For: The Institute of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt
(NOTE: I still need to make an audio recording and figure out how to get it up on this blog. I will do this as soon as I can!)
For my project I decided to write a song based on some thoughts I had after reading articles in week 4 of this course that discussed Jesus’ resurrection. I’ve noticed that many songs I’ve heard sung in churches talk about Jesus’ crucifixion but very few mention His ministry before His death or the fact that He is now alive. However this is extremely important to the Christian faith.
In the article “Resurrection, Our Living Hope,” Peter Davids says that:
Jesus presently reigns […] and in order for this to be meaningful, Paul says, one must be committed to the fact that God raised him from the dead. No resurrection, no reign. No reign, no good news. Paul proclaimed Jesus as resurrected, living Lord as the core of his good news (cf. Acts 17:30-31)” (IW Master All, page 310).
Also, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:14 (NIV): “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.”
As I said in my blog post for week 4: “Jesus resurrection points to our bodily resurrection when God creates the new heavens and the new earth.” We’ve discussed quite a bit during the course the characteristic of God as Savior.[1] In N. T. Wright’s Simply Christian he discusses how God wants to set the world to rights and restore His Creation that He called “good”. With that in mind, I wanted to link Jesus’ resurrection with our restoration.
1 Peter 1:3 (NIV) puts it all together:
“…In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…”
[1] Dan Wilt, Essentials in Worship Theology, The Nature of God
Here are the lyrics:
Jesus is Alive
By Chelsea Nisbett
Verse:
Made lame to leap
Made blind to see
Made deaf to hear
Made dead to breathe
Made weeping cease
Made dumb to speak
Made demons flee
Made captives free
Prechorus:
Crucified for our sins
He rose again
Chorus:
Jesus is alive
He breathes in us new life
He makes all things new
Jesus is alive
He gives abundant life
He makes all things new
Bridge:
He is the resurrection and the life (x4)
Monday, August 11, 2008
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
More Thoughts on Worship (ICEWS, eb 08)
For: The Institute of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt
I enjoyed reading/hearing/watching the material for week 5 of this course and just bringing everything together. There were a few things that stood out to me:
In the article “Singing the Song of the Kingdom”, Gary Best touches on the spiritual warfare that is involved when we worship: “… it proclaims to the spiritual world our allegiance to Christ, causing rejoicing among God’s angels and trembling among Satan and his demonic forces.”[1] We talked a lot about representing God here on earth because we are made in the Imago Dei (image of God). I believe that is also true in the spiritual realm as we represent God in the battle field. Worship is a big part of putting on the “full armour of God”[2] because both worship and the “armour” involve the way we live our lives. This is no once-a-week event.
It also struck me how he said “True worship is a holistic response of our entire selves to God; it can be nothing less”.[3] We’ve been talking throughout the entire course about how worship encompasses our entire lives and that makes sense to me. What gripped me about Best’s statement was that “it can be nothing less.” What I gather from that is if it is “nothing less” it is not true worship. How many times have I half heartedly presented talents and situations in life to God and called it worship? This is very humbling.
After reading David Ruis article “Simple Devotion to Christ,” I had some thoughts about worship in relation to caring for the poor: In Matthew 25, Jesus talks about God rewarding the righteous who have served the poor. In Romans 12 we are called to be living sacrifices, giving our live completely over to God. If worship is living for God and in the end God keeps us accountable for how we treat the poor, then a large part of worship must be living a lifestyle that gives to the poor. Ruis says it well in his article: “Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 25: “Whatever you’ve done to the least of these, you’ve done to me.” I don’t know a better definition of worship than that.”[4]
I don’t think we could truly worship God without recognizing that we are in a spiritual battle, giving our whole lives over to Him, and caring for the poor.
[1] IW Master All, page 45
[2] Galatians 6:10-18
[3] IW Master All, page 46
[4] Ibid., page 25
I enjoyed reading/hearing/watching the material for week 5 of this course and just bringing everything together. There were a few things that stood out to me:
In the article “Singing the Song of the Kingdom”, Gary Best touches on the spiritual warfare that is involved when we worship: “… it proclaims to the spiritual world our allegiance to Christ, causing rejoicing among God’s angels and trembling among Satan and his demonic forces.”[1] We talked a lot about representing God here on earth because we are made in the Imago Dei (image of God). I believe that is also true in the spiritual realm as we represent God in the battle field. Worship is a big part of putting on the “full armour of God”[2] because both worship and the “armour” involve the way we live our lives. This is no once-a-week event.
It also struck me how he said “True worship is a holistic response of our entire selves to God; it can be nothing less”.[3] We’ve been talking throughout the entire course about how worship encompasses our entire lives and that makes sense to me. What gripped me about Best’s statement was that “it can be nothing less.” What I gather from that is if it is “nothing less” it is not true worship. How many times have I half heartedly presented talents and situations in life to God and called it worship? This is very humbling.
After reading David Ruis article “Simple Devotion to Christ,” I had some thoughts about worship in relation to caring for the poor: In Matthew 25, Jesus talks about God rewarding the righteous who have served the poor. In Romans 12 we are called to be living sacrifices, giving our live completely over to God. If worship is living for God and in the end God keeps us accountable for how we treat the poor, then a large part of worship must be living a lifestyle that gives to the poor. Ruis says it well in his article: “Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 25: “Whatever you’ve done to the least of these, you’ve done to me.” I don’t know a better definition of worship than that.”[4]
I don’t think we could truly worship God without recognizing that we are in a spiritual battle, giving our whole lives over to Him, and caring for the poor.
[1] IW Master All, page 45
[2] Galatians 6:10-18
[3] IW Master All, page 46
[4] Ibid., page 25
Worship Theology
What is worship?
