Archive for Essentials Blue Fall 08
A Brief Theology Of Worship Leadership (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)
What is worship?
Worship is our response to God. God is the Creator, the God who creates. God is the King, the God who reigns. God is the Trinity, the God who relates. God is the Savior, the God who saves.
Worship is a response to who we truly are. We are subcreators, made to create. We are imagebeares, made to reflect. We are community builders, made to relate. We are salvific storytellers, made to share a story.
Worship is a response to the reality of interaction of heaven and earth. As we create, reflect, relate and tell the story we are bringing the reality of the Kingdom (heaven) to the reality of mankind (earth).
Worship is a response to the echoes of God’s voice. He is telling us that something is wrong with beauty, justice, relationship and spirituality. He is showing us who He is and who we are. He is calling us to bring heaven to the earth. He is calling us to worship him and spirit and in truth.
What does music and creativity have to do with it?
Music and creativity are the tools of our community of worship artisans.
Leading creative worship is giving language and expression of true beauty.
Leading creative worship we are calling people to value and act in justice.
Leading creative worship we are gathering and connecting the Body of Christ with God but also with each other.
Leading creative worship we are teaching and proclaiming Salvation.
How does worship further the Kingdom Story in the world?
Worship is also an invitation. The beauty of our expression connects and build bridges with our world and society. Our acts of justice our directly pointed to the ones in need and are in essence of manifestation of the Kingdom here and now. The communal nature of worship invites, includes and embraces the broken hearted. Worship expressed in songs, acts or relationships is taking the Kingdom History to the streets. As we worship we are calling people to the Kingdom and to the King.
How should all of the above affect how we lead worship as worship leaders?
As worship leaders understand the concepts above worship leading will never be the same. In one hand the selection of songs, rehearsal, singing and playing and all the specific steps of their regular role will make much more sense. But they will also understand that worship goes far beyond our services and songs.
As worship leaders understand the concepts above worship in our churches will not be the same. They will see themselves as equippers of a congregation of worship leaders on their own context. We will see our people making a real difference through their lives.
As worship leaders understand the concepts above the world and society around us will not be the same.
N.T. Wright, Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense
Dan Wilt, Essentials in Worship Theology: The Nature of Human Beings
A Christian World View (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)
ECHOES OF BEAUTY call us to God as Creator, the God who creates. Sin manifests as degeneration and we human beings, as SubCreators, are called to re-create. Our lives becomes a creative act overlapping heaven to earth until the day of new heaven and new earth arrives with Jesus return.
ECHOES OF JUSTICE calls us to God as King, the God who reigns. Sin manifests as a distortion and we human beings, as ImageBearers, are called to reflect. Our lives becomes a royal act overlapping heaven to earth until the day every tongue confess and every knee bows down with Jesus return.
ECHOES OF RELATIONSHIP calls us to God as Trinity, the God who relates. Sin manifests as independence and we human beings, as Community Builders, are called back to relationship. Our lives becomes a communal act overlapping heaven to earth until the day we will be face to face with God in eternal fellowship with people from every tongue, tribe and nation with Jesus return.
ECHOES OF SPIRITUALITY calls us to God as Savior, the God who saves. Sin manifests as death and we human beings, as Salvific Storytellers, are called to to share the Story. Our lives becomes a narrative act overlapping heaven to earth until the day we will enjoy real and eternal life with Jesus return.
N.T. Wright, Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense
Dan Wilt, Essentials in Worship Theology: The Nature of Human Beings
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)
