Comments on: Seriousness, Culture, and Worship

By: Rex

Rex — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:42:54 +0000

Dale, mentions doing the wave. I do think we need to consider our context. What might be appropriate in one worship setting (celebrating God’s work in foreign missions -jubalent praise, standing, verbal expressions of “Praise the Lord”) would not be appropriate in a worship context of lament (many funeral include such worship contexts).

Second, 1 Corinthians 11-14 reminds us that just because we can hypothetically do something in worship does not mean it is acceptable. We must ask what are our motives, what is our purpose, etc…? If our motive and purpose is self-centered, our action will always be wrong. We do want to avoid being offensive (and I realize that there are some Christians who will claim anything they do not like is “offensive”). But I honestly believe that if every Christian comes to worship God and not worry about how the person next to them expresses such worship, there would be very little trouble. In my experience, the problem starts when one person start worrying to much (and trying to control) how the other worships rather than just worshiping themselves.

Rex

By: Dale Sadler

Dale Sadler — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:42:56 +0000

Matthew refers to the 1 Corinthians 14:40 passage that says, “But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner.” A friend of mine brought up a great point on this verse. [How proper and orderly is it when we get our songs together five minutes before the service, and the man leading the prayer has had no time to reflect on what he is to say when he's randomly picked?] I think we use the above passage to keep things subdued. This is unfortunate. “We don’t need to get too excited and anything that looks fun must be wrong” seems to be the sentiment. I think our services should be reflective and with a large degree of meditation. I can’t do this if I’m doing the wave (to continue the sports reference). So, in our conquest to be spiritually serious, let us not forget to also add depth to our worship.

By: Tony

Tony — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:32:14 +0000

BTW, I was not trying to imply David had a deaf audience. I meant singing, not signing. Dyslexic typing.

I thought John Alan Turner raised an interesting point.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:49:04 +0000

Great point Guy.

By: John Alan Turner

John Alan Turner — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:25:42 +0000

when you go to a sporting event, it’s clear what the objective is: we want to beat the other team as badly as possible. that clarity allows people to know what to cheer for and/or against.

but we’re not as clear when we come to church gatherings. what exactly are we trying to accomplish here? what does “winning” look like? how do i know when it’s okay to cheer?

By: Guy

Guy — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:53:05 +0000

are seriousness and expressiveness necessarily incompatible? i’m just thinking of scenes like in revelation where those in God’s presence seemed quite serious and solemn but were by no means lacking expressiveness.

By: Tony

Tony — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:24:49 +0000

Rex makes a great point. I have always thought that if we lived out our passion, openly for Christ as much as we do for our sports allegiances, the Kindgom of God on earth would have come a long time ago.

Your post reminds me of the story of David being criticised for dancing and signing with great joy and celebration.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:16:13 +0000

Do not worry, I cannot sing and have no beat. Rex, I also like to wave my hat around at the opposing teams fans. I might not try this at worship though, you know waving my bible around at the non-Christians.

By: Alan Bell

Alan Bell — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:52:43 +0000

As we were discussing 1 Timothy 1:4 Wednesday night, we talked about a number of things “which minister questions” rather than edifying ones faith in a Godly manner. Most of the things mentioned would be considered opinion(example-could we break up into small table groups and have dialogue with one another during a celebration of the Lords Supper). This would cause much trouble in many congregations. I’m afraid too many times we let opinion and tradition define our service and worship to God. But as you mentioned in an earlier blog(Mayberry) change can be tough. The “we’ve always done it this way” kicks in and then it becomes a struggle.
Check out Trey Morgan’s sons suggestion for improving his sermons>
http://www.treymorgan.net/2008/07/disco-preaching.html. Don’t think we’ll try this on at Waynesboro.

By: Rex

Rex — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:17:21 +0000

There is more genuine worship expressed at a sports game then in most churches. At those sport venues we pour out the true expressions of our heart by praising the team when they do well and expressing our disappointment when things are not going well. Such expressions include standing, cheering, clapping, jumping, awing, etc… This praise is the true expression of our heart and it is acceptable in such venues because no one has craftily and misguidingly created a few unwritten rules (misinterpretation of scripture) to tell people that such expressions cannot take place. I long for the day when Christians will feel free in worship to God to offer the expression that is truly on their heart. I long for the day when all of the man-made rules that have been imposed are thrown out the window. I long for the day when God will receive more genuine praise than the Chicago Cubs (or whatever your favorite sports team is).

Rex