Worship encompasses your whole life. During our course we’ve looked at what is says in Romans 12:1-2 about being a “living sacrifice”. The Message says it well:
“So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”
Honestly, I’m not sure I could say it better than that.
I love what Wright says on the topic of “Reclaiming Worship” that humans are to reflect God into Creation and then sum up the praises of Creation and present them to God[1]. I believe we do that with our lives.
What does music and creativity have to do with it?
As Dan Wilt discusses “The Nature of the Human Being,” he points out that everybody has creativity in them. Wilt says that creativity allows us to think through and wrestle with ideas and problems.[2] Creativity is being fully alive before God and doing your passion which involves your whole life, not just a couple hours on Sunday morning.
But still, why music?
As Brian Doerksen points out, it is something that we can all do together.[3] The Bible says in Psalm 98:4, “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise” (King James Version; I love the wording in this version!). Anyone can make a loud, joyful noise, from infancy right up to the days when your body is worn.
I also think music helps to express thoughts and emotions that words simply can’t express adequately. The Bible even acknowledges in Romans 8:26 that sometimes words simply aren’t enough: “… the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express” (NIV).
How does worship further the Kingdom Story in the world?
As mentioned previously, worship involves the entirety of a person and his/her life as they reflect the glory of God into the world and then gather Creation’s praises and present them back to God[4].
In Simply Christian, N. T. Wright discusses how heaven and earth “overlap and interlock in a number of different ways”[5]. God did not create the world and then leave it to its own devices; He is very present and active. He intends to make everything new and put everything right again in the world: “God does indeed intend to put the world to rights”[6].
Dan Wilt talks about the characteristic of “God as Saviour”[7]. As a result, because are made in the Imago Dei (image of God), we are “salvific storytellers”.[8]
As we reflect the glory of God into the earth we tell a story of hope to all those around us. We take part in heaven meeting earth as we display God’s love and desire for our restoration.
How should all of the above affect how we lead worship as worship leaders?
We need to be aware that leading worship means leading with your whole life, not just with the music on Sunday morning. Every Christian is themselves a worship leader in the way they represent God here on earth and then present Creation’s praises to God, and we simply help them along in the process of discovering the wonderful task God has given us in this. This task is wonderful news! We get the privilege to tell everyone about the hope that is found in Jesus Christ and participate in making God’s will happen here on earth as heaven and earth meet.
[1] Audio CD: Wright, Reclaiming Worship
[2] Audio: Wilt, Essentials in Worship Theology, The Nature of the Human Being
[3] What is Worship? DVD
[4] N. T. Wright, Reclaiming Worship
[5] N. T. Wright, Simply Christian, page 63
[6] Ibid. page 225
[7] Dan Wilt, Essentials in Worship Theology, The Nature of God (section 2)
[8] Dan Wilt, Essentials in Worship Theology, The Nature of the Human Being (section 3)
Worship encompasses your whole life. During our course we’ve looked at what is says in Romans 12:1-2 about being a “living sacrifice”. The Message says it well:
“So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”
Honestly, I’m not sure I could say it better than that.
I love what Wright says on the topic of “Reclaiming Worship” that humans are to reflect God into Creation and then sum up the praises of Creation and present them to God[1]. I believe we do that with our lives.
What does music and creativity have to do with it?
As Dan Wilt discusses “The Nature of the Human Being,” he points out that everybody has creativity in them. Wilt says that creativity allows us to think through and wrestle with ideas and problems.[2] Creativity is being fully alive before God and doing your passion which involves your whole life, not just a couple hours on Sunday morning.
But still, why music?
As Brian Doerksen points out, it is something that we can all do together.[3] The Bible says in Psalm 98:4, “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise” (King James Version; I love the wording in this version!). Anyone can make a loud, joyful noise, from infancy right up to the days when your body is worn.
I also think music helps to express thoughts and emotions that words simply can’t express adequately. The Bible even acknowledges in Romans 8:26 that sometimes words simply aren’t enough: “… the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express” (NIV).
How does worship further the Kingdom Story in the world?
As mentioned previously, worship involves the entirety of a person and his/her life as they reflect the glory of God into the world and then gather Creation’s praises and present them back to God[4].
In Simply Christian, N. T. Wright discusses how heaven and earth “overlap and interlock in a number of different ways”[5]. God did not create the world and then leave it to its own devices; He is very present and active. He intends to make everything new and put everything right again in the world: “God does indeed intend to put the world to rights”[6].
Dan Wilt talks about the characteristic of “God as Saviour”[7]. As a result, because are made in the Imago Dei (image of God), we are “salvific storytellers”.[8]
As we reflect the glory of God into the earth we tell a story of hope to all those around us. We take part in heaven meeting earth as we display God’s love and desire for our restoration.
How should all of the above affect how we lead worship as worship leaders?
We need to be aware that leading worship means leading with your whole life, not just with the music on Sunday morning. Every Christian is themselves a worship leader in the way they represent God here on earth and then present Creation’s praises to God, and we simply help them along in the process of discovering the wonderful task God has given us in this. This task is wonderful news! We get the privilege to tell everyone about the hope that is found in Jesus Christ and participate in making God’s will happen here on earth as heaven and earth meet.
[1] Audio CD: Wright, Reclaiming Worship
[2] Audio: Wilt, Essentials in Worship Theology, The Nature of the Human Being
[3] What is Worship? DVD
[4] N. T. Wright, Reclaiming Worship
[5] N. T. Wright, Simply Christian, page 63
[6] Ibid. page 225
[7] Dan Wilt, Essentials in Worship Theology, The Nature of God (section 2)
[8] Dan Wilt, Essentials in Worship Theology, The Nature of the Human Being (section 3)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
