Archive for October, 2008
Worship is all around (Essentials Blue Fall 2008)
For: The Institute Of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt (ICEWS, eb 08)
When we think about worship we always get this picture of people singing in church. N.T. Wright (1) opened my eyes to see far beyond that. Worship is all around!
Every morning when I am driving my car out if the garage I see this line of birds over the house. They are really noise. I use to ask my kids: what are they talking about? Every day my kids have a different suggestion about it. They are talking about soccer or the weather or maybe they are talking about the other birds on the other side of the street.
N.T. Wright suggests us that penguins are marching and singing ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord’. The trees are waving in praise. Creation is worshiping the Creator. It is a symphony including heaven and earth. We humans are called to join
But there is a huge difference here. We are the only ones who know why to worship. We are the only ones who can choose it. . We are the only one who can avoid it – at least until the day when every knee will bow down and every tongue will confess.
Another difference is that we are the only one who can articulate worship in words. We are the ones who can creatively can express love, devotion and surrender to God.
We are worship leaders for excellence. We are co-leaders with God. We are co-regents of the symphony.
Worship is all around. Let us join it. Let us sing along. Let us articulate it through songs and all kinds of art expressions. Let lead and co-lead with God the worship that is taking place in earth as it is in heaven.
(1) N.T. Wright, “Creation Integration” video interview for The Institute Of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course
Trinity (Essentials Blue Fall 2008)
For: The Institute Of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt (ICEWS, eb 08)
‘Father almight, maker of heaven and earth:
“Set up your kingdom in our midst.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God:
Have mercy on me, a sinner.
Holy Spirit, breathe of the living God:
Renew me and all the world” (1)
The concept of Trinity was not new to me – actually is not new to anyone. That is the problem with our familiarity with the Gospel and with our Christian Faith: it looses impact.
When I read Tom Wright’s – the author of the prayer above – it gains another perspective. Trinity is not just a nice way of explaining God but it is the whole true about who He is. My eyes were opened to recognize it through all the Scripture and how it interacts with Israel history and with our history.
Earth was created to relate and to interact with heaven. That is the way God created the Universe and that is why sin – our declaration of independence – blocked true meaning to everything. But the God who is love sent Jesus to show us what means to be human and what means to live heaven in earth. He pays the price to reconnect us. The Holy Spirit comes to recreate us, to give us new life and to live within us as a guarantee of heaven here and now.
God as a We is a new old idea for me. Yes, I knew it. But it never made so much sense as now.
He is a We because there are Three Persons in His community. But he is a We also because I was invited to be part of His community. He is a We because He included me in His community in earth and with others we are dancing His dance.
That is why I was baptized in the Name – singular – of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. I was included in His world and He was in mine. He – they – came to live inside of me and I was invited to live His life.
We Word of God’s mouth came to flesh in Jesus and now the Word inhabits in me through the Holy Spirit.
I worship God because Jesus opened the way, but it is the Holy Spirit who leads me.
Jesus showed me the way to live and to serve. He gave me the example. He make the way to God. The brought the Kingdom of God to earth. But without the Holy Spirit I have nothing to say and I have nothing to give.
‘Father almight, maker of heaven and earth:
“Set up your kingdom in our midst.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God:
Have mercy on me, a sinner.
Holy Spirit, breathe of the living God:
Renew me and all the world”
(1) Tom, Wright, The Prayer Of The Trinity: New Tasks For A Renewed Church (Lond: Hodder, 1992)
The Voice (Essentials Blue Fall 08)
For: The Institute Of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt (ICEWS, eb 08)
Are you hearing it?
There is voice speaking to us. Sometimes it is loud and clear but sometimes it sounds like a distant echo.
The Voice is calling us for community. It is a challenge for us. We are disappointed with relationships. Our past experiences were not good. But at the same time we long for real and true friends. What can be different now? The Voice says that He will be part now. He does not guarantee that other will fail again but yes the says that he will use even that fails to build and to heal us. We are afraid of my own failures but the Voice says that He will teach us how to relate, how to forgive, how to speak, how to listen to. The Voice says that we can build relationships that will last forever.
The Voice is calling us for action. More than calling u He is giving us eyes and hearts to see what He sees. He will give us words and works to perform. He will lead us to places and to people we never noticed. The Voice will speak through us and together we will raise others to do the same. Actually He is calling us to connect with others that already listened to the Voice and right now are out there fighting the good fight.
The Voice is calling us for life. The world is saying that there is no hope, there is no change, there is no love. But the Voice is saying something that we somehow already heard in our own heart. Yes, there is life, real life to be lived. The Voice is saying that we can suffer and rejoice or we can gain or lose, but in the midst of any single situation we will see a river flowing from inside of our existence. The Voice is saying that this life goes beyond our understand and extends through eternity.
The Voice is calling us for creation and re-creation. It is out there. The Voice is saying look around. Everywhere. There is beauty in all Creation and there is beauty to be created. He is calling us to celebrate what already exists but also the bring to existence what he already put in our hearts.
The Voice is calling us to Himself. The Voice is calling us to create and to re-create with Him.
Are you hearing it?
