Covenantal Corporate Worship: Part 3

OLD TESTAMENT WORSHIP (cont.)

OT worship not only emphasizes how God revealed Himself (and, thus, his plan of redemption) in history, but also details how his people were supposed to respond to His initiative. They did so by remembering, anticipating, celebrating, and serving: all of which were specifically connected with cultus of the Tabernacle and then with the Temple. The overt symbolism of the sacrificial system, the priesthood, and the feasts were means whereby Israel celebrated and renewed their covenant relationship with God symbolically.[1] Passover, in particular, models most elaborately how worship can be engaging, participatory, responsive, and revelatory. However, the sacrificial system was not only symbolic, it was also “the means by which God made it possible for a sinful people to draw near to him, to receive his grace and blessing, without desecrating his holiness and so incurring his wrath against them.”[2] In this way, OT worship enacts the drama of redemption, and typologically anticipates fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

The transfer from the Tabernacle to the Temple built in Jerusalem was foretold in the Song of Moses, immediately after the Exodus: “You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain, the place, O LORD, which you have made for your abode, the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established. The LORD will reign forever and ever” (Ex 15:17-18). While the function of the Temple remained the same as the Tabernacle, its grandeur and magnificence far exceeded the moveable tent. In Solomon’s dedication prayer (1 Kings 8), he praised God for his covenant faithfulness from Moses to his father David and recognized it as the place where God had set his name and would rule over his people and extend blessing to the nations through Israel.

The book of Psalms powerfully illustrates the centrality of Israel’s covenant with Yahweh as the foundation of their songs of praise for God’s blessing and protection as well as for God’s destruction and judgment of their enemies. Each generation was to be taught the mighty acts of God (cf. Deut 6:4-10; Psalm 78), and each generation was to engage in a lifestyle of worship (in cultic and daily practice) that reflected the grandeur of the God who graciously and miraculously saved them. Moreover, it is neither necessary, nor truthful, to deduce that OT worship ignored the importance of the heart’s engagement because it involved so much outward expression. In fact, Israel’s worship differed so strongly from the nations because it engaged the heart: "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might"(Deut 6:4). Hear God’s desire for his people to completely worship him: “O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! “(Deut 5:29). Because God extended his covenant-love (ds,x,) to Israel, he expected that they reciprocate that covenant-love back to him as well as extend it to the nations! The prophets insisted that a reformation of the heart took precedence over a reformation of ritual: cf. 1 Sam 15; Isa 1:18ff; Amos 5:21-24; Mal 1:6-14. Indeed, God’s design was for his people to reflect in their lifestyle his matchless beauty and holiness as their Redeemer King by fulfilling what was required: Micah 6:8b “and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

However, Israel did not do was required and so broke her covenant with Yahweh by committing gross acts of idolatry. The prophets’ criticisms of the Temple establishment are often worded in covenant lawsuit formulas (e.g. Isa 1) and warn the nation of impending judgment for their covenant unfaithfulness. The words of Amos solemnly describe the deplorable scenes that lead the nation into Babylonian Exile:

"I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. 22 Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. 23 Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. 24 But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. 25 "Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 26 You shall take up Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god- your images that you made for yourselves, 27 and I will send you into exile beyond Damascus," says the LORD, whose name is the God of hosts.
(Amos 5:21-27)

Not only were they guilty of idolatry, but the reason for their involvement in the Temple cult was to procure their “safety” so that they could continue breaking their covenant with Yahweh and committing evil (Jer 7:1-11)! For this reason, God destroyed the Temple and used the Babylonians to take his chosen people away into captivity. However, the exiles were promised that a day would come when Yahweh would make a New Covenant, put his Spirit within his people, and dwell in the midst of his people forever (Jer 31:31ff; Ezek 36:22-38).


Footnotes
[1] Even the form of large portions of the cannon are structured in covenant form. As Leonard notes, “The entire book of Deuteronomy, though cast as a sermon by Moses, is actually the narrative of a ceremony of renewal of the covenant. It is complete with the historical prologue (chapters 1—9, including the narrative of the Sinai events), the laws or stipulations (chapters 12—27), the pronouncement of sanctions in blessing and curse (chapters 28—29), the invocation of witnesses and the appeal to take the oath of covenant loyalty, or "choose life" (Deut. 30:19)” in “The Biblical Covenant and Christian Worship.”
[2] Peterson, 49.

