In a worship service I attended, we came to the time for the reading of the Scripture. A young man of about twenty walked from the back of the sanctuary to the front, turned and faced the congregants and began to speak: "Listen now to these words, from the Book we all love." He then recited from memory what must have been the whole chapter to help to set the context for the theme and message of the day. I was deeply moved and profoundly affected - by both the content of the Word and the uniqueness of how it was presented.

 

In another service, the message, import and power of God’s Word entered my mind and heart through the following experience. Down two of the aisles of the Sanctuary moved two young women, middle to late teen years, each dressed in a long white garment – not quite choir robes, not quite angels – but almost. Likely they had made them specifically for this, or such, times. Again, as had the young man in the previous service, they turned to face the congregants and said similar words of introduction - and again it was obvious we were not to turn in our Bibles to page xyz, but to listen as they recited by memory precious passages of Scripture. 

 

Holy, Holy, Holy . . . Actually they staggered their recitations, if I can put it that way. One began to speak and at an appropriate moment paused while the other joined in - but from a completely different passage. The first was announcing the Word of the Lord as written in Isaiah 6. The latter was bringing the message of Revelation 4. (See end notes for fuller presentation of these verses). Isaiah 6 -- ‘In the year that King Uzziah Died . . . Holy, Holy, Holy!" . . . and then, Revelation 4: "before the throne and before the Lamb . . .Holy, Holy, Holy!" – the words coming from different points of focus in the sanctuary.

 

Transfixed, my heart in my throat, tears burning my eyes and rolling down my chin - it was as if I was hearing these familiar words as for the first time. Entering my heart and mind came such realities as: thoughtfulness, reverence, power, planning, preparation, sacrifice, discipline, freedom, appropriateness, God-focus, compelling, revelation and confrontration. I heard God’s Word – I heard God! - and came to a deeper appreciation, in a totally new way and on so many levels, God’s Truth, Presence and Power.

 

Worship needs structure. In thinking of that - it is in discipline that freedom comes. Every service has a liturgy but, in my experience not necessarily a good or helpful one. Perhaps we could use the metaphoric structure of a Christmas Tree. Only, it’s one that is living - dynamic, planted in rich soil and watered by a nearby stream; rooted, standing tall, fruitful – not plastic and not cut off at the roots. And the tree is then decorated week by week, as and when God’s People gather. And each brings of their own gifts and experiences – treasures to be presented, hung on the tree – not haphazardly, but when and as and where appropriate. Thus it becomes beautiful and edifying; we are enriched as we decorate and as we stand back, and think back, and observe what has been done. We do it primarily to please God, but we will all get spiritual satisfaction too, as we gather to do that and as we pay reverent attention.

 

Perhaps, however, that seems too plastic still - and commercial and tinsely to you. Let me say then, that each thing we add to the tree should be a living thing, something we crafted ourselves – something as beautiful as we can make it but sometimes 'ugly to others' though precious to us. It may be child-like: made at the level, expression and experience of a child. Or it may be the work of an experienced artisan, something very valuable but given away to God as a free act of worship, something also that builds up God's People.

 

To tease or tweak the metaphor a bit further, it’s not necessarily a Christmas tree, for we have the whole world of trees, in all the varying places, types and conditions of creation. There are ancient redwoods and gnarly, wind-swept almost naked mountain trees, and trees that have obvious and ancient symbol, even from pagan days but now caught up in the intentional service and praise of the Triune God. And there are little bansai trees, and shrubs, junipers and elms - some with fruit that is only for looks (like a flowering crab-apple) and others with life-giving and sustaining chemicals, fruit for berry-picking, juice and walnut and papaya. You get the point.

 

Our worship both acknowledges what is there in God’s rich, fruitful world, but also accents it, adds to it, as we bring ourselves, our gifts to hang upon it. (I do not mean to imply the tree is holy as in some ancient Druid thought, where trees by wells were hung with garments or strips of cloth to somehow remind or placate, or to try to get the attention of an otherwise remote deity). But liturgy can be serve as does the tree's form skeletal, best observed in winter when all else is bare – with different heights, lengths and breadths - looking quite different from place to place and time to time (deciduous or ever-bearing, needing the cold to bear fruit, needing to ‘die’ or rest awhile in some climes), and from culture to culture.

