Renewing Worship
- Posted by: Todd
- Posted on: Thu, January 18, 2007
- Viewed 50
- (14) comments so far
He begins by noting the difficulty we will have in constructing a theology of worship. Indeed, he takes a full eight pages out of his 52-page first chapter just to explain why an agreeable definition of worship is difficult to come by. And when he does present his definition, he takes 16 lines to do it! Here is the first sentence Carson offers, which I believe is an accurate summary of biblical worship: “Worship is the proper response of all moral, sentient beings to God, ascribing all honor and worth to their Creator-God precisely because he is worthy, delightfully so.” (The balance of his paragraph adds a number of nuances to this summary.)
If it is so hard to come to a definition of worship, and harder still to develop a solid theology of worship, it should be no wonder that so much division has arisen over this one topic. So what are we to do? As church leaders, a big part of our task is to educate the church body (cf Ro 12:7, 1 Co 12:28, Ep 4:11, Co 1:28, 3:16). If worship is to be a significant focus of our corporate gatherings, should we not teach about worship?
Here are some points Carson makes:
- If worship is a “proper response” to God, then we need to consider how God wants his people to responds to him. We need only look at Cain and Abel to recognize that God may actually have his own worship preferences – and that ours may not line up with his.
- Worship involves (though not exclusively) remembering and retelling. This is at the heart of the Lord’s Supper, and is a theme prevalent throughout the Old Testament, as well.
- “Worship is no longer primarily focused in [religious action and ritual] shaped by a liturgical calendar, but it is something in which we are continuously engaged.” (p. 38) In other words, we don’t go to church to worship; rather, when we go to church, we continue to worship, now as a body.
- Worship is both adoration and action. That is, we delight in God (adoration), but we also serve his people (action). These are not sequential or mutually exclusive, but rather concurrent. We are to do everything to the glory of God, as Paul admonished. In our actions, God may be adored. In our adoration of God, we may also serve others.
- Worship is both individual and corporate.
- While a thorough study of scripture will show us many elements of worship, “there is no explicit mandate or model of a particular order or arrangement of these elements.” (p. 51) Let us not be too eager, then, to over-promote our own preferences or denigrate another’s.
Carson also states that “it is folly to think that only part of the ‘service’ is worship” and continues by saying that “the notion of a ‘worship leader’ who leads the ‘worship’ part of the service before the sermon (which, then, is no part of worship!) is so bizarre, from a New Testament perspective, as to be embarrassing.” (p. 47) In a footnote on the same page, he comments about “the fact that many contemporary ‘worship leaders’ have training in music but none in Bible, theology, history, or the like.”
Carson concludes his chapter with this wise counsel: “Somewhere along the line it is important not only to explain that genuine worship is nothing more than loving God with heart and soul and mind and strength and loving our neighbors as ourselves, but also to show what a statement like that means in the concrete decisions of life.” (p. 63)
For discussion: Do you have a clear definition of worship? Do the people in your church know that definition? When was the last time you spent significant time teaching and/or preaching about worship (i.e., a series of messages)? Worship leaders: In what ways might your leadership be enhanced by pursuing more theological training? Senior/lead pastors: Do you need to encourage and enable your worship leader to deepen their theological training?
About the author: Randy Ehle is a recovering evangelical who yearns for the church to reclaim its role in God’s redemptive plan for the world. He has been married for 14 years and has 3 elementary-age children.
Why has worship been at the core of so many divisions both within and between churches for the better part of four decades (if not longer)? Perhaps a significant reason is that we do not have a clearly-defined understanding of what worship is. In Worship by the Book, D.A. Carson accurately presents worship as far broader than either music or corporate worship.
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Peter Hamm on Thu, January 18, 2007
Carson’s comments, imho, always need to be considered from where he comes from. His “response” for instance to the Emerging church was deeply flawed except as a response to the writings of Brian McLaren, who he singles out in an inordinate percentage of his book, and even then doesn’t totally accurately quote and respond to, imho.