Practical Suggestions for Corporate Worship

Donald Whitney has written several articles that are extremely practical called "10 Ways to Improve Your Church's Worship Service", "10 More Ways..." and "A Third 10 Ways...".

His suggestions are Bible-saturated, Christ-exalting, and Spiritually-forming. Enjoy!

Link:
Worship Articles by Donald Whitney

Covenantal Corporate Worship: Part 2.1

OLD TESTAMENT WORSHIP

In the Ancient Near East, covenants were often made by a great king (conqueror) and a lesser king, the vassal. According to these ancient treaties, the great king would promise protection and blessing to his vassal in exchange for his allegiance and obedience to the stipulations set forth in the covenant. The great king would use the resources and power of his kingdom to protect his vassal-kings from enemy kingdoms so long as they remained faithful to their covenant obligations and continued to bring the required tribute to the great king. The structure of a 2nd millennium B.C. covenant included the following: 1. Preamble (introduces king), 2. Historical Prologue (past relations reviewed), 3. Stipulations: general and specific, 4. Witnesses, 5. Sanctions: blessings and curses, and 6. Ratifying Oath Sign.

Old Testament (OT) worship is grounded in the historic, redemptive act of God: the Exodus. It is God’s paramount self-revelatory act of redemption, second only to the Incarnation. Israel’s identity as the people of God was rooted in their covenant with God, which he initiated and established though the Exodus at Sinai (Ex 20:1-20).(1) Of course, God’s self-revelation to Israel at Sinai was in continuity with his revelation to and meetings with the patriarchs, particularly his covenant with Abraham (Gen 12-15). God’s deliverance of Israel from the evil powers of Egypt marked the beginning of his covenant faithfulness to bless the nations through the multiplying of Abraham’s seed. Furthermore, the establishment of the Sinaitic Covenant signals the beginning of Old Covenant, corporate worship. It was through their cultic worship that they offered their tribute to their Deliverer-King, and the Exodus shaped and informed their liturgy. This was taught by Moses, expressed in the Psalms, and reiterated by the prophets. Therefore, OT worship originates in God acting on behalf of his people; it cannot be conjured up and defined by anyone but God. Acceptable worship, then, is Israel’s faithful response to, or continued expression of, their covenantal relationship with Yahweh that he initiated.

Robert Webber discerns from the Exodus the basic structural elements for a meeting between God and his people, most of which parallel the 2nd millennium B.C. covenant form: 1. The meeting was convened by God whereby he recounted his saving acts of the Exodus (preamble and historical prologue). 2. The people were arranged in a structure of responsibility. 3. The meeting between God and Israel was characterized by the proclamation of the Word (stipulations). 4. The people accepted the conditions of the covenant, thus signifying a subjective commitment to hear and to obey the Word (the blessing and cursing sanctions are in Lev 26 and Deut 27-28). 5. The meeting was climaxed by a dramatic symbol of ratification, a sealing of the agreement: “And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, "Behold the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words”” (Ex 24:8). (2) Afterwards, Moses and the elders, representing Israel, offered sacrifices and ate a covenantal meal before Yahweh (Ex 24:3-8, 11). “The message of the chapter is clear: Israel could draw near to God in his holiness only because of his gracious initiative and provision.” (3) This underscores the importance of the Exodus event as the epicenter of the rest of OT worship and provides a grid to examine the rest of OT as well as New Testament worship.(4) The exile from the presence of God brought about by Adam and Eve’s sin, and experienced by the patriarchs, was (beginning to be) reversed by God’s dwelling presence in the midst of his people in the Tabernacle.

