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 Editorial 
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Fasting and Liturgical Feasting
This past Wednesday, February 22, marked the beginning of the most widely celebrated season in the liturgical year: Lent. This season has various historical roots: the Jewish practice of fasting for three weeks before Passover, the early Christian tradition of fasting for three weeks in preparation for baptism on Easter morning, and multiple forty-day fasts recorded in Scripture.
Adventists tend to be skeptical about the church year. We share the Reformers' distrust of formal ritual practice. We favor a more ostensibly extemporaneous and individualistic spirituality (e.g., personal Bible study and prayer). And historical precedent doesn't hold much sway with us---especially if the precedent is found anywhere between the Fourth and Fifteenth Centuries.
But unfortunately, our wholesale rejection of the liturgical year has resulted in de facto neglect of an essential Biblical practice: fasting. The examples of Moses (Exodus 34), Elijah (1 King 19), and Jesus (Matthew 4) should provide sufficient reason to embrace fasting. We might also consider these three significant benefits:
1. Fasting prepares us for feasting. The kingdom of God is often described as a feast or banquet (e.g., Matthew 22). Adequate preparation for a feast---whether in God's present kingdom or in the Eschaton---requires us to fast. There is no feasting without fasting; the two are relative to one another.
We live in a culture obsessed with quantity instead of quality. Fasting breaks the cycle of quantitative greed and helps us value the qualitative dimensions of life. It re-calibrates our physiological, psychological, and spiritual metrics. It cleanses our palette for living so we can better appreciate the abundant life that Jesus offers us. We learn to enjoy God's feast, which is open to all, without the gluttony of greed.
2. Second, fasting prepares us for participation in Jesus' radically other-centered kingdom. God's desires, expressed through the prophet Isaiah, are unmistakable:
Is this not the fast which I choose,
To loosen the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the bands of the yoke,
And to let the oppressed go free,
And break every yoke?
Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry,
And bring the homeless poor into the house;
When you see the naked, to cover him;
And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Isaiah 58:6-7
We don't fast for our own sake alone; we fast to provide for others. We're invited not to simply give something up but to give it away. In this way, fasting can prepare us for an other-centered way of being---a posture necessary for both Christ-centered worship and a life of service.
3. Fasting teaches us to use one of the most essential words in the English language: "no." In order to say "yes" to God's present and coming kingdom, we must learn to say "no" to other kingdoms. If we are to be open to the kingdom of God, we need space for it in our lives. Fasting helps us say "no" to what seems essential in order to make room for the One---Jesus Christ---who alone can supply what we and this world truly need.
As Adventists, it's not necessary to observe Lent, but we should consider ways to build fasting and preparation into the rhythm of our liturgical year. How can we hope to prepare for Christ's return and call the world to repentance without a disciplined approach to fasting and repentance in our own lives? How can we be ready for a liturgical feast each Sabbath or the eternal worship that these gatherings prefigure if we do not make space for such a
feast---if there is no emptiness to remind us that we depend not on bread but on the Bread of Life?