Worship, for me, is simply the act of declaring or representing the worth of something.
Worship for me biblically is rooted in Romans 12. “I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” To define it in sixteen lines, for me, loses the simplicity and usability of the definition.
Yes, worship leaders should know more about theology, et al than they often do, but not so much that they have no time to practice their music. If the music stinks, who will care if the Worship Leader knows the difference between aorist and perfect tense forms…
Randy Ehle on Thu, January 18, 2007
As for worship leaders learning more theology, neither I nor Carson (I think) would suggest that exegetical Greek is the key to that. I am not Carson’s biggest fan; among other things, I find his writing far too academic for my tastes, and his theology a little too steeped in traditionalism. I agree with Peter about Carson’s Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church - a great title followed by a very disappointing book. Nonetheless, there is much I agree with and have learned from in Worship by the Book. I would hope that we would not write off Carson’s wisdom simply because we disagree in some areas or because of his writing style.
My own definition of worship fits nicely with Carson’s, and is sufficiently general to allow for broad understanding and application (which, of course, needs to be thought about deeply in order to be well-applied). Here is my definition:
Worship is a response to an encounter with God.
kent on Thu, January 18, 2007
To limit worship to anyone definition is not going to work. Worship is as broad and expansive as our conversation about God. DA Carson’s definition is good, but there are those who will add, substract, and divide. That is because worship also individualistic and communal at the same time. Worship is focused on God Almighty and it is exectuted by his creations. it is never limited to a place but it is obvious that for us the place matters.
Our preferences will always play a part. Even those voices we listen to and affirm. But the focus binds us together and will never change.
God addition to the conversation, but just an addition.
Leonard on Thu, January 18, 2007
A 52 page chapter? Holy Smokes, no wonder I never read that book. Okay Silliness aside. I think defining worship too tightly is somewhat like dissecting a frog to understand it. You might understand it but it is also dead. Worship is a humble, biblical response to what God chooses to reveal about himself.
My other thought is that defining what worship is can be difficult but understanding what worship does to the worshipper helps me. Isaiah 6 is a wonderful account of entering the presence of God and when Isaiah responds to the presence of God he is transformed. Chapters 3&5;of Isaiah are filled with his pronouncement of “woes to you”… in chapter 6 the presence of God creates a woe to me. As he is overwhelmed by God’s holiness and cleansed by God’s grace, he responds by presenting himself to God. Here am I… Send me. My heart now understands more of your heart, send me. I see more of what you see, send me. This is what worship does. It reveals me, offers me a chance to choose humility before God, it changed me by giving grace and truth and then proffers me an opportunity to present myself to God’s purpose and heart. I know I have experienced his presence when I present myself.
1 John 3 tell us that his presence is transforming, “we will be like him because we will see him as he is.” This transforming to his image or likeness is also the result of worship.
Some of my many thoughts.
jawbone on Thu, January 18, 2007
Hey Leonard,
I liked your opening comments so much that I ‘m going to use it for a post on my blog.
I get weary of the “worship wars.” I prefer to keep it simple. To humble myself to God’s revelation of himself in His word and through the Spirit. I’ve had the privilege, in my short lifetime, to experience Christians worshiping in just about every setting you can imagine. Whenever I am on vacation, I look for a place of worship that I haven’t participated in before. It is amazing to me how many different ways worship is defined in practiced within Christianity. Each has its element of spontaneity, intimacy, reverence and awe. From simple storefronts to majestic cathedrals, worship is expressed by God’s children and accepted by the Father.
While it is true I have seen what I have interpreted as, “people going through the motions,” in more cases than not I have seen sincere and humble approaches to connecting with God through Jesus.
I appreciate Carson, Webber and others trying to define worship. Their works are helpful. I’d rather learn a little, try it out, learn some more and try some more.
Randy Ehle on Thu, January 18, 2007
Kent, I think having a solid definition of worship is both necessary and beneficial - even if I don’t think we will all agree on exactly what that definition should be. If a pastor tries to call his church to worship, wouldn’t it be helpful for the church to know what the goal is?
