Developing a sound theology of worship

1. Developing a sound theology of worship Shallow streams or deep rivers of life?  By Dr Dion Forster Equipping all people for the Ministry of Healing and Transformation

2. A Theology of worship… "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship God in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers God seeks. God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:23-24

3. A Theology of worship… What do we hope to achieve? • An understanding of different definitions of worship. • Misunderstandings about Christian Worship. • Some necessary elements for a sound theology of worship. • A simple method of theological reflection.

4. What is true Christian Worship? Please could you write a brief definition of your understanding of Christian worship.

5. What is true Christian Worship? A few definitions… Every definition is dangerous. Desiderius Erasmus

6. What is true Christian Worship? Two definitions… • Worship is a way of seeing the world in the light of God. - Abraham Joshua Heschel • Worship is the response of the creature to the Eternal - Evelyn Underhill

7. What is true Christian Worship? • Worship is love one it’s knees. • Mission is love on it’s feet.

8. What does the Bible say? • Two basic ideas, surrender and sacrifice. • The verb ‘worship’ [barak] in Hebrew means to surrender, to fall down in submission. It is the way one humbles one’s self before a mighty King (Ps. 95:6) • Paul says that worship is the offering of our whole ‘body’ [somata - the complete person] as a sacrifice (Romans 12:1)

9. Why do we worship? • Why do we worship? God is looking for worshipers! (Luke 19:40). • God desires to manifest God’s self TO worshippers, and THROUGH worshippers! (II Chronicles 16:9, John 4:23-24, Psalm 95:6). • When we worship, we minister to the Lord (Ezekiel 44:15-16, I Peter 2:9). • As we worship, we draw near to God, the source of all life, and God draws near to us (Hebrews 10:19-25, James 4:8) • Worship leads to a true response to God’s presence (Luke 19:35-40).

10. Please list some misunderstandings of worship. • Worship is rubbing God’s ego. • Worship is about creating a fuzzy feeling in God’s presence. • Worship is about a particular place, situation, or context. • True worship only has one expression (God’s taste is my taste)

11. So, why did God send Jesus among us? Jesus came to establish the Kingdom of God[Βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ - Basileia tou Theou] (Mark 1 : 15 )

12. Please list some elements that you think would be necessary for Worship to be a ‘Kingdom building’ activity So, true Christian Worship should: Be rooted in God’s reality and truth. Aware of the worshipper’s context (contextually relevant). Life transforming (bringing heaven to earth) (Matt 6:20, Lk 11:2)

13. A simple approach to Theological reflection. What is Theology? ‘Faith seeking understanding’ Anselm (1033-1109) to seek to know and understand God’s truth to seek to know and understand truth about ourselves and all creation in relation to God

14. Why is theological reflection important for your ministry? • Does God have a will? • Do you know what God’s will is for YOUR life? • Do you know what God’s will and desire is for your WORSHIP MINISTRY?

15. What are the sources for doing theology? List a few sources…. The primary source is…. GOD’S REVELATION

16. Stumbling blocks to good theology? • Not feeling • Good theology stems from a relationship with God and others! God primarily reveals God’s self in a PERSON and PERSONS (neither the incarnation, nor the community of the Church, are accidents or afterthoughts) • Not thinking • Reason, thought, reflection, using the insights of others. These all enrich our understanding of God, and are ALSO sources of God’s revelation. • Not doing • Send us TRACTORS, not TRACTS [Leonardo Boff]. All good and true theology leads to the DOING of God’s will.

17. How does one do theology? We learn through EXPERIENCE… !?! NO!!! We learn through REFLECTION upon experience

18. How does one do good theology? • we only learn through reflecting upon experience o How did this experience make me feel? o What do I think about this experience? o What does this experience tell me about myself? o What does this experience tell me about others? o What does this experience tell me about God? • What does this experience make me want to do?

19. Let’s do an exercise • From the movie ‘Yesterday’

20. Some ways of facilitating Theological Reflection • Journaling • Group discussions • Site visits • Retreats • Involvement in ministry and Mission • Incident Reports • Debriefing • Creative activities (drawing, sculpting, writing)

21. What are the PRINCIPLES of this method? Experience, reflect, input, action

22. What are the PRINCIPLES of this method? Experience, reflect, input, adapt • Experience - How does this make you FEEL? • Reflect - What do you THINK about this? • Input - What does this TELL YOU about yourself, others, and God? • Adapt - What does this make me want to DO?

23. A simple method of theological reflection: • What are the most pressing NEEDS and CONCERNS in my community? • What do I THINK about these needs and concerns? • What do these feelings and thoughts tell me about MYSELF, OTHER PEOPLE, and the WORLD AROUND ME? • What do these feelings TELL ME ABOUT GOD? • What does GOD WANT ME TO DO?

24. Any Input or Questions!?