Footnotes:
1. Because the primary focus of this paper deals with the corporate of the covenantal community, the primary focus is the Exodus onward. Edenic and patriarchal worship are only mentioned in brief. However, what must be emphasized is that since the Fall human beings have attempted to worship God on their own terms and by their own ability. For this reason, God revealed himself to Abraham and promised hope out of primordial history through the promise of the redemption that would come through his offspring.
2. Webber, Worship Old and New, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1991), 20-21.
3. Peterson, 30.
4. Other significant covenants and covenant structures include: Adamic covenant (Gen 1-2); Noahic covenant (Gen 9:11-17); Abrahamic covenant (Gen 15:18); Davidic covenant (2 Sam 7:11); and the New Covenant (Jer 31:31).

Covenantal Corporate Worship: Part 2.0

A BIBLICAL THEOLOGY OF CORPORATE WORSHIP

Although the word “worship” occurs in the English Bible, the true meaning of the word cannot be described by the findings of a word study. Even a conceptual study that merely looks at one or a few particular contexts will not accurately portray the grand theme of worship. Thus a biblical theology of worship becomes necessary not only to correct the pragmatic and anthropocentric tendencies of our day, but also to provide a definition that accounts for the relationship that exists between God and his people and the manner in which we ought to worship him. While it may be disputed if there is genuinely one central theme of the Bible, many scholars have noted and proposed the concept of “covenant” as the unifying theme and heart of biblical theology. Richard C. Leonard provides an excellent summary of the significance of “covenant” in biblical theology:

"When you stop to think about it, Scripture came into being as the expression of the relationship between God and his people. To use the formula that occurs repeatedly in Scripture, "I will be their God, and they shall be My people" (Lev. 26:12; Jer. 31:33; Ezek. 37:27, etc.). The Bible typically portrays this relationship in terms of the covenant or its theological equivalents: the kingdom of God, the family of God, new life through membership in the Son of God. All issues and concerns raised in Scripture have their place within the ebb and flow of the covenant relationship between the Lord and those who have pledged their loyalty to him in worship and obedience. In this sense, covenant is the air we breathe in Scripture. Even where the concept of the covenant recedes into the background, it still supplies the framework and the thematic material for understanding all parts of the Old and New Testaments. In particular, it has profound implications for Christian worship." (1)


Although worship has been defined in many ways, it is ultimately the expression of our relationship with God, who said “I will be their God, and they will be my people.” (2) This sort of relationship is fundamentally covenantal. Because our worship always says something about who God is and who we are as his people our definition ought to communicate this covenantal relationship. Therefore, David Peterson’s definition of worship is most helpful: “Worship of the living and true God is essentially an engagement with him on the terms that he proposes and in the way that he alone makes possible.” (3)

The following examines the formation of the covenantal communities of the Old and New Testaments with particular attention to their corporate worship. Then, in view of the fulfillment and escalation of redemptive history in the person and work of Jesus Christ, an organizing principle/atonement theory for corporate worship will be suggested.

Footnotes:
1. Richard C. Leonard, “The Biblical Covenant and Christian Worship.” [n.p.] Online: http://www.laudemont.org/a-bcacw.htm. This is an online version of the article previously printed in Reformation and Revival Journal Vol 2, Number 2, Spring 1993.
2. Leonard, “The Biblical Covenant and Christian Worship.”
3. Peterson, 20 (italics original).

Covenantal Corporate Worship: Part 1

INTRODUCTION
Talking about worship is dangerous. Indeed, the first murder in human history took place between two brothers in a disagreement over worship! Though they did not know it, Cain and Abel’s quarrel sparked a question that would be asked down through the ages, “What is proper worship?” For two millennia, the church has defined and defended the orthodoxy of its doctrine and worship practices at great costs. Councils have convened, heretics have been warned and even executed, and countless denominations have arisen: all for the purpose of seeking and maintaining the purity of worship. Today, the debate continues in the so-called “worship wars.” Sadly, however, the debate is seldom over biblical doctrine, but over personal preference. Too many churches have split and many more experience unresolved conflict over whether the worship service ought to be “traditional” or “contemporary.” True worship is currently being defined by whether or not a church uses hymns or praise and worship songs, hymnals or PowerPoint, whether the service is “blended” or offers a variety of “worship” styles.(1) That “worship” has become an adjective further speaks of the decline from a biblical understanding. What emerges is a confused, individualistic, and experiential understanding of the meaning and function of the corporate worship of the church.

