My MWS 501 week intensive at the Institute for Worship Studies has come to an end. Part of my final project for the class is a paper entitled "Essential of Worship." Basically, we have to take all that we will read/have read, learned and discussed, and synthesize it into what we believe to be the essential points of Christian worship. This small outline is nowhere near finalization. There is a lot going through my heart, soul and mind right now. However, I feel that this outline is going to be a good place to start – we shall see what develops…oooooo….How exciting
Worship must be:
-A Narrative
-Corporate worship must bring us into, and help tell, God's Story. The corporate worship experience should be a narrative that represents God's meta-narrative in a four-fold pattern. God's story can be defined as Creation, Fall, Redemption – or – Orientation, Disorientation, New Orientation (Unfettered Praise). The four-fold pattern is a holistic worship structure defined by: Gathering, Word, Thanksgiving, and Sending.
-Trinitarian
-We worship one God – But, what is the difference between Christian worship and Jewish worship?
-We worship a Triune God: 1 + 1 + 1 = 1.
-We worship the Father, in the Spirit through the Son (The difference between Christian worship and Jewish worship?
-We worship in community when we live in community with the one who fulfills community with himself. (Basically, God doesn't need us. He doesn't need our worship to be God. However, he wants us to be a part of his story ((meta-narrative)) for the world.
-Ceremonial Celebration
-Reverence for a Holy Lord
-Joyous in what our Holy Lord has done.
-Ecumenical
-We cannot worship in a vacuum
-As lead worshipers, we have a duty to draw upon the rich heritage of Christian history - (Robert Webber's Ancient/Future worship)
– We need to be culturally relevant as well as relevantly cultural.
-An outpouring of thanks for what God not just for what he has done, but for who he is.
-Not for blessing in return but because of who he is.
Again, these are just some thoughts in a loose outline.. more to come... be sure of that!
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1 comments:
Worship is also a lifestyle. This is nothing new. A lifestyle of worship goes back to the time of the Israelites.
also, the header "Worship Must Be," should be changed to "Worship Is," because... worship is these things whether we know it or not! we don't have to have worship all figured out before we...well... worship!
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