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Ecos de Adoraci�n
| | | |  Celebremos en el ExilioPor Andr�s FloresLa adoraci�n Adventista Hispana en Norte Am�rica est� experimentando una tensi�n pr�ctica. Por un lado nos consideramos peregrinos y extranjeros. Este mundo "no es nuestro hogar." Por lo tanto las razones para alabar a Dios se desprenden de las realidades futuras de la segunda venida y una tierra renovada. Como peregrinos adoramos con nostalgia de las promesas venideras. Por otro lado como disc�pulos de Cristo tenemos razones para celebrar aqu� y ahora. Nuestra pasi�n no es solamente el evento de la segunda venida de Cristo, sino Cristo mismo, a qui�ntenemos acceso directo hoy por medio de la obra del Esp�ritu Santo. Los Hispanos de segunda y tercera generaci�n en Estados Unidos am�n la segunda venida por que aman a Cristo, sin embargo tambi�n desean celebrar las obras de salvaci�n de Cristo en el mundo presente. En otras palabras desean celebrar en el exilio la presencia de Dios, su Palabra y su poder que transforma. Celebrar en el exilio significa sanar y bendecir al mundo por el cual Cristo muri� mientras aguardamos la Segunda Venida. La "gozosa esperanza" nos convertir� en la clase de adoradores que este mundo lleno de dolor necesita: Adoradores quienes d�a a d�a sirven y transforman al mundo con actos de amor y compasi�n. Los pastores, ancianos y l�deres de adoraci�n necesitamos planear experiencias de adoraci�n que promuevan el gozo de la presencia restauradora de un Cristo quien pronto vendr� pero que desea transformarnos hoy mismo y transformar a nuestras comunidades con el poder del evangelio. | |
Worship Planning
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In just a few weeks, churches all over the world will celebrate Easter. For this weekend, some churches will celebrate Communion and the pastor will deliver a message on the resurrection. Other churches will have elaborate musical or drama productions, guest preachers, etc. Regardless of your church tradition around Easter, nearly all churches have one thing in common---they want to have a powerful Easter worship experience. Not all congregations take advantage of the Easter season though. Remember that more unbelievers attend church in the Easter season than any other time of the year. For many, this may be your only opportunity to share with them the truth of salvation. Consider the opportunities this coming Easter season provides for evangelism without feeling the pressure to "pull out all the stops." We tend to bring out the fireworks on the big day and then the next week, if any of the guests decided to come back, it's a letdown. Approach planning for your Easter services as an evangelistic opportunity and plan accordingly. Here are some general planning principles: - We have nothing more powerful to offer people than the Gospel.
- If we're most concerned about our creativity, our lighting, our talent, our "relevance," or our cleverness, we've missed the point. It's not that any of those things are wrong or unimportant; they're just not the best thing we have to offer unbelievers who come through our doors for Easter, or any other service.
- We need to make sure that we clearly explain our need for a Savior, God's provision of His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and that He is alive! Tell it plainly, biblically, and passionately. Most people are oblivious to the fact that their greatest need is to be reconciled to God. We have the privilege of telling them.
- Pursue excellence and creativity without being enslaved to them. We don't have to put on the greatest service in history, in our lifetime, in our denomination, or in our area. We simply need to faithfully proclaim, in an understandable and appealing way, the greatest news the world has ever heard.
- Our goal isn't simply to impress and entertain---we want to instruct and educate. We want to be appealing, but more importantly, we want to win hearts. And creativity doesn't have to be big, lavish, or complex. Simplicity can cause people to listen more carefully to what you're saying. Often, less is more.
- Share information about community services and resources available to your guests. Provide your guests with overviews and contact information for the services and resources your church offers to the community. Focus on providing "tangible" hope, and not just a "presentation" of hope.
Planning for the Easter weekend is well underway at my church. We have developed a service of word and song based on meditations from Peter Storey's book, Listenting at Golgatha. Here are a few ideas you can consider for communicating the transformational message of the cross in your service:
1. Introduce a less familiar Easter hymn or new arrangements of more familiar hymns. Add strings or brass to evoke the grandeur of the resurrection. One example is: - The Day of Resurrection (Lead On O King Eternal)
- By Robert A. Hobby. Tune, (LANCASHIRE), by Henry T. Smart
- For SATB Choral, Congregation, and Optional Brass quintet, timpani, organ, cymbal
- Here is a link for sheet music and an audio sample.
2. Paint a picture of the Easter message. Identify an artist in your congregation or community to paint a picture of the Easter message during the service. Remarkably, this can be done in very short periods of time (4--8 minutes) by one artists or a group of artists. View these YouTube clips for how some churches creatively incorporated paintings of Christ's death and resurrection in their worship services. 3. Allow people to give testimonies as to how the truth of the resurrection has changed their lives.