In his book, Engaging with God: A Biblical Theology of Worship, David Peterson prescribes the necessary remedy: “Vitality and meaning will not be restored to Christian gatherings until those who lead and those who participate can recover a biblical perspective on their meetings, seeing them in relation to God’s total plan and purpose for his people.”(2) The goal of this study is to put Peterson’s suggestion into practice by exploring why and how the Christian church ought to gather for corporate worship in view of God’s plan and purpose for his people as understood within the drama of redemptive history. Why the Christian church gathers for corporate worship will be answered by exploring the biblical-theological foundation for the community worship. How the Christian church gathers for corporate worship will be answered by offering pastoral considerations for such corporate worship in view of biblical-theology and historic precedents.

Footnotes:
1. Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church offers 5 additional “worship venues” in addition to their main service and Spanish service because “not everyone has the same taste in worship styles.” These venues include Praise (gospel choir), OverDrive (Rock’n Roll), Ohana (Island style), Elevation (for singles) and Passion (intimate and younger). Saddleback Church, "Worship." n.p. [cited April 12, 2005]. Online: http://www.saddleback.com/flash/venues.html.

2. David Peterson, Engaging with God: A Biblical Theology of Worship (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 21. No other book has shaped my understanding of biblical theology in general (and my biblical theology of worship in specific) than this. In many ways, this study is a summary of my reflections on his work, and I am completely indebted to him

Weekly Series: Covenantal Corporate Worship

If you ever visit this blog, you probably know that I talk a lot about worship. It's not so much a soapbox as it is a response to the fact that we humans have been created for worship. Worship is the primary matter of the universe, and life is a battle for worship. For the next few months (?), I'll be doing a weekly series called "Covenantal Corporate Worship" where we'll explore two major questions: 1. Since all of life is supposed to be worship, WHY should we still gather for corporate worship? 2. And if we are supposed to gather for worship, then HOW should we?

I've learned a lot from further reflection, study, and experience since I wrote this, so its far from being any "final word." Tell me what you think!

Richard Baxter and "Lord I Lift Your Name on High"

As I was reading Reggie Kidd's With One Voice, I came across a wonderful quote that gave me a renewed appreciation for the nearly sung-to-death "Lord I Lift Your Name on High." It comes from: The Saint's Everlasting Rest by Richard Baxter. I wonder if Rick Founds was reading Baxter when he wrote the song? This week we will be introducing the song with the quotation below. Baxter captures what the weight of what Scripture means when it says that "we love, because God first loved us" (1 John 4:19).

Christian, believe this, and think on it: thou shalt be eternally embraced in the arms of that love which was from everlasting, and, will extend to everlasting; of that love which brought the Son of God’s love from heaven to earth, from earth to the cross, from the cross to the grave, from the grave to glory; that love which was weary, hungry, tempted, scorned, scourged, buffeted, spit upon, crucified, pierced; which did fast, pray, teach, heal, weep, sweat, bleed, die; that love will eternally embrace thee.... Know this, believer, to thy everlasting comfort, if those arms have once embraced thee, neither sin nor hell can get thee thence for ever.

Link:The Saint's Everlasting Rest

Further Up & Further In Music

Last week while I was at the Bethlehem Baptist Pastor's Conference, I heard a great song, "Only Jesus" written by Marc Heinrich. The song is available on Marc's website (along with many others) in mp3 as well and lead sheet. I've just begun to plumb the depths of some incredibly profound and stirring songs. Be sure to check it out.

"Only Jesus"
By Marc Heinrich

When the trial comes
And all hope seems lost
I will find my strength
In the mighty cross

Chorus 1
Only there
Only Jesus
Only there can I cast my burdens down
Only Him
Only Jesus
Only there is joy in sorrow found

Verse 2
If my love grows cold
And my faith feels lost
I will find my heart
In the healing cross

Link:Further Up & Further In Music

Birch Flooring

Have You Heard Mark Heard?

There are few musicians who have spoken so loudly to me as Mark Heard. He spoke almost like a prophet, in lyrics that were "often haunting and rarely ordinary."

