly personal, but it is never private.
9. We long for worship that is both “in, but not of” the world. Good worship transcends culture, reflects culture, and challenges culture. (All three, not just one!)
Worship in the Eschaton November 5, 2007
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The ultimate thrust behind the book of Revelation is the universal glorification of Jesus the Christ. The Word of the Lord:
…I saw a huge crowd, too huge to count. Everyone was there – all nations and tribes, all races and languages. And they were standing, dressed in white robes and waving palm brances, standing before the Throne and Lamb and heartily singing: “Salvation to our God on his Throne! Salvation to the Lamb!”
All who were standing around the Throne – Angels, Elders, Animals - fell on their faces before the Throne and worshiped God, singing: “Amen! The blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving, the honor and power and strength, to our God forever and ever and ever! Amen!”
How can we better shape our congregational worship to prepare us for our role in eternity? Think practical…
Individualism in Worship October 15, 2007
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As our first discussion thread, I’d like to turn our attention to the role of the individual in corporate worship. The following is a quote from People of the Truth: The Power of the Worshiping Community in the Modern World by Robert Webber and Rodney Clapp:
…individualism narrows faith by making the church, the worshiping community, a kind of vestigial organ. Like the appendix, the church is there, but American Christians aren’t quite sure why. If necessary, they can remove it and get along quite well without it. But individualistic Christians go even further and say of the church what they would never say of the appendix: that they may get along better without it. The church is actually put at odds with a “personal relationship” to God.
Is it possible to worship God without the context of Christian community? If so, is the Church necessary? How do followers of Christ balance personal and communal worship and devotion in a context that is faithful to the Gospel?
Reflections on the Holy Supper October 2, 2007
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Mystery Grace: A Brief Theology of the Holy Supper
The above attachment is a word document containing a brief theology of the communion (which John Calvin calls, “The Holy Supper”) that I wrote last spring.
Reflect on the idea of the Holy Supper as we prepare to partake and celebrate this Sunday.
Christopher
Worship Teams, part 2 September 23, 2007
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SINGERS: After a great amount of prayer and consideration, I have decided to go a different direction than originally planned. Everyone who would like to participate in the worship choir/teams for the fall (now-December 31), please come to our first rehearsal on Wednesday, September 26 (8:15-10:15p). I will cover the new structure for the group with everyone present (so as to avoid any confusion).
INSTRUMENTALISTS: Jared will be in touch for scheduling.
Keep worshipping,
Christopher
