worship

A twinge of discomfort

Mon, 02/08/2010 - 10:53 — Don Scrooby

Don Scrooby's blog

Recently I was in a communion service diligently following the words and responses of the liturgy. The phrase, “Have mercy on us O God” was constantly repeated in a litany of sins confessed. Touched by a twinge of discomfort, I looked around at the expressions of my fellow worshippers to see if I was alone in this sentiment. It seemed I was. Most people were responding almost mechanically with the phrase and I couldn’t help but wonder what was actually going on in that unconscious realm where our perceptions are shaped and forged, especially when certain phrases carry certain meanings which have been infused over years of repetitive and almost hypnotic announcement.

If we were able to have entered that unconscious realm, I would have staked my life on the fact that the dominant perception in the minds of most worshippers there that day, was one of trying to wring out mercy and forgiveness from a God they were not sure would actually give it. Many are absolutely saturated with this way of believing, and persistently saying these words, just re-enforces the belief.

“Have mercy on us O God” is not an attempt to try and get the Divine to do what the Divine may or may not do... READ MORE.

 

Adam Copeland's picture

A good word to end worship

Tue, 01/19/2010 - 13:33 — Adam Copeland

Adam Copeland's blog

When I lead worship, I try to stay out of the way. Sure, I say plenty of words and all, but if they are led correctly they point to something greater than myself. So, here’s my conundrum: whether the charge and benediction at the close of the service should be my words, as in reflecting the crux of the sermon. Or, whether the charge and benediction should be one common to the tradition and unchanged each week.... READ MORE.

 

Rachel Hackenberg's picture

The church as the woman at the well

Thu, 01/14/2010 - 10:51 — Rachel Hackenberg

Rachel Hackenberg's blog

I've been pondering what makes any given congregation feel vital and vibrant, a living and active part of the Body of Christ. Now, an abundance of programs and professionals currently thrive on the business of shaping & encouraging life within congregations---my home congregation participates in one such program, with valuable insights gained and wonderful results seen. Although I am a church professional, I am not one of these Church Professionals, so I offer these observations primarily as a church goer and church lover (though my "pastor voice" is never far behind!).

On occasion, I have the opportunity to worship outside of my own congregation. Although I'm prone to extreme academic analysis (during worship, naturally) of a congregation's homiletic and liturgical traditions, I also pay close attention to my personal, emotional & spiritual experience of worship and the church's environment. How do I feel in this space? How do the words and hymns settle in my spirit? What resonates, and what does not? How do I experience the interactions with people here?... READ MORE.

 

James C. Schaap's picture

Morning thanks: the old psalms

Mon, 01/11/2010 - 10:36 — James C. Schaap

James C. Schaap's blog

Ten years ago maybe, my in-laws, then in their seventies, told us that they told the pastor that once in awhile they'd like to sing the old songs, too. They're not pushy people, believe me. The church had gone wholesale to the new and fresh "praise 'n worship" genre, and they simply got a little tired of being left out.

The pastor's patronizing response to the old folks was that, well, sometimes it was simply necessary to change with the times.

I'm sure my father-in-law never spit right there--after all the pastor was the dominie--but when we came around the next time, he unloaded. "Change?" he said. "I started farming with horses, didn't have indoor plumbing until the late 50s. He's telling me about change?"... READ MORE.

 

Thom Turner's picture

Rethinking the sermon part 1

Tue, 07/28/2009 - 14:58 — Thom Turner

Thom Turner's blog

"I wish we could just get rid of the sermon."

That's what one friend said to me at Starbucks recently. For us that view worship as holistic and not as song and sermon, both music and preaching seem to take precedence over other forms of worship: prayer, silence, meditation, Scripture reading. Inlieu of these things we instead sing and preach about them. How many sermons have you heard mention silence as important to worship? How many times has your own church been silent? How many times have pastors preached the necessity of Scripture reading? How many times has your own church read Scripture at any great length (more than a whole chapter)? Preaching far outweighs doing in most Protestant churches.

Using the motto lex orandi, lex credendi (what one prays is what one believes) as our measuring stick, we should look at the worship service as a microcosm of how we want the local church to worship. The goal of every church is to have a congregation that reads Scripture, prays, meditates, spends time in fasting, in silence, in wonder, sings, preaches, teaches, and fellowships with one another. Yet we don't model the right way of worship in our own worship services. We are not modeling what you pray is what you believe. We are really showing our congregations that true worship is active only in song and passive in everything else. We have taught our congregations that beyond singing and talking around a cup of coffee we are to let others do all the heavy lifting of Scripture reading, preaching, prayer, and silence.... READ MORE.

Katherine Godby's picture

Imaginary communion

Mon, 12/08/2008 - 10:09 — Katherine Godby

Katherine Godby's blog

The sermon today was on imagination--imagine a new world where no one is hungry or filled with despair. That kind of thing. It's the first Sunday of the month, so we celebrated Communion. Sort of. Toward the end of the service, he asked us to imagine, in solidarity with the poor and those who are suffering this day--to imagine that the loaf and cup are really there, that we are really taking Communion. He asked everyone to come forward and, although the plate was actually bare and the cup empty, to nevertheless hold out their hands as he and I gave them, not tangible bread or juice, but a blessing. Everyone was asked to open themselves to imagine receiving.... READ MORE.