Listen to how Heard defined his "mission" in the liner notes of his 1983 album, Eye of the Storm: "I prefer to see myself as a writer who is a Christian, and I prefer to let my faith flavor my observations rather than dictate them. I prefer for my pen to act as a nerve receptor and write about the world - the real one - that exists outside society's and Christian society's simplistic, plastic, media-fed notions of what life is and what is important....I prefer not to excommunicate myself from either the 'secular' world or the church, in favor of attempting to write in a way that is communicative to both but calculated towards neither."


His album High Noon ends with the song "Treasure of the Broken Land", a song he wrote after watching his father be slowly and painfully overtaken by death. Its a gripping song that is drenched with heartache and hope.

Treasure Of The Broken Land

I see you now and then in dreams
Your voice sounds just like it used to
I know you better than I knew you then
All I can say is I love you

I thought our days were commonplace
Thought they would number in millions
Now there's only the aftertaste
Of circumstance that can't pass this way again

Treasure of the broken land
Parched earth, give up your captive ones
Waiting wind of Gabriel
Blow soon upon the hollow bones

I saw the city at its tortured worst
And you were outside the walls there
You were relieved of a lifelong thirst
I was dry at the fountain

I knew that you could see my shame
But you were eyeless and sparing
I awoke when you called my name
I felt the curtain tearing

Treasure of the broken land
Parched earth give up your captive ones
Waiting wind of Gabriel
Blow soon upon the hollow bones

I can melt the clock hands down
But only in my memory
Nobody gets the second chance to be the friend they meant to be

I see you now and then in dreams
Your voice sounds just like it used to
I believe I will hear it again
God how I love you

Treasure of the broken land
Parched earth give up your captive ones
Waiting wind of Gabriel
Blow soon upon the hollow bones

Written by Mark Heard © 1992 Ideola Music/ASCAP

Link: Mark Heard Tribute Project

Justice vs. Charity

Bono's address as the innaugural winner of the TED (Technology Entertainment Design) prize pushed me over the edge, kicked me around the block, left me black and blue. How on earth can I say I'm a follower of Jesus Christ and not be about a life of gospel justice?! Read and weep.

Six and a half thousand Africans dying every single day from AIDS, a preventable, treatable disease, for lack of drugs we can get in any pharmacy. That's not a cause. That's an emergency. Eleven million AIDS orphans in Africa, 20 million by the end of the decade. That's not a cause. That's an emergency. Today, every day, 9,000 more Africans will catch HIV because of stigmatization and lack of education. That's not a cause. That's an emergency. So what we're talking about here is human rights - the right to live like a human. The right to live period. What we're facing in Africa is an unprecedented threat to human dignity and equality.

The next thing I'd like to be clear about is what this problem is and what this problem isn't, because this is not all about charity. This is about justice. Really, this is not about charity. This is about justice. That's right. And that's too bad, because we're very good at charity. Americans, like Irish people, are good at it. Even the poorest neighborhoods give more than they can afford. We like to give, and we give a lot. Look at the response to the tsunami. It's inspiring.

But justice is a tougher standard than charity. You see, Africa makes a fool of our idea of justice. It makes a farce of our idea of equality. It mocks our pieties. It doubts our concern. It questions our commitment. Because there's no way we can look at what's happening in Africa and, if we're honest, conclude that it would ever be allowed to happen anywhere else. As you heard in the film, anywhere else, not here, not here, not in America, not in Europe. In fact a head of state that you're all familiar with admitted this to me, and it's really true. There is no chance this kind of hemorrhaging of human life would be accepted anywhere else other than Africa.

Link: Full Transcript

"We're in the same tale still!"

I never read Tolkien as a kid. My sister did though. I remember seeing The Hobbit on her bedroom floor once and noticing the dragon on the cover I asked her about it. She said something to the effect that it was a challenging read that I might be someday worthy of. Needless to say, I put off J.R.R.T until the Fellowship of the Ring hit the theatres. I watched the movie and wast totally gripped. Within a week I got my hands on the original sources. Immediately, my wife, Heidi, and I read through The Lord of the Rings, aloud together. It was a blast! Almost every night, we'd spend an hour or two (sometimes even more!) caught up in the drama, wondering what would happen next.