 

But in essence, the plant-ness of the tree remains. It has a root-system and a trunk, branches, stems and buds and leaves. It has inner nourishment and invisible realities. It looks grey and dead at times, but it may remains alive through countless generations. The liturgy’s essence, in that sense, remains as do earth trees, even as each generation is birted and flourishes, then withers and dies: passes away to await the Great Day of God’s full redemption of people and places and things, the whole earth groaning as it is till then, waiting, waiting - pregnant, birthpangs of anticipation for the Day when sons and daughters of Adam and Eve shall fully experience the freedom and new-Creation that the second Adam has died to make possible. He has already entered into through His Resurrection and Ascension.

 

So the essence of tree (its structure and all its purposes) remain, even as does good liturgy, from age to age. Not to age to age the same as is God, but age to age though differing in presentation and in how the essence appears, how it is worked out, expressed, lived out, drawn together and experienced by God’s People as they meet together, and with their God.

 

Roots. Trunk. Branches and stems. Leaves and fruit. How would each aspect compare in essence with good liturgy? Are we sure that each necessary part is present each time we gather to worship. What's missing and shouldn't be? Whether expressed, each part, differently again in different times, cultures, climes, etc., are we sure that each aspect is still there? Have we left out helpful, necessary parts because we are just unaware that we're truncating the expression and experience of God’s People in worship? Perhaps we sometimes simply have failure of imagination and creativity. Sadly, many expressions only reflect or remain in 'worship beta’ without moving more deeply into the worship possibilities that immerse God's People in the wonder of the One Who is Alpha and Omega. (I mean beta in the sense of our trying out or trying on some new aspect (usually about music style) and never coming to a more solid, playable, usable and bugs-worked-out alpha worship-expression and experience. Perhaps we've been wounded by worship wars. In some congregations, there's been a kind of truce about worship expression - but with it has also come apathy and cynicism. Too disappointed, the congregation can't seem to move on, or further up and farther in. So tired of the in-fighting . . .

A large number and rich variety in worship resources and aids are available to us, coming down to us from ancient times, a so-rich variety of genre and form, with words and music-styles of good form and great meaning. It’s not like we have only 6 crayons in our little box. We have a whole palette of colours, perhaps hundreds of them, with strong individual hues and various shades for blending, muting or enhancing the various aspects of the worship theme in the days and seasons of the Church Year.

 

 

Mission can change our understanding and appreciation for Worship. Overall ecclesiology may well follow missiology in terms of how the People of God shape their life and direction to follow faithfully God’s plans for light to shine in the darkness of their community. Let me explain. Toronto, where I live, is one of the most (if not the most) culturally and ethnically-diverse city in the world. At least 53 % of the population was not born in Canada. Some of the churches I have served have over 40 nations represented among them. They bring different cultural experiences and expectations. Many of them, even though touched and instructed by Western missionaries, have worshipped in quite different ways in their country of origin, in ways quite different than white Canadian and Western cultures. They bring guitars to a church where there has only been organ or piano. They bring drums, dance, rhythms - so much that is different. Some are quite used to (and expect) a two-hour or day-long gathering with various times and expressions of family, worship, food and fellowship. Others want a one-hour only - thank you, clearly-defined service ending promptly on time (so they can get to the restaurant with friends before another church's congregation service ends and the people flood local restaurant and take up all the spaces).

 

 

I’m thinking of the worship expression and experience of God’s people, gathered especially to focus upon the triune God in worship and, yes, it’s not all about you. 

God is the audience. The Triune God, revealed in the book of Creation and especially in the book of the Scriptures, and as His ancient people of both old and new covenant (testament) times, and to Whom the Church through the ages have attested as to His Story, Truth and Power. The worship leaders are worshiping and they are prompting and they are inviting others gathered to join with them, in addressing the One who alone is worthy of our praise (as we sing, give thanks, intercede, meditate in silence, as we muse on the truths, stories and challenges of the Word). Now, how to involve all who are gathered in this service, in this work? How to do that for the different generations gathered? How to do wrap together in concerted praise the different ‘instruments’ of the orchestra gathered – from various backgrounds, varied experiences, from different lands, nations and cultures?

 

 

How to create something other than a smorgasbord of what ‘meets human wants’ in the guise of meeting human need? We hear comments and critiques such as: 'I like this music, not that music. That’s distracting, that’s helpful.' Just as one person’s garage sale of discarded and no longer wanted items becomes another's treasured find, so various aspects of gathered worship may put some off while others are longing for more of the same. What is desecration for some is merely patronizing and ‘throwing a few crumbs our way’ for others. We have remote-control TV clickers to quickly turn on and off our televisions or to switch to other channels. We punch in what we want and hunt for what will keep out attention. We do the same in our worship services. It's the mind-set of our day. Some can’t sit still without the stimuli of constant change. Others are distracted if anything should interrupt or change before they’re ready to move on to the next part of the service. The cult of newness also competes with the locked-in nature of sameness and tradition. Some are simply bored; some are deeply meditating, appreciating the time for quiet, for pause and reflection, for the slow steeping or marinating in that song, that message, that pastoral prayer.