4. Include an original Call to Worship, Litany, etc., in the service. Here is a Call to Worship that I wrote in 2011, entitled "SONRise" Call to Worship: "SONRise" By Michelle Riley Jones We've come from our week of crosses that we have had to bear. And this Easter morning, we will hail our risen Christ with songs of victory and triumph! In a world where some have lost their hope Open our eyes to what your scriptures foretold: That you would arise and ascend to your Father; and that you will come again. This morning we rise to give you worship and praise. We rise to eagerly feast upon the Living Word. We rise in great joy and celebration! "The mountains and hills will lead the parade, bursting with song. All the trees of the forest
will join the procession, exuberant with applause. We stand as a living and lasting witness
to the glory of our God." (Isaiah 55:12-13) I hear our Heavenly Parent saying, "SON, rise." Let us rise to greet our risen Lord and soon-coming King! 5. Consider a weekend of services. Friday evening, commemorate the Last Supper; on Sabbath, God's plan of salvation laid at the foundation of the world, and the gift of the Sabbath; and on Sunday, the power of the Resurrection. 6. Mark Easter weekend with a significant act of service to your community. Host a dinner for the homeless and underprivileged, hold a blood drive, run a 10K for a local women's shelter, collect canned goods for a local food bank, etc., and invite your community to join with your church. Having a powerful Easter worship service isn't about stage presentations. For "If Christ has not been raised, then our [presentation] is in vain and your faith is in vain." 1 Corinthians 15:14. Whatever God has impressed upon your heart to plan, at the end of your Easter service, you should be able to look back and think, "Jesus was glorified by what we did today, and the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is still working to transform lives today." There can really be only one plan for Easter worship planning. For, at Easter season, and at any time of the year, powerful worship services are about a person---the person of Jesus Christ. | |
Worship and Culture
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 Garden, Desert, Temple, Empire: Finding a Context for 21st-Century Worship By Steve Yeagley Jewish Christians living at the end of the first century A.D. faced two questions: "Where is God now?" and "Who is in control here?" While their Temple lay in ruins, the spectacle of the Roman Empire shone all around. Believers were left to relocate God's presence and to rebuild a spiritual community amidst the power and pleasures of an expanding Empire. Western Christians at the beginning of the twenty-first century face a similar situation. Thousands of churches close their doors each year while new forms of media are continually placed in our hands and homes. Institutional decline coupled with the cultural dominance of popular media can leave worship leaders feeling marginalized and threatened. How can the church compete with the enticements of empire? Some have retreated further into their dwindling institutional contexts, while others have embraced the tools and techniques of media culture. Consequently, Christian worship seems suspended somewhere between the Temple of Doom and the Empire of Illusion. Could there be a third way? The Gospel of John offers some clues, as it was written to post-temple Christians trying to find their way in a pro-empire world. The bold declaration of Jesus, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days" (Jn. 2:19), points to a project of rebuilding worship and community among early Christians. What emerges is a picture of worship rooted in the life-giving context of creation, yet adapted to the harsh, desert-like environment beyond the bright lights of the empire. John teaches us that it is possible to remain in the world, to cope with our institutional losses and to resist cultural threats by re-imagining our religious identities in the person of Christ. Join us at the Andrews University Music and Worship Conference (March 29-31, 2012) for a practical exploration of how we might renew Christian worship amidst the spectacle of popular culture. Editor's note: Steve Yeagley is one of many outstanding presenters offering seminars at the Andrews University Music and Worship Conference, March 29-31, 2012. Make plans to attend and register today! | |
Worship Music
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The Bible does not provide us with a treatise or a chapter on music. In order to gain insight into the Biblical view of music, we must glean information along the way, as we encounter various events in the life of Israel. Music in the Bible always accompanies an event. It is not seen as an occupation to be pursued per se---art for the sake of art---for the the sheer enjoyment of itself, but it is rather functional. As music is always an expression of a culture, we will find that the development of music in the Bible will reflect the various stages of the development of the people of Israel .... Editor's note: download the entire article, "Music in the Bible," by clicking here. | |
Worship Evangelism
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In their latest research on worship, the Barna Group asked a random sample of church goers what they experienced at church. The highest experience, at 68%, was that they felt that they were cared for. Next, at 66%, was that attendees connected with God. Close on the heels was the experience of gaining new insight (61%). Only 26%, however, believed that their life had been changed by attending church.
What is the purpose of corporate worship and how is it best defined and measured? I'm not sure something as holy and supernatural as worship can be defined or measured. The Bible typically uses metaphors to describe great truths and the metaphor most often used for worship is journey. The typical narrative describes worshippers moving from their current location into the presence of God and then returning as transformed creatures.