Our journeys into Middle Earth continued for months. One day, I became big-time convicted that I was more captivated by the drama of Tolkien than the drama of Scripture. In an amazing way, reading Tolkien introduced me to the significance of Biblical Theology. As great as it was (and continues to be) to travel alongside of Frodo throughout Middle Earth, it is earth-shattering to realize that I have a role in the Drama of Scripture. I, too am caught up in a epic drama of God's Creation, Humanity's Rebellion, and the Messiah's Redemption. The story Frodo and Sam found themselves in didn't begin at Biblo's one hundred and eleventieth birthday party. It goes way back to Illuvatar's creation of Arda (earth), the rebellion of Melkor, the arrival of elves and men, the forging of the Silmaril jewels and the wars that ensued. The complexity and unity of the Tolkien's story helped reveal the amazing story that Scripture describes.

The following quote describes the "Aha!" moment I experienced several years ago, when, like Samwise Gamgee, it dawned on me that I belong to a much larger story than I ever imagined.

‘I don’t like anything here at all,’ said Frodo, ‘step or stone, breath or bone. Earth, air and water all seem accursed. But so our path is laid.’

‘Yes, that’s so, said Sam. ‘And we shouldn’t be here at all, if we’d known more about it before we started. But I suppose it’s often that way. The brave things in the old tales and songs, Mr. Frodo: adventures, as I used to call them. I used to think that they were things the wonderful folk of the stories went out and looked for, because they wanted them, because they were exciting and life was a bit dull, akind of a sport as you might say. But that’s not the way of it with the tales that really mattered, or the ones that stay in the mind. Folk seem to have been just landed in them, usually—their paths were laid that way, as you put it. But I expect they had lots of chances, like us, of turning back, only they didn’t. And if they had, we shouldn’t know, because they’d have been forgotten. We hear about those as just went on—and not all to a good end, mind you; at least not to what folk inside a story and not outside it call a good end. You know, coming home, and finding things all right, though not quite the same—like old Mr. Bilbo. But those aren’t always the best tales to hear, though they may be the best tales to get landed in! I wonder what sort of a tale we’ve fallen into?’

‘I wonder,’ said Frodo. ‘But I don’t know. And that’s the way of a real tale. Take anyone that you’re fond of. You may know, or guess, what kind of a tale it is, happy-ending or sad-ending, but the people in it don’t know. And you don’t want them to.’

‘No, sir, of course not. Beren now, he never thought he was going to get that Silmaril form the Iron Crown in Thangorodrim, and yet he did, and that was a worse place and a blacker danger than ours. But that’s a long tale of course, and goes on past the happiness and into grief and beyond it—and the Silmaril went on and came to Earendil. And why, sir, I never thought of that before! We’ve got—you’ve got some of the light of it in that star-glass that the Lady gave you! Why to think of it, we’re in the same tale still! It’s going on. Don’t the greatest tales never end?’

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings 50th Anniversary Edition (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2004), p. 711-712.

Singing with Jesus

Yesterday, I started reading a fantastic new book, With One Voice, by Reggie Kidd. Mr. Kidd unpacks a theology of Song that is rooted in biblical theology, supported by rigorous exegesis, and communicated in reverent playfullness. I'm only on p. 54, but I totally resonnate with the author's premise: the missing element in both our corporate and private worship (i.e. our life!) is that we don't factor in the role of the Singing Savior. "For the Bible says that in the church Jesus is singing hymns to the Father (Heb. 2:12) and that, in fact, he is our Worship Leader (Heb. 8:2)" (p. 21). This is liberating stuff. I mean, how many times do we throw it all on ourselves to conjur up the right feelings of devotion, praise, passion, and repentance towards God? Or maybe we think it's the so-called "worship-leader's" job to get us excited about singing so that we can really "worship" God. This is not only self-defeating, but it gospel-defeating. Jesus has not only died for us, he lives for us, he intercedes for us, he SINGS for us! Check out this quote:

Here in a nutshell is the entire glorious mystery of the New Testament. By virtue of his resurrection, Jesus is alive in such a way that he can be both “with us” and “for us.” Simultaneously he is “in the midst of the assembly” and in the heavenly Jerusalem ever interceding for us. A permanent Singer has been installed. From one perspective, he sings with us in the church; from another he intercedes for us in heaven. When the church gathers in worship, earth and heaven converge. When we sing we are not singing by ourselves. There is a higher song going on above ours and a deeper song going on beneath ours.