 

 

How to involve the children? Surely we need to dismiss them to something more appropriate to their age and station in life, their understanding, their possibilities of their spiritual awareness. I beg to differ, being not so sure. How did the Church survive all these centuries without all the programs and curricula and junior worship goods and services we now have? Have to have, we think. I have been told of the Karen immigrants' DVBS contribution at one church. Instead of targeting only the children of both church and community, they gathered and participated as whole families as they had before in former homeland experience, in solidarity with family and clan. There is something for individualistic Westerners to learn in this and even grow to appreciate. (Islam celebrates family, clan and culture in many ways that do even Evangelicals. Christianity used to, but little values such, anymore.) Now gathered churches divide people according to age, affinity-group, interest and elective-preference. There may be something good in all of this; but perhaps also aspects not so positive. 

 

What if a pastor of worship team, knowing far in advance the Sunday of the church year they have in mind, with its overall theme, Word (texts, stories) to be ‘exegeted,’ explained, applied, ponder, lived into and lived out in the following days of the week? What if the pastor went to the Christian-nurture leaders of the church and said, ‘Please help me with this:-  Here’s the theme, purpose, goal of the next weeks or quarter-year. Can you ask the children of the Sunday School or Junior Worship class to prepare for our service (of said date)? Would you draw or paint (or act out) the story, or some part of it for us? You have six weeks (or whatever . . .  Bring your painting to the church (parents can scan, email, drop it off). We'll put it on Power-point or Keynote and present them as part of our worship of the day, perhaps in the time of preparation as people gather, or during 'the offering,' perhaps as background during the sermon message. Afterward, kids can take their presentation (their 'offering') home, or give it to grandma, with a magnet to affix to her fridge.' Now you’ve got kids involved, immersed in the work of worship – in the liturgical life of the church.

 

It takes preparation and planning, in looking after both the big themes and the little details. It will involve coordination so that all the related parts of what must be ‘assigned,’ prepared and gathered, can be effectively put together for the ‘offering' of the chosen worship service. This calls for more than one person's leadership, coordination and overall involvement if it’s going to be planned, coordinated and delivered well. It may be in a creative pastor, or another person’s creative capacity, to get it done all by themself, but to immerse and empower others in the preparation and offering is best in that this expands and celebrates the effort and gifts, the effects, and the hearts, minds and hands of all involved, both in the giving and in the joining together to give and receive from the Hand of God. The same creativity can be applied to youth of various ages, to those of specific ages or stages of life; to those of varying backgrounds.

 

One church, several weeks before Good Friday, assigned members of their youth group to film the Passion of Christ, in their own town context. Where is Jesus suffering? Where are the places of judgment? Where are the disciples, crowds and individual people, relative to the Story of Jesus’ Passion? What are the needs for which He came to die? That youth group came alive as they prepared and delivered a beautifully gathered, edited and presented movie. With phone and inexpensive video cameras almost ubiquitous today, any church could let loose its youth on a similar participatory mission. The mixed quality may even be a way of portraying the unseemliness, the rough edges and splinters of the cross, the agony of tears and seeming defeat.

 

 

Worship of course is to be the challenge and experience for every believer as to how they he or she is to live in every moment of daily life and activity. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might. Whatever you do, do it as unto the Lord. And yet the gathered times of God’s People still are the highlight of worship, the concerted gathering for prayer, praise. We gather to remind ourselves of the Story and of our place and of the expectations upon our lives, individually and collectively, because of it. We gather to remind ourselves as to Who loves us, and has purchased us unto Himself and for His purposes. We gather to train our little ones in the faith and those who have newly come to faith. We gather to remember even as we gather to look around and be aware. And we gather to look ahead. We look back to the Creation and to Fall; back to the crucifixion of the Messiah and to His death which sets us free to be and to do, as God’s People; back to His resurrection and the exclaiming reality that one new Man has moved from death to life, has made entrance into the new Creation, in the Light of the New Day. We look ahead to know that we too shall be raised, bodily, fully from death to life, moving beyond Heaven even and back to a new and recreated earth. We also look around to see that we can live in the here and now as Easter People, Resurrected People, indwelt by the living Christ who by His Spirit gives us similar earnest, hope and promise of our own full entrance into God’s future Day, even as we may live daily with insights, aspects, realities, tokens of that coming Day.

