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