Right-Side-Up Worship

Participatory Worship, Purposeful Worship, Praise in Worship, Persevering Worship

By Dr. Jessica H. Jones
  

Purposeful Worship

               What is the purpose of worship?  We began our first discussion by examining our own preconceived notions of what worship should be (see  here). By now focusing that question to ascertain the purpose of worship, we immediately begin to shake off our personal preferences and motives.  I previously proposed we might all have a different answer to the question of what worship could be; my hope is that we would rather quickly offer a unified answer to the question of what the purpose of worship should be.

God establishes relationship with his people, building a history where each receives identity from the other.[1] God repeatedly says, "I am the LORD," while at the same time saying, "You will be my people."[2]  People enter into relationship with God by accepting this covenant status; it is a relationship that is built on the affirmation that God's people are "grounded in Another," with the implication to resist self-sufficiency.[3] God reveals himself and we respond as part of the dialogue that builds relationship and enables communion with him.

This revelation and response are the quintessential elements of the worship experience.[4]  Viewing worship in this dialogical way implies a relationship. Worship that flows from this relationship between God and God's people is not just Christian worship, but covenantal worship.

Every aspect of Sunday morning worship should be done as a purposeful response to the One who speaks, the One who reveals, the One who desires relationship.  What we physically do must align with what we are claiming to do.  All we do must be done so that we might decrease and he might increase (John 3:30).  In examining purposeful worship, churches might take a closer look at scripture reading, musical selection, and corporate prayer, to ascertain if the focus truly is responding to our covenantal God. 

The single greatest reason for corporate gathering is to hear the word of God among a body of believers who are offering back a worshipful response for the relationship into which they have entered.  The word of God is the golden thread running throughout a service.  It is woven into our liturgy, it should be integrated into our musical selections, we should be given opportunities to deepen our understanding of it through the sermon, and we should expect to hear the Holy Spirit's gentle whisper through the word during the service.  Nothing else in the service promises to be profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training.  The word is God-breathed and promises to make God's people complete and equipped for every good work.[5]  For this reason we must present our reading of Scripture carefully.  We must ask our teams to prepare well (2 Sam 24:24).  The words they are reading are God-breathed!  The words they are reading are life changing!  Have the teams prepare their readings as if the congregation will not have the words in front of them (even if they will), for hearing the word is very different from reading the word.[6]  The teams should prepare the readings as if they are delivering news that will change the world, as indeed it shall.  If the entire service is based on the word, then this Scripture presentation is not a preliminary event to prepare for the sermon; this presentation is the word of God.  It should be prepared for with the same enthusiasm as the musical selections or the sermon itself, if not more.

Preparing for delivering the word of God is required of our musicians as well.  Responsible stewardship and purposeful planning means choosing musical selections with texts that are theologically sound; we should choose songs that are more focused on who God is and our response to him, and less on ourselves, our needs, or our earthly feelings. Most church musicians can quote the second half of the biblical mandates for congregational singing found in Colossians 3:16 (ESV), "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God," (emphasis mine). But we must not forget the purpose clause found at the start of this verse: base your singing in the word of God! Sing these songs so that the word will dwell in you richly, so that we might teach others, so that we will hold each other accountable, so that we will recognize from whom all goodness flows.

As music should be, our liturgical prayers have been carefully formulated so that all believers can see themselves in the words, and therefore, they have shaped the belief of the Anglican Church. For some, however, liturgical prayer with its repetitive patterns runs the risk of becoming vain repetition (Matt 6:7). But repetition is only meaningless when you don't mean it.[7]  Recognizing that patterns are the necessary foundation for improvisation, and that patterns in worship allow proper immersion in theology and Scripture, it is a matter of choosing consciously to respond with an earnestness that resists the temptation to worship while on autopilot.  This can be aided by the leaders offering congregants time to respond to each prompt during the Prayers of the People.  John Witvliet, Director of the Calvin Institute for Worship, states, "There is nothing as relevant as showing up at church on Sunday morning and joining a congregation that is willing to name precisely and intercede passionately for the very problems that drove you there in the first place."[8]

Scripture shows us that God is a God of order.  By purposefully planning and considering what we will include in our liturgical acts, bearing in mind what the acts are teaching us, where they should go so as to foster a genuine response, and preparing them to be presented with excellence, we are mirroring the example God offers as his own approach.  There is no biblical basis for using the Holy Spirit as an excuse to be lazy in preparation.[9] "This is good enough...God can work through me."  Yes, he can, but are you offering him your best?  Have you prepared by listening to determine what God would have you present?  Prepare with your best and then relax, giving the Holy Spirit the freedom to move and improvise, and shine his light through you.

Our liturgical acts are theological acts of the most comprehensive, essential and fundamental kind. Our song selections, sermons, corporate prayers, even our Sunday School lessons, are part of our spiritual formation and affect our foundational understanding of purpose in life.  Serving anywhere in ministry is an awesome responsibility.

The Gospel itself is an invitation to pursue excellence (2 Sam 24:24, I Cor 14:12, Phil 3:14, I Tim 4:15).[10]  Colossians 3:17 states, "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."  So whether you serve on the worship team, read Scripture, teach Sunday School, hand out bulletins, work in the kitchen, serve on the altar guild, give the sermon, or vacuum the carpets, do it all with the purpose of giving glory to God and in response to the One who gave you life.

   _________________________________________________________

Jessica Jones is an Adjunct Professor of Worship as well as a former worship director and music educator. She received her Doctorate in Worship Studies from the Institute for Worship Studies in Orange Park, FL.  Dr. Jones resides in Jacksonville, FL with her family and can be reached at: drjessicahjones@gmail.com. "Right-Side-Up Worship" articles can be found online for future reference at: http://www.gulfatlanticdiocese.org/communique.