Worship for All God's People

Theocentric Worship

Acceptable worship is by definition theocentric worship. Only the Creator is worthy to be revered and praised by His creatures. It is corporate worship which calls men to women to throw off the engulfing self-absorption which is not only the father of sin, but also the fleshly tendency even of the redeemed; and it is corporate worship which calls believers to refocus on Him who is the Giver and Sustainer of life and of life eternal. Our worship must be relentlessly theocentric. God deserves and demands our reverent attention and our often frantic existence needs to be regularly and formally drawn back to its reason for being: to honor and bring glory to God. Hymns and choruses which emphasize our human pilgrimage and reactions can be perfectly appropriate responses, but only after God has been lifted up and magnified in our midst. Worship thus infused with the wonder of God is also uniquely appropriate to prepare people's heart to hear and receive the preaching of the Word of God.

Blended Worship

Tastes differ even in relatively homogenous congregations; therefore worship must incorporate a mixture of musical styles and types, increasingly being referred to as blended worship.

In our fairly traditional (though not liturgical) church, our musical offerings span somewhat widely over the middle range of the musical spectrum; this range would go from standard hymn - anthems to contemporary songs (from mellow to dramatic, though not "rocky"). Occasional brief forays are made into the "classical" or "upbeat contemporary" extremes of the spectrum, but then we quickly return to more familiar and less controversial turf. And yes, hymns and choruses share a peaceful coexistence in most of our worship services. In fact, the most personally satisfying reactions to what we're doing have been the comments from young people about how they have gained a new appreciation for the great hymns of the faith, which they had previously written off as irrelevant or inaccessible. And positive comments from the other end of the spectrum have often included affirmations of services which contained any number of choruses, which I know would not have been tolerated in isolation by these same elderly saints!

Thematic Worship

One may well ask, how does one join together both hymns and choruses in a coherent musical fabric? One way is through an emphasis on thematic worship. A single theme for the time of worship and singing (which may or may not be related to the theme of the sermon) directs the devotional thoughts of the participants. This theme may consist of an attribute of God (love, holiness, faithfulness, etc), a particular aspect of worship (prayer, praise, thanksgiving, etc.) a theological concept (access to a holy God through Christ, the Second Coming), or a special biblical component of redemptive truth (the Lamb of God, the Cross). It is the theme which governs the selection of all music and readings employed in the service. Hymns, choruses, responsive and choral readings, anthems and even portions of anthems can be drawn upon (with the aid of the various thematic and Scripture indices currently available). It should be noted that often only a single verse of a hymn may pertain to the chosen theme (for example, in many gospel hymns the last verse alone brings to bear the believer's future hope of heaven); there is no reason to use more of the hymn than is relevant to pursuing the theme - in fact, taking portions of hymns out of their familiar surroundings encourages worshippers to concentrate on and make more careful not of the text being sung. A refrain or other portion of a familiar anthem (other than the anthem of the morning) which conveys the same theme may be likewise brought in and sung by the choir. All of these elements can be effectively woven together into a seamless fabric which proceeds without pause and without instructions being given to the congregation. Other than occasional opening remarks which introduce the theme, our services flow in uninterrupted fashion for 15-20 minutes; the bulletin incudes all the texts and indicates who is to sing them.

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