My somewhat lengthy
reflections on the first alternative worship style gathering at Hope:
We started out our conversation about Alternative Worship
with the following questions -
What is worship?
What does worship mean to you?
What worship styles have meaning to you?
As we proceed along this journey, I invite you to reflect on
your experiences by keeping a worship journal. As we have experiences and
conversations together, a journal can be very helpful to collect your responses
and learnings. I have also included this conversation as part of my blog and
will continue to update things through that portal as well as by email from now
on. You are welcome to participate in an ongoing conversation about worship
there as well.
Calling what we are doing together a “conversation” means that
we are seeking to understand one another as well as to express our own
perspectives. As we talked, I became particularly aware of the diversity of
perspectives among those gathered as to what worship means to each person. Quite
often in established churches this conversation never progresses beyond arguing
where to put the baptismal font or what instrument is most appropriate for song
leading. My hope for all of us through this process is that we would experience
a deep unity even in the midst of our diversity; that we could come to an
experience of recognizing what worship practices have personal meaning (and why)
while maintaining an openness, appreciation, and respect for the perspectives
of others. If we can do that, we will experience a bit of what the New
Testament calls “Church” and we will do a great deal for renewing worship
within our faith community. This means, however, that we must begin with our
own internal renewal.
When I think about the theology of worship two key scripture
passages come to mind:
Mark
12: 29-31 “Jesus answered, "The first is, 'Hear, O Israel: the
Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your
heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.'
The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no
other commandment greater than these."
And Romans 12:1-2 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters,
by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and
acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be
conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so
that you may discern what is the will of God-- what is good and acceptable and
perfect.”
In the first, Jesus connects the love of God, which encompasses the
entirety of the human experience, being wholly devoted heart, soul, mind, and
body, with the experience of loving other people. Jesus seems to be
suggesting that to love God is to be so exclusively and completely devoted to
God with every aspect of one’s being that it transforms us into people who love
others as we love ourselves. In the second passage, Paul equates worship with
offering one’s very body as a “living sacrifice,” that is, one’s entire life is
to be one of worship, devotion, and service (there’s no narrowing worship to a
one-hour event in Paul’s theology). And, for Paul, this “living sacrifice” of
spiritual worship contributes to a transformation of the mind which renews the
way we perceive the world so that we are ultimately able to discern the will of
God. This transformation of the mind, however, comes through the
initial offering of one’s body, one’s whole self, to the
service of God.
So, we can add another question to our list: Have you ever experienced a
wholistic mind/body transformation such as Jesus and Paul suggest? In Christian
worship or elsewhere? What were the components that contributed to your
transformation?
Thanks for taking part in this conversation!
