Ryan Bolger's post called Emerging Worship is about Who Gets to Play confirms something I have noticed myself in worship. Lifeless worship has less to do with musical selection and more to do with the level of involvement in informing and shaping the worship (and hence participating in the worship).
Bolger states,
I remarked recently that I had attended a near lifeless traditional church. More recently, I attended a traditional service that was filled with life. What was the difference? It really came down to who got to play and who didn't.
To say my mindshare has been absorbed on worship lately is the understatement of the year. I am thinking about it constantly. If it is one thing the church cannot afford to do poorly, it is worship.
Usually the focus is on the musical selection : hymns -vs- praise songs.
I think Bolger is right that focusing on contemporary -vs- traditional is not central to whether a worship service is dead or alive. A lot of it has to do with who is invited to create and shape worship. One of the problems with the modern church is that worship is way too passive. A small select group plans the worship. The members show up and sit back and watch others perform worship. They stand up when told to, sit down when told to, listen when told to, and sing when told to. They are told to turn to page such and such in the hymnal and they follow their cues and sing along like little robots. It is passive. The community is not really involved. It becomes lifeless.
According to Bolger, one of the things the emerging church movement does well is that it invites and empowers the body of Christ to participate and create the worship service collectively. Access to worship planning is opened so that it becomes the people's worship, instead of the priest's worship.
It is not about music. It is not about traditions. It is about participation as a community of worshippers. It is about access and involvement. I think participatory worship is one take away that the traditional church can learn from the emerging church. Can this be done while preserving the orderliness of worship? Absolutely. Why not?
Your buddy David had a great post on this subject- I agree totally with him, and with your point too.
http://www.davidopderbeck.com/archives/2006/02/the_purpose_of.html
Posted by: Mike the Geologist | March 21, 2006 at 07:24
Yes, Yes, Yes!!!!
Posted by: dopderbeck | March 21, 2006 at 08:55
I have often grown up hearing about worship services, but is that what our modern churches are? Are we "in step with the spirit" and fulfilling the great commandment? Are we reaping the harvest from the Lord's harvest fields? Or are we creating an atmosphere and spiritualizing a period of time on sundays? Let our worship as christians be the fulfillment of the great commandment and commission, and I think what or how we sing on sundays will find its solutions.
Posted by: James | March 22, 2006 at 14:40
"Let our worship as christians be the fulfillment of the great commandment and commission, and I think what or how we sing on sundays will find its solutions."
I like that ... I would add the "cultural commission" to the "great commission" ... Christians ought to be transforming culture by being kingdom-minded agents extending common grace, promoting justice, and pushing back darkness in all spheres.
Posted by: Mr. Dawntreader | March 23, 2006 at 08:03
Are you Dawn Treader or Dawntreader? It's an attempt at humor I could not resist -- top of the page says Dawn Treader but your signature says Dawntreader. Nevermind, it does not deserve your response.
I wanted to share a note on worship gleaned from one of our Centurion friends who quoted William Temple:
"Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness, the nourishment of the mind with His truth, the purifying of the imagination by His beauty, the opening of the heart to His love, the surrender of the will to His purpose." This is not to diminish the worship aspect of music and community singing, but to remind me of the broader sense of worship within which music and singing take place.
Posted by: Journeyman | March 26, 2006 at 08:28
"Are you Dawn Treader or Dawntreader?"
In the immortal words of Poomba (the warthog in Disney's Lion King), "I am MR. Dawn Treader" ... but, you can call me Mr. Dawntreader too :)
I love the quote -- thanks for posting it!
Posted by: Mr. Dawntreader | March 26, 2006 at 10:54