The Art of Worshipping God

Here is the opening,

My highest goal in worship planning is that our worship at Grandview proclaim God’s greatness … while reflecting our gifts from God. This goal can be difficult road to travel, causing disappointment on many sides. Some folks prefer worship to reflect the gifts and tastes of previous generations, without taking our own gifts into account. Other folks prefer the “new” church, which winds up being a somewhat generic, church-in-a-box, nothing-but-beat, just-do-what-the-cool-church-does model that ignores as much of the past as possible.

Lost in the discussion, from my standpoint anyway, is that worship is an offering of ourselves. Ourselves. Not just yourself. Not just myself. Not just the selves of those who have come before, though we walk on their shoulders (not stand, not sit).

My goal is to avoid cookie-cutter worship, be it ancient or post-modern. Those categories aren’t theologically wrong, especially if we’re doing our best. I want to avoid cookie-cutter worship because it is like ordering gift cake from a catalog. It may be a very good cake, but if you have the talent to bake one for your friends or family then homemade is a greater gift.

Good stuff huh!

I find myself confronted by this text on many levels.  The first is personal.  Am I still coming to worship to offer a gift to God with others.  Because I am offering a gift it should reflect who I am in light of God.  Because I am offering it with others, it should reflect my communal act with them, in relationship with those around me. Because we are offering it to God ,our worship should reflect the fullest expression of who we believe God to be.

I am especially inspired by his reminder that we must not just copy a worship idea or style just because it works somewhere else.  Worship should be our gift to God.  God doesn’t care about worship fads.  It truly is the thought that counts. So read his post, and let me know what you think.  How will this change how you worship?  How might it change how we worship?

on the walk

-Ethan

Ps. The One Month to Live Series will continue next week.

Dr. Nathan Finn on Church Membership

on the walk

-Ethan

Here is a recent post on the importance of letting our scars be ugly. I will quote best paragraph but you can follow this link for the whole thing.

Here is the best part:

Have you ever thought about what type of party the father threw the prodigal son in Luke 15?

I didn’t until last night. I didn’t see the implications for you and me until I thought about shining my own scars. But you know what the prodigal son gets when he comes home? A welcome home party. The father doesn’t throw him a “you never left” party. He doesn’t call the servants excitedly to get things ready for the “everything is fine” party. Not at all, he makes a point of saying, “Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’

He says that twice. Once to the servants and once to the older brother. The father got it. The reason to celebrate was not that things were perfect. It was that the son had been lost, voluntarily so, and was now found. He had been willingly dead by leaving but was now alive. The fact that he had blown it, the fact that the son had broken his life was not a source of shame, it was a cause to celebrate. The gross of being lost and dead was part of what made the reality of being found and alive so bright and true and undeniable.

Amen and Amen,

on the walk

-Ethan

Ps. Once you are there, be sure to hang around and explore the funny.

Are we putting up unnecessary obstacles to the welcome of Jesus to all people however weary and heavy laden?

on the walk

-Ethan

If you are at all intrigued by the conversations surrounding the “Intelligent Design” community I recommend this fine article by Loren Haarmsa.

I leave for vacation soon so posting may be spotty for a week or so.

on the walk

-Ethan

Check him out for yourself.

on the walk

-Ethan

on the walk

-Ethan

Bart Ehrman: How the Problem of Pain Ruined My Faith

N.T. Wright: God’s Plan to Rescue Us

Bart Ehrman: What About the Actual Suffering?

N.T. Wright: What it Looks Like When God Runs the World

Bart Ehrman: God’s Kingdom Has Not Come

N.T. Wright: The Bible Does Answer the Problem–Here’s How

It may raise more questions than it answers for you, but it is an important conversation and it would be hard to find two better people on whom to eavesdrop.

on the walk

-Ethan

on the walk

-Ethan

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YTYaRFYKo4[/youtube]

In his story it was the serendipity of life that led to this astounding relationship. I often feel the same way about my life. None of my plans for life have worked out. I am not doing what I planned to be doing, 20 years ago, or 15 years ago or 10 or 5. I have been making some plans lately that just encountered a major roadblock. And yet, in every place, in every moment there was plenty of God’s work for me to do.

Fuller says that “a planned life can only be endured,” but with a little trust a life of surprises can be a wonderful thing.

Are there any failed plans that you are celebrating today?

on the walk

-Ethan