Like most journeys the road can be treacherous and difficult to navigate without some kind of guidance. I believe that it is the responsibility of pastors and worship leaders serve as guides on the journey of worship. With advance planning, prayer, and execution, every worship service can be designed to guide attendees from their community into the throne room of God and then return to their sphere of influence as transformed creatures.
As on any journey there are many methods of transport. Unfortunately in corporate worship we typically only rely on a few-preaching, music, and prayer. While these may be tried and true there are dozens of other powerful tools for worship. If we as pastors and worship teams would add elements such as scripture reading, silent meditation, drama, collections, recitation of mission and beliefs, communion, visual arts, testimonies and tactile experiences we might discover that more of our worshippers will have a successful journey.
Of course this all takes advance planning. In order invigorate worship teams pastors should have the theme and main point of their sermon message ready to go weeks in advance of the service. Pastors who use a sermonic calendar are able to plan months in advance. This allows the worship planners time to develop a well thought out and executed road map for worship.
Yet pastors and worship leaders are only guides on the journey. The attendees themselves must walk the journey---there are no vicarious worship experiences! We need to coach, guide, and instruct our parishioners in the personal journeys they make during the week in preparation for the corporate journey. And we must teach our congregants how they can take their transformational experience back into their worlds.
Why do people go to church? For many reasons, some of which may be appropriate and others that may be totally unrealistic. It is my vision that at the top of the list of expectations is experiencing a corporate journey into the presence of God, and returning to transform their communities.
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Worship Conferences
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Andrews University Music & Worship Conference
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The ninth annual Andrews University Music & Worship Conference is coming up next month, March 29-31, 2012. You are invited to join the worship leaders, church musicians, pastors, and others who've already registered for this year's exciting event.
Don't miss the opportunity to learn from our outstanding presenters. General session speakers include Richard Davidson, J. N. Andrews Professor of Old Testament Interpretation at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary; John Witvliet, Director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and Professor of Music & Worship at Calvin College; and Pastor Michael Kelly, Senior Pastor of the Mt. Rubidoux Seventh-day Adventist Church. A complete list of presenters and workshops are available at our new web site: www.cye.org/mwc.
Add your voice to our gathering as we worship God together and discuss how our worship ministries can be Biblically-rooted, Christ-centered, and effective in a changing world.
For registration and more information, visit www.cye.org/mwc or email us at worshipconference@andrews.edu.
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Worship Gatherings
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The ONE Project
By Japhet De Oliveira
Jesus. All. are the resounding words from the recent One project gathering in Seattle. Over 700 followers of Jesus gathered from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Europe and the USA to simply pause in life and reflect on Jesus in our history, present and future. It's really hard to capture the beauty of the experience or even articulate the breadth and depth of the presentations, discussions and worship.
The strength of the One project is that people found a much needed space to reflect on Jesus in their lives and faith community. They had a chance to network at a reasonable pace; to challenge their thinking and wrestle with their theology; and to affirm their beliefs and consider their implications.
You can't follow Jesus without any consequences...is the phrase that echoes from Alex Bryan. To that end we are working on Chicago.
100% Jesus. 100% Gospels. The February 11-12, 2013 One project gathering in Chicago will draw exclusively from the biblical biographies of Jesus---Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Together we will explore prayers and parables, sufferings and celebrations, conversations, miraculous acts, words of challenge, and words of hope. Bring your Bible, and be prepared to engage in rich conversations about Jesus Christ, who is, the ONE.
For more information visit our website www.the1project.org or contact us info@the1project.org.
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| Publishing Information | | | | Best Practices for Adventist Worship is a Vervent publication of the NAD Church Resource Center. Editor: Nicholas Zork (email). You may republish pieces from Best Practices in your own newsletter or blog, with attribution to the Best Practices for Adventist Worship newsletter and the author. Permission should also be secured from the author.
We welcome your feedback and ideas.
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Resources
One Plan for Easter Worship Planning
Music in the Bible
Why Do People Come to Church?