Reggie Kidd, With One Voice: Discovering Christ's Song in Our Worship (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2005) p. 115.

The author also has a website with lots of helpful resources on worship, biblical studies, music, and a blog.

Link:Reggie Kidd

Raising Ebenezer

Here's a great excerpt of an article by Dr. Gary Parrett (of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) tackling the issue of should we modernize hymn texts. Here's part of what he has to say...

"One of my mini-crusades recently has been trying to help raise Ebenezer. I seize every opportunity to publicly lament modern revisions of that beloved hymn, "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing," written by Robert Robinson in 1758. The revisions all seem to agree on deleting "Ebenezer" from the hymn's second verse, which begins, "Here I raise mine Ebenezer." Some of the "improvements" offered through the years include: "Hitherto thy love has blest me," "Here by grace your love has brought me," and "Here I raise to thee an altar."

Why protest such efforts to make the great hymn's message more accessible to very-likely-to-miss-the-point worshipers today? After all, the word Ebenezer likely calls to mind that old curmudgeon Ebenezer Scrooge.

But protest I must, for several reasons. First, I protest on artistic grounds. As a hymn writer myself, I imagine Robinson felt he had found just the right expression to say what needed to be said. His phrasing, in this case, was succinct, biblical, pointed, poignant, and poetic: "Here I raise mine Ebenezer."

Second, the revisions are, at best, inconsistent attempts to be culturally relevant. How can the revisers leave in words like hither and fetter, as they typically do, while Ebenezer is heartlessly expunged?

Third, I protest on biblical grounds. Robinson's choice of Ebenezer (which means "stone of help") is a reference to 1 Samuel 7:12. After the Lord had given a great victory to Israel, "Samuel took a stone and … named it Ebenezer, saying, 'Thus far has the Lord helped us.' "

This single word ushers the worshiper into both the biblical episode and the greater narrative of God's redemptive dealings with his people. It points us, also, to Robinson's dramatic conversion three years before he penned the hymn, inviting us to reflect upon our own stories and to remember God's faithful dealings with us. By removing the word from the hymn, we likely remove it from believers'vocabularies and from our treasury of spiritual resources.

Finally, I protest as a Christian educator. What we have in such revisions is the worst sort of accommodation, even contribution, to biblical illiteracy. Our faith is filled with names and terms that were unfamiliar to us when we joined the family—atonement, propitiation, Sabbath, Passover, Melchizedek. What are we to do with such terms? We teach! How difficult would it be to simply explain the reference to Ebenezer?"

Entire Article: "Raising Ebenezer: We are misguided when we modernize hymn texts"

Looks good from here

The outside of our house is nearly finished. I'm quite pleased that it looks as good in reality as it did on paper. With the larger windows, crown molding and wide corner pieces we were hoping for an antique colonial look. I think it passes! Everything is primed inside. Kitchen cabinets go in this week. Tile and hardwood next week. Hope to move in mid February.

The value of corporate worship

One of the most influential courses that I took in seminary was a class by Dr. Gary Parrett called "Worship and Christian Formation." It was in this class that I began to understand the connection between our-life-of-worship and corporate worship. He said,

"Individual worship and congregational worship inform and strengthen one another."

This was so profound to me then because there's a lot of talk these days about how worship is not what we do on Sunday, but how we live our lives for God every day. To that I raise a hearty "AMEN!" But to emphasize that "our whole life is worship" to the exclusion of "corporate worship" is wrong. Not only is it wrong, but it is suicidal to our ministry to each other and our mission to the world.