 

 

Living in a world composed of stuff, of particles – of heart and hand and of voice, comprised also of guitar strings and horse-hair violin bows, and electronic visual and sound aids. The media is the message. The well-remembered adage of Marshall McLuhan has its depth of truth. The instrument through which something is played or said or portrayed or conveyed significantly influences the message itself. Whether for good or for ill, whether it adds to or detracts from, the truth remains. Because this cannot be escaped from does not mean that one should always be cynical about the instrument or the process by which we seek to convey intended truths. There is a greater truth as both instrument and message are delivered. This does raise the question of appropriateness, however. Some containers are better than others in the accomplishment of the messenger’s intent. Whether it’s milk, or wine, or bringing home groceries, or the shape of the back end of a truck, there are various ways, containers, instruments by which we carry or convey something somehow and to somewhere else.

 

In music expression for a particular weekly, or special, gathering of Christian worship we may ask, is a hymn best played on the organ, or piano, synthesizer, guitar, orchestra or zither? Should this ‘call to worship’ be announced by a cow bell (as I have seen effectively done) or by choral introit (also effectively done). Or, should we simply say – ‘We’re going to start in a sec, so grab your coffee; find a seat.’ (I have seen this too, but it didn’t seem to me to be as effective, since that’s all we did before the band kicked in and we sang together a kind of ‘Jesus is my boyfriend’ almost spiritually erotic ‘worship song.’

 

 

"Now, let’s continue to worship," said the worship leader of one service I attended. He meant, I think, ‘Let’s get back to singing. There seemed almost an unawareness (and certainly a lack of preparedness) that other times and ways of expressing our praise and response to God in the service ould be worship, too. Many emerging and contemporary worship services seem to have no clue as to the ancient paths or ways and take delight in trying not to be 'churchy, ' to be  ‘a church for the un-churched’ (can there be such a thing, really?) Worship leaders often are chosen primarily for their musical prowess (on one instrument perhaps),and in their ability to be ‘up front’ and to announce or blend the songs. Again here, the worship is primarily about singing songs, so some leaders conclude that preparation for worship is only about getting the right songs lined up, with chords and harmonies together with practice. Guitars may be tuned, even hearts prepared, but a very narrow form, experience and expression is presented.

 

 

Media includes such things as the following: overhead projector, pipe-organ, electric organ, piano, drums, synthesizer, choir, soloist, quartet, trio, cello, violin, guitar, pulpit, lectern, Bible (version, translation, paraphrase), sound system, computer, LCD projector, hymnal, motet, anthem, Communion Table, open Bible, icon, bulletin, stained glass window, candle, sanctuary architecture, art (Jesus pictures, banners, colour, symbols (anchor, shell, cross), flower display (bouquet, lily, poinsettia), overall look of the church building (upkeep, repair, architecture, plainness, austerity, height, steeple, bell), property (cut lawns, snow-shoveled walk, trees, bushes, flowers, ecologically green-friendly, weedy) – well, you get the point. All of these are incarnational expressions, tools, conduits, instruments (media), bridges that may be used in worship. Some of them we think about; some we take for granted. Some we use, and over-use or never use.  

 

 

What media ‘instrument’ will we use on any particular Sunday to express and convey the heart, intent, depth and breath of the word, theme, message that it is believed should be given that day? Perhaps it’s not a matter of saying: ‘well, the choir always sings now.’ Perhaps it’s a matter of thinking: what is being done at this part of the service and who, what instrument, what approach, what medium would best, most helpfully, most-pointedly, most dramatically, most-compellingly, most lastingly convey it. So we break down the service into various parts (as in any poem, hymn, symphony, movie, stage of life) and we think about what’s going on here and now, in this aspect. Why are we doing this – or not? And if we’re going to do it – as part of contribution to the overall whole, what’s the best way of doing this.

