Christian Worship

Christian worship rests upon two principles.  The first is that God is the center of all creation.  It is one of those fundamental facts that need reiteration.  Today, it is common to move that emphasis from God to man.  We have made enormous strides in the natural sciences and swift developments in industrial organization.  We have learned a great deal about man and the world in which we live.  We have been successful in mechanical inventions and have studied human relationships and behavior.  The effect is been to concentrate our attention on humans and we assume all the solutions to human problems will be handled by human means.  Our society overlooks theology.  God has been passed by and as a result worship has fallen into neglect.  Most modern denominations expend their time and resources on humanitarian aid instead of worship.  Man has become the center of the universe in our culture.

However, occasionally we get a reminder that man’s effort to cure his own problems is unworkable and irrational.  Mechanical improvements do not create happiness.  Knowledge of right relationships is not necessarily enough to set them into motion.  Exploration of our mental attitudes continually indicates there is something deeper to be accounted for.

For all our modern progress Christianity keeps repeating that above man there is God.  Man comes from God and returns to God.  There is no rhyme, reason, logic or common sense in a creation without a Creator and the real center of all things is God.  The summary of the law tells us “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God – and thy neighbor as thyself.”  We must keep that sequence straight.  The Love of God comes first and supplies a reason for loving one’s neighbor.  Realistically, not all neighbors are that lovable.  We are dependent on God as He is the Source of all life.  Our very existence is conditional upon His will.  Without God, the universe would explode carrying human life into annihilation.

We admit God is the center of the universe.  Everything revolves around Him.  Therefore, we pay our reverential respects. 

We acknowledge His sovereignty.  We offer Him our prayers and praises.  We worship him and go to Him for guidance.  Our physical needs are met by the physical laws which He has established.  His Order allows us to exist.  He is indeed central to our lives and we cannot reasonably avoid worshipping Him.

Based on what we have covered so far, we might think regular practice of personal, private prayer on our part would be sufficient.  However, the second principle is that Christian worship is a corporate act.  As important as our personal prayer may be, it can never take the place of public worship.  Our Lord’s redemptive work is not only for individual Christians but for the Christian Society, the Church, the Family of God, the Body of Christ.  We are dependent on one another even as we are all dependent on God.  Through the Church, God mediates His spiritual blessings, and from the Church worship is to be returned to Him.  We are joined together by spiritual bonds which extend beyond death.  The community of the faithful includes us in this world and also those in Paradise.  Worship is an offering to God by the whole family.

Our corporate capabilities exceed the sum of our individual capabilities many times.  Whereas a person with a small voice might be reluctant to sing praises to God by himself, in a choir he may sing with confidence.  Corporate worship is a spiritual incentive to the individual worshipper.  We must remember, the Church is more than a voluntary organization – it is a living spiritual organism.

Any effort, involving a considerable number of persons, must be planned and ordered.  Issues have been raised between so-called “free” worship and “liturgical” worship.  There really is no such thing as “free” worship where each person operates autonomously in whatever manner he chooses.  That would not reap the benefits of corporate worship.  It is not a question of liturgy as much as it is a question of which one and what kind.

Devotional expression requires training and cultivation just like musical or literary expression.  Those gifted along devotional lines accumulated a great deal of experience and this has been preserved by the Church in the form of liturgical principles.  In effect, these liturgical principles guide good manners in our efforts before our Creator.  Some of these liturgical principles can be violated only at the cost of spiritual edification.

Corporate worship requires a time, a place and a method.  The time is ordered by our liturgical calendar.  Our Church year consists of seasons, feasts and fasts as well as regular observance of our Lord’s Day.  Every Sunday is a little resurrection.  Fasting on Friday reminds us of our Lord’s crucifixion.  The full calendar cycle recounts His life in addition to His teachings.

The place is, of course, our local parish church.  It is not an accident that our churches are built and equipped as they are.  A language of symbols speaks just as accurately as any language of words.  We beautify and embellish them to glorify God.  They create an atmosphere in which devotion is deepened in our actual worship.  The Altar is the symbol of God’s presence so nothing stands before it or impedes access to it.  The font represents the beginning of Christian life and the center aisle is the narrow way that leads from Baptism up to God.

The Bible is the guide book on our Christian way.  It is a help in our progress so it is placed on the lectern at the side of the altar.  Likewise, preaching is for instruction and encouragement so it is placed on the side as well.  Music and singing are inspirations so the choir and organ are also placed at the side.  There are three levels in the church.  The nave symbolizes life in this world.  The choir means Paradise.  The sanctuary is the fullness of God’s Presence in Heaven.  From life in this world the way advances to God, and progress is always upward.

The cross stands in the center of the altar and represents Christ.  The candles on the side remind us that Christ is the Light of the World.  Flowers symbolize the resurrection.  These tell the story of the Christ we worship.  He became the light of the world through his death and resurrection.  Our ornaments are not merely decorations.  They have a meaning.  Except for the ACA symbol in the front door, all of our stained glass windows are designed to be teaching tools.

The method is supplied by the liturgy – a form of worship evolved out of centuries of Christian devotion.  It is built upon recognized principles and accompanied by actions of definite significance.  Worship is meant to be an active experience for the worshippers as they are sharers in a common offering to God.  Thus we kneel for prayer, stand for praise, and sit for instruction.

Worship is intended to be dramatic without being theatrical.  Theatrics are showing off and frequently become artificial.  Dramatic worship performs certain outward acts as expressions of a real meaning lying behind them.  Worship is a changing, developing thing, reflecting the needs and concepts of the people in different times and places, but the basic principles remain the same.  Liturgy is literally “the people’s work,” the way in which the people of God respond to the love of God.  A lot of changes have occurred in the various expressions of God’s church.  Keeping God at the center of it is the most critical element.

The worship of the Church keeps the lines of communication constantly open between God and man.  God is always reaching out to us.  He can find us only as we respond to His invitation.  In our worship we make the responses, complete the connection, and God’s power flows through.  In the Holy Eucharist, we read scriptures, praise God and preach his Word.  We reenact the Last Supper and express our thanks before going out into the world to do His work.

Worship is the most important part of a Christian’s life.  Our ability to receive God’s grace and put into practice the precepts of Christian living depend on it.  Allowing it to degenerate into a perfunctory formalism is a dishonor to God.  It is a serious business – truly, “the people’s work.”

One needs to perfect oneself in the art of worship, never forgetting our Lord’s injunction – “they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”