Peter Hamm wrote that worship is rooted in Romans 12 (“a living and holy sacrifice”); when he calls his church toward a life of worship, he may be thinking about serving the poor, caring for the homeless, and so on. Let’s say there’s a man in Peter’s church - we’ll call him Isaiah - who believes that worship is best defined by a recognition of his own uncleanness; when Peter calls his church to worship, Isaiah understands that to mean that we need to call people to repentance, perhaps through fire-and-brimstone preaching. A woman in the church - Mary - believes her biblical namesake’s response of sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to him teach is what worship is all about. If there are 100 or 1000 or even 10 other people in the church, each of whom has his or her own understanding of what worship is, then wouldn’t it be beneficial for Pastor Peter to train them in a biblically-sound, sufficiently broad definition of worship so that when he says we need to live lives of worship, the people hearing him have a clearer idea of what he is calling them toward?
While I’m not sure that exact wording is critical, I think understanding that worship is a response to God’s self-revelation is helpful. And within that definition, there is room for Peter (living sacrifice), Isaiah (repentance), Mary (adoration), Thomas (awe), and perhaps infinitely more expressions of worship. Think of the range of responses possible just by looking at the four names for God in Isaiah 9:6 - “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” For us to limit worship to singing and prayer, to what happens on Sunday morning, or even to a corporate setting in a particular place - and I have seen churches do this, even if not intentionally - is to infinitely underestimate God and the range of ways that we encounter him. We owe our churches far more.
Mark A. on Thu, January 18, 2007
I’ve been an ordained minister for more than 10 years, a full-time staff pastor for 12 years, and a worship leader for about 14 years. This has all taken place in a Pentecostal church. I’ve been blessed (?) to play an integral role in our church’s transition from a laid-back “worship” style to a pretty rambunctious one.
I agree whole-heartedly about the dangers inherent in over-analyzing worship. “Truth” is important, but “spirit” comes first. Seen too many dead frogs in my day (excellent!)…
I agree 100% with idea of worship being so much more than music. I look to Genesis 22. As far as I can tell, this is the first mention of worship in the Bible, and music is no where to be found. It’s Abraham taking Isaac up to Mt. Moriah to kill him. From this I gather worship is an act of yieldedness, born of divine revelation. In other words, Abraham saw God for who He was, and as a result, decided it was good to surrender to whatever He required. So for me, worship takes place any time I make a choice to do something the way God would want me to do it, especially when it involves some measure of risk or self-denial (humility). I think this lines up nicely with the Greek for worship: “proskuneo” (bow down; to kiss like a dog licks his master’s hand, et al).
For me, “praise” is more musical in nature. The Psalms seem to make this connection. I don’t know of many, if any, references to “worshipping God with song” in the Psalms (or Scripture). But praise is very much associted with a variety of acts which are observable, and often musical.
So (again, for me) while the overall act of getting up early and gathering with the saints on a Sunday can be an act of worship, the part of the gathering that involves singing and dancing and all that good stuff is more specifically “praise.” And yes, I do understand that the “worship wars” have been waging for some time now, but in my experience they’ve been avoidable. I just “do my thang” and refuse to argue and fight with all the haters… (big wink right there)
Bruce on Thu, January 18, 2007
I am curious as to what you all think the average Joe in the pew “thinks” worship is? For all that has been written…........I think the average joe in the pew equates worship to the “music” part of the service. There is the subtle thought that worship occurs at the time/place where I have the most freedom, and that is when we sing.
Since worship has an emotional component…......where we do we see the most emotion? During the music. Come on preachers…............when is the last time you have had an overtly emotional response to your sermon? (other than a loud yawn?)
So for all our worship theory….........I am not sure it is translating well to the pew.
My ministry years have been long enough to encompass most of the worship war years. I have adapted and changed. I enjoy much of the New way things are done, but I must admit I, at times, find myself yearning for the “old” days.