I am convinced that God's total plan and purpose for his people includes a rhythm of the church gathering for edification (corporate worship) and scattering for mission (individual worship). One without the other creates a lopsided church. So on one hand we must remind each other that worship doesn't begin and end on Sunday morning, and on the other hand we must encourage each other that our total life-response to God throughout the week includes the Christian gathering.

My goal in shepherding WBC is that we see our entire lives in relation to God's total plan and purpose for his people. One of the ways to do this is to re-capture why we gather for corporate worship and how that affects our life of worship throughout the week. We gather to remind each other of the promises and character of God so that we might faithfully serve him throughout the week.

All of the elements of corporate worship (responsive readings, music, the Scripture reading, affirmation of faith, the sermon, testimony, the Lord's Supper, words of commission, etc.) are planned to reinforce the good news that Jesus is King. Why is this important? Because when we leave our time of gathered worship, the gospel is called into question almost immediately by the world around us and our deceitful hearts within us. Whether it be the pressure of persecution or the lure of seduction, our exclusive loyalty to God will be called into question. Thankfully, corporate worship is God's provision for his covenant people to remain faithful to him and to each other.

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Hebrews 10:24-25

A low-tech virtual tour

Kitchen view #1

Kitchen view #2

Our cozy living room

Yet another living room view

The den/study/home office/some-day formal dining room

Going upstairs

Master bedroom

Bedroom #2

Bedroom #3

Going back downstairs

The Passing of Uncle Robert

This weekend my family and I celebrated the life and mourned the death of my Uncle Robert. The Staples family gave me the great responsibility of co-leading the funeral service with another local pastor. I wrote the eulogy and sang both "It is Well with My Soul" and "On Jordan's Stormy Banks." I was overwhelmed through the whole process. Ever try singing at a funeral of a dearly loved one? I believe God strengthened me to be able to comfort the family and also challenge them to re-evaluate their love towards each other and their love for God.

Uncle Robert was a special man and I had the huge privilege of spending lots of time with him when I was a young child. My mother was his legal guardian after my grandfather passed away because Robert was born mentally retarded. I never met my grandfather, but my mom says I caught glimpses in Uncle Robert's sense of humor and generosity towards others. Even when I was a teenager he'd come to visit my family even though we had moved to Maine. We'd go for rides in the "Maine Woods" looking for moose. For years, when he'd call on Thurdsay nights, he'd always check to see if we'd seen any moose lately! He loved matchbox cars, remote controlled trucks, real Jeeps, and anything that would go through mud! It's not too often that your grown Uncle would be as passionate as you in the toy aisle! But that is what made him special--he never lost his childlike nature. You couldn't help but laugh if you were around him. You'd even forget, if only for a minute, all those things nagging for your attention and sapping you of joy. Without us even knowing it, Uncle Robert taught us how to love and how God intends for our joy to increase as we truly love one another.

Through the looking glass: we have windows!

Are you going to church on Christmas?

This year, Christmas falls on a Sunday. Talk about bad timing! That is if you regularly gather with Christians to worship on Sundays. So what's your church doing this year? Will you have a service next week, Sunday December 25? Or would that be a terrible idea? Think about it: taking time out of Christmas morning with your family to celebrate the birth of Creator-Redeemer Jesus, the Messiah?! I can tell you, that it was mostly a no-brainer for my fellow pastor and me to decide that we would definitely call the church together for a Christmas celebration. I was actually surprised that this would be a problem, even some of my family was shocked that our church would not cancel at least the Christmas or New Year's service.

Apparently, at least one megachurch as decided "that organizing services on a Christmas Sunday would not be the most effective use of staff and volunteer resources." (Check out the whole article online: Some Megachurches Closing for Christmas. )

That's pretty sad if you ask me. Don't get me wrong, if you know me well, you know that I believe that worship does not begin and end on Sunday. Corporate worship is a small part of our whole life of worship. So there's nothing "magical" about going to church on Christmas day. You won't turn into a "super-Christian." You will however have an opportunity to tangibly re-connect to why we supposedly celebrate Christmas!

I'm curious to find out what your church is doing this Christmas, and if you do meet for gathered worship, let me know how it went. What a blessing we have this year to celebrate Jesus' birth and anticipate his return.

Merry Christmas and Maranatha!