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Reflections on Contemporary Worship

Reflections on Contemporary Worship. In Light of 2000 Years of Christian Worship. For a copy of today’s address and PowerPoint go to sites.duke.edu/lruth Public Presentations. Lester Ruth Research Professor of Christian Worship Duke Divinity School Durham, North Carolina, USA. !. ?.

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Reflections on Contemporary Worship

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  1. Reflections on Contemporary Worship In Light of 2000 Years of Christian Worship For a copy of today’s address and PowerPoint go to sites.duke.edu/lruth Public Presentations Lester Ruth Research Professor of Christian Worship Duke Divinity School Durham, North Carolina, USA

  2. !

  3. ?

  4. Contemporary Praise and Worship? Some say “Contemporary Worship” Some say “Modern Worship” Some say “Praise and Worship”

  5. River: Gift (The Praise And Worship River) God inhabits praise

  6. River: Gift (The Praise And Worship River) • 1946: Reg Layzell and Psalm 22:3 • 1950s: global dissemination • Late 1960s: surge in literature • 1970s: Praise and Worship thoroughly made musical • 1970s: Jesus People • 1980s explosion in number and types of churches • 1990s Praise and Worship has overwhelmed and overhauled God inhabits praise

  7. River: Gap (The Contemporary Worship River) Bridge the Gap

  8. River: Gap (The Contemporary Worship River) • Late 1940s: Bridging with youth • Late 1960s: experimentation with early “Contemporary Worship” • 1970s and 1980s: Church Growth Movement and Megachurches • 1990s: anxiety about decreased numbers leads to starting Contemporary services Bridge the Gap

  9. River: Gift (The Praise And Worship River) River: Gap (The Contemporary Worship River) God inhabits praise Bridge the Gap Late 1990s: Confluence

  10. If historical Christians came to Contemporary Praise and Worship services, what would they affirm and what would they be surprised by? What would they applaud as a strength they recognize and what would they question as a possible weakness?

  11. Strength Praise is central.

  12. Liturgy of St. James Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, the Triune light of the Godhead, which is unity subsisting in Trinity, divided, yet indivisible. The Trinity is the one God Almighty whose glory the heavens declare, the earth his dominion, and the sea his might. Every living creature at all times proclaims his majesty. All glory, honor, and might, greatness and magnificence, are his, now and ever, and to all eternity. Amen.

  13. Communion Prayer, Liturgy of St. Basil Master, Lord God, Father almighty, reverence, it is truly fitting and right and befitting the magnificence of your holiness to praise you, to hymn you, to bless you, to worship you, to give you thanks, to glorify you, the only truly existing God.

  14. It says “Act of Praise” but where is the praise?

  15. An Ancient Praise Chorus?A Burst of Ecstasy? Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

  16. Strength An order of worship as a flow of activity

  17. Rejoicing Thanking God Praising the Lord Model 1 Reverencing or adoring the Lord Enter God’s gates with thanksgivingAnd his courts with praise.Give thanks to him, bless his name. Model 2 Inviting or calling the people Engaging God Exalting God Model 3 Adoring God Being intimate with God in deep love

  18. Justin Martyr, Flow of Actions On the day called Sunday, there is an assembling of those who live in cities or the countryside, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read as long as time permits. Then, when the reader has stopped, the presider in a sermon admonishes and invites us to the imitation of these good things. Then we all stand up together and offer prayers to God.

  19. And, as we said before, when we have stopped praying, bread and wine and water are brought, and the presider sends up prayers and thanksgivings in similar fashion, to the best of his ability, and the people give their assent, saying “Amen.” And there is a distribution and a partaking by each person of the food over which thanks have been given. And the food is sent to those who are not present by means of the deacons

  20. Gather Read Admonish and Invite Stand Offer up Assent Distribute

  21. Justin Martyr andContemporary Praise and Worship Open Ended Time Extemporaneous Prayer “…the presider sends up prayers and thanksgivings to the best of his ability.” “…as long as time permits.”

  22. Strength Strong Participation by the People

  23. Early Vineyard,Strong Congregational Singing • Songs learned in small groups • Simple melodies and lyrics • Simple structures of the songs • Call and response • The songs expressed what the people loved about God

  24. Ancient Constantinople, 6th CenturyThe Beginning of a Service • Soloist: Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. • People: Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. • Soloist: Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. • People: Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. • Soloist: Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. • People: Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. • The opening song continues in this fashion.

  25. John Calvin John Wesley

  26. Egeria, pilgrim in Jerusalem, 380s “The bishop relates what has been done, and interprets it, and, as he does so, the applause is so loud that it can be heard outside the church. Indeed the way he expounds the mysteries (the sacraments) and interprets them cannot fail to move his hearers.”

  27. Strengths • Priority of Praise • Order of Worship as Flow of Essential Actions • Dynamic Participation of the People

  28. Weakness Moving God the Father to the Margins

  29. Sample: References to God the Father Sample: References to Jesus Christ

  30. Naming Tendencies, Songs in the US • God the Father clearly mentioned in less than one in every five songs. • Direct address to God the Father in prayer occurs in less than one in every ten songs. • Jesus Christ is clearly mentioned in about half of the songs. • Direct address to Jesus Christ occurs in about one out of every five songs.

  31. Two Classic Trinitarian Practices • Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit • 5th century example: “Guard us from everything evil, and preserve us for continually pleasing, worshiping, and glorifying you, the Father, and your only-begotten Son, and your all-holy Spirit, now and always, and for ever.” • To the Father through the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit • 16th century example: “O loving God and Father, full of compassion, have mercy upon us in the name of your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord. By wiping away our sins and stains, free us and make the gifts of your Holy Spirit grow in us daily.”

  32. Weakness Loss of intercessions Loss of a breadth and range of prayer

  33. Lament and Confession of sin Intercessions for others

  34. Weakness The Content of Worship: Not a Good and Full Enough Recounting of God’s Work in Christ

  35. The Gaps in “Felt Needs” and Relevance • Confession of sin • Unjust structures of society • Redemption of the whole created order • Nature of our future resurrected body • The Last Judgment

  36. Questions about Contentin Contemporary Praise and Worship • How much of the Bible could someone not know and yet not be lost in our services? • Would our worshipers be lost if they do not know anything about God’s work prior to Christ, except for creation? • How much about the life and ministry of Jesus could someone not know and yet not be lost in our services? • Would our worshipers be lost if they only know that Jesus died and rose again?

  37. The Bigness of God’s Work in Christ • John Chrysostom, 4th century: “Let no one fear death, for the death of our Savior has set us free. He has destroyed it by enduring it. He destroyed Hell when he descended into it. Hell took a body, and discovered God. It took earth, and encountered Heaven.” • Charles Wesley, 18th century: • Jesus, the holy child, / Does by his birth declare, / That God and man are reconciled, / And one in him we are. / Salvation through his name / To all people is given, / And loud his infant cries proclaim / A peace between earth and heaven. • Gaze on that helpless object / Of endless adoration! / Those infant hands / Shall burst our bands / And work out our salvation: / Strangle the crooked serpent, / Destroy his works for ever.

  38. Weakness Music as a New “Sacrament,” the normal means to experience the presence of God

  39. Past Christians: “Come to God through Jesus, not to Jesus Christ through the music.”

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