There are even times I yearn for some good ole fashioned liturgy. I end up seeking out an Episcopalian Church or attending a Midnight Christmas Eve mass at a Catholic Church.
We all know what worship ain’t….........
Bruce
Randy Ehle on Thu, January 18, 2007
Thank you all for your well-thought out and well-expressed comments, especially those that have directed me (and others) to specific Scriptures that guide or resonate with your understanding of worship. Keep it up, because I have a lot to learn!
Like Bruce, “I think the average joe in the pew equates worship to the ‘music’ part of the service.” (I would add “the prayer part”.) IMO, this is a very inadequate understanding of worship that is, I suspect, more by default than by design. I have seen church bulletins that distinguish between “worship” and “preaching” and “responding”; the former consists of singing and prayer, the latter includes the offering and perhaps another song (of “response”, of course). Worship leaders often give voice to these distinctions in their transitions: At the start it’s, “Let’s spend some time worshipping”; then the offering, followed by, “let’s worship some more before Pastor Mike comes to speak.”
All of this is what leads to my questions to you who are pastors and worship leaders, If “the average joe in the pew equates worship to the ‘music’ part of the service”, and you don’t believe that’s a biblically-accurate definition…then what could you do about it? (Or what are you doing about it?)
Leonard on Thu, January 18, 2007
Bruce’s words point out the need for the pastors to work together to create an experience of worship verses a song guy to pick some songs and a pastor to preach the bible. Every one of our services are designed, prayed over and thought through to create an experience with god that involves music, teaching, interaction, prayer and fellowship.
Andy McAdams on Sat, January 20, 2007
Good work Randy. I would like to know however, just what is a “recovering evangelical?”
Randy Ehle on Sat, January 20, 2007
Good question, Andy. Just what is a “recovering evangelical”? While I haven’t put a lot of thought into defining it - and don’t want to take too much space here to do so, lest this discussion get off-track - I do have some thoughts in mind when I use that term. Essentially, I mean that I am seeking to recover what is good in evangelicalism - primarily it’s essential doctrines - and recover from those aspects where I think evangelicalism has gone astray.
I will work on posting some of these thoughts on my own website, and perhaps bring them together here at MMI in the near future.
Michael on Tue, January 23, 2007
I wholeheartedly agree that worship is more than the music we play in a worship service/gathering. That’s why I’m trying to change the culture of my music ministry, which has used the phrases “worship team” and “worship leader”, as many do. I am very intentional about changing those phrases to “music team” and “music leader”. I’m not sure if a change like that will ever happen on a more wide-spread basis, but I would love to see it happen. To me, the worship team is all those who work together to make a corporate worship gathering. If I had to choose a “worship leader” it would be the pastor, as ultimately he is responsible for the leading of corporate worship, whether he actually does all the leading or not.
Re: the definition of worship, I like the term that Luther used - in German, “Gottesdienst”. It doesn’t really have a good English one-word parallel. It basically means “God-serving”. I like it because it encompasses both God’s action - God serves us when we gather for worship through His read and proclaimed Word (and I will also say through the Sacraments, though I realize many would disagree with that). And then we in turn serve God by thanking Him for His service to us - we serve him through prayer, song, and then also in our daily lives. For me worship is a both-and. It’s not just our action, but it starts with the action of God - not just remembering His action, but His factual action every time we gather for corporate worship.
Kevin on Sat, April 21, 2007
“Music Team” / “Worship Team” or “Music Leader” / “Worship Leader”........personally I have no issue with either/or….......The “music team” leads our *musical* worship time…...the “music leader” is the *leader* or our musical worship time….. ....pot"a"to- pot"a"to….............it comes down to an individuals personal preference. Worship is a “24/7” thing to me….......
I’m new to this site, and the first time I’ve posted here…...but I’m glad I came across this thread…...
There seems to be a “connect” between all posters here. And I feel that I’m more in agreement with the “posters” , than the “postee”......Great stuff!
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