This is a blog about Christian worship. It will focus on what is commonly called corporate worship, i.e. the gathering of Christians to praise God. I am writing it because in my 40 years of worship leadership, I still find distortions and misunderstandings about what worship is and how it should be practiced in the local church. I have come to some conclusions about worship that I believe are worthy to share. Some of those who read my journal will agree; some will disagree. My hope is for an educational monologue and dialogue that will enrich a Christian’s worship experience and challenge many of the notions about worship that seem a bit off center. I am sure it will not be the last word on what worshipping God is all about but it will be an attempt to contrast personal time with God and the activities we engage in when we gather to encounter God as worshippers.
This blog will be written with the folks in the pew in mind. I will try to avoid theological terms and concepts that sometimes lead to discussion only for discussion’s sake. Most of the time, the blog will be anecdotal in nature. I will draw from my own experiences. Above all, it will be biblical.
My hope is these writings will be an informal journal of what I have learned about worship over the years. I am often surprised as to how readily Christians will substitute other activities for worship. It is my contention that if there were a clearer understanding of corporate worship and a more biblical understanding of each part of worship, Christians would move worship back to the top of their “to do list”.
Finally, I will try not to write from the perspective of any particular denomination. I am hoping the principles I discuss can be universally applied. I will attempt to keep it centrally focused on the most common practices of Christians, which is a corporate worship of God that is scripturally based. I invite constructive comments and reflection.
Why Worship Together?
“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” Colossians 3:16 NIV.
As I start putting this worship puzzle together, imagine a jigsaw puzzle. I find the corners. It seems important to get a handle on those pieces that draw the lines or frame the picture. One cornerstone of congregational worship is encouragement/admonishment. I realize I am skipping some obvious parts of worship, i.e. praise, music, prayers, sermon; but this part is near and dear to my heart because it is overlooked by so many. Corporate worship is good worship when there is a unified, collective effort to express in gathering what cannot be expressed alone. Worship is not for the voyeur. Great worship is a congregation that is prepared, expectant and unified in purpose.
As an adolescent I had the experience of marching in junior and senior high school bands. Those Friday nights on the football field still resonate within me. It wasn’t until years later I began to realize what this taught me about worship. Marching bands are able to go beyond the solo and blend varied instruments into both a visual and musical experience. A lone tuba player could not spell out that big C (Cherokee Jr. High) on the football field, nor was his “umpa” as glorious or definitive as the emotional alma mater we played to close each presentation. As band members we were able to come together after hours and hours of practice and present not only an entertaining halftime show, but also a tribute to our school. There was a unity of purpose under field direction that made it all happen. It was an inspiring experience. Each of us was doing our part to bring something so much larger than ourselves into a thematic expression.
Granted, those first hot summer days of preparation on the practice field were not always overflowing with motivation and desire, but the seeds were planted. Slowly things came together and we began to unify. What was at first a distasteful sound began to swell into music. We began to see the bigger picture and the “I” grew into the “we”. We would each begin to look around and try and get a glimpse of the big picture. Were our lines straight? How did that fifty yard wide “C” look? How did the music sound when we were far enough from the trombones to hear our own horns? There was an inner response (sometimes goose bumps) when we could see out of the corner of our eye, each member moving and stepping as one. My trumpet seemed to sound better when I played along side my cohorts. Those times alone with fingering charts, daily practice drills, long tones, and breathing exercises were finding a greater purpose. Friday night, we were in uniform! We all looked alike! When we marched on to the field we were a band.
Time alone with God strengthens those spiritual muscles and stretches us to greater endurance, but when there is the “gathering” there is an encouragement and energy that sends us back to our practice room for more time with the One who is tutoring us. Corporate worship is a presentation to God that reaches its zenith when there is encouragement and unity. It is a unified display of tribute born of desire and preparation. Our effort in concert with others overflows into encouragement that draws us all into worship.
My marching band experience was unifying and encouraging but had little to do with Christian worship, but it did teach me important lessons I still carry with me today. Unity and encouragement within Christian worship are vital signs of healthy worship. The ultimate worship experience is when we engage as one and call others out to the mission of praising God. When we are acting/moving as one, we are dedicating ourselves to a larger presentation to and for God. Within our worship there should be a momentum that motivates us to do more. After all, isn’t worship (glorifying God) the essence of the Christian life? Join the band.
the friar