 

 

Do we just make it up as we go along and name or blame the Spirit for why? Is this freedom? Is the absence of planning, freedom? Does not (as in Genesis 1) the Spirit bring order out of chaos and that becomes, in fact, His creative activity? Can there be spontaneity (and perhaps also occasional, if not somewhat regularly, departure from the norm) if there is not a norm, a standard, a rule, a liturgy that is being slightly or majorly changed, again for some reason that will enhance what is sought and being aimed at in that day and through that departure? If there is not a rule or a norm from which then to depart, then it is not spontaneity we’re talking about – or freedom, or intervention, but haphazardness, lazy or ignorance of the need for good planning, the gift of true reason, the preparation to receive and convey the wonder and the creativity that God may have given long before hand in the planning, not necessarily in the last moment rush and frenzy of our supposed need for something new. George Matheson wrote: 'Make me a captive, Lord, and then I shall be free; Force me to render up my sword, and I shall conqueror be.' Similarly, planning, structure, liturgy, rules do not have to be the end of or the opposite from freedom, In fact, quite the contrary will be true. We await the surprises of God, the breaking in and intervention of His Spirit. It is not that we do ‘our thing’ and are totally shut up and shut off from God’s Spirit moving among us, in new ways, in whatever ways. 

 

In fact we may expect that, even plan and make room – times of quiet, times of space, lgngering and extended times where we actually think and say: ‘well we’re here and God’s here . . . we’ve been working at praising, we’ve been singing and reading and praying and longing; and God has been speaking through His Word as we’ve read and learned and applied and been moved (through the faithful prompting and pleading of a pastor/teacher . . . so let’s not just quickly sum up with a benediction and run off. (May it be that somehow, sometime, this week God will actually show up and do something in your life; go and peace and may, the blessing, etc.). Perhaps we should say – we’re here, God’s here; let’s see what He may want to do as we ask Him, pray to Him – for healing, for deliverance, for insight. Do we actually expect that we will meet with God, the Living Real, the Eternal Present One, as we gather – that, as the Celtic adage has it: ‘Bidden or not bidden, God is present’).

 

Again, rules make for greater freedom. Even Picasso knew the rules before He departed there-from. Perhaps not all modern artists were similarly aware. There are rules and there are structures in the work of God’s People in worship. The Spirit, creativity, newness may be good at some times but we should at least know what we are changing from and to – and why. This is far beyond the concept of we are bored so let’s change. It’s too familiar, too similar, too traditional, to deadening, so let’s do something new and creative to keep people’s attention, to keep them from falling asleep, to keep them at all in a day of competing for the saints through various ‘meet your need’ (read, ‘meet your wants and preferences and prejudices) services. There may be exceptions to rules as there may be counterfeit bills. Neither implies that the former should be always removed or ignored if you want creative, free expression or that one should live as if there was not a ‘real’ simply because there was a knock-off pretending to be it.

 

Disciplines include knowing the point of it all. Who for the joy set before Him, Jesus endured the Cross . . . Sometimes we know that doing the hard things are necessary if we are to experience and arrive at the goal. The goal of worship is not that everyone is happy but that God is pleased. The goal of church life is not to keep people who are spiritual wanderers paying attention and involved in our life and programs. ‘My wife and I aren’t happy. The needs of our family are not being met here. We are going to find a church that meets our needs.’ Where does one find that kind of thinking in Scripture (?@) other than where it is condemned for the selfish, God-robbing attitude that it is. Discipline means practicing. And practice makes better. Doing over and over again the things that make for excellence. Musicians, artists, sports persons know this. Whether through passion or pain, there is a long history of time spent (often alone, with cramped fingers, tired muscles, bleary strained eyes, all that the goal of excellence may be achieved. Often the passion makes the hours, the pain seem as nothing. The love of music for one who wants to play the guitar makes them despise the bleeding, bruised and then calloused finger-tips. The bruised ankles of the hockey-kid from hours spent on winter ponds does not take from them from the love of the game. On the contrary: They become as symbols, reminders of exploits to be celebrated. All art, wrote the American poet Emily Dickenson, comes from the artist’s wound. Likely, that is true of all Christian ministry, as well.

 

 

In I Corinthians, Paul talks of the ‘spiritual’s in a similar way elsewhere he writes concerning spiritual gifts. God gives His People insights, abilities, tokens, signs of Kingdom coming that are made Kingdom-present as by faith we receive, avail, and put into practice these gifts. They are in a sense other-worldly but they may be lived out in this world. They are ways of ‘borrowing from tomorrow’ as John Wimber used to put it. Give us from tomorrow’s supply, the bread and sustenance we need (in every way), today. From eternal resources, from Kingdom resources, give us what we need in the here and now for the living of our days. Life in the Spirit leads us to Worship in the Spirit, and vice versa. So it’s more that planning and preparation, practice, processes, programs, procedures and performances. It’s the conducting of the flow of the Spirit, as if Water was flowing through us wee bits of pipe, to assuage the thirst of spiritually dry and shriveled lives.