“Praise” that uses only “upbeat” songs can be extremely destructive to worshipers because it denies the reality of doubts concerning God, the hiddenness of God, and the feelings of abandonment by God that cloud believers going through difficult times. I have counseled...
It is bad theology to say, “You worship that way, but let me worship my way.” We do not worship only as far as we feel comfortable in the same way that we do not make ethical decisions as long as they meet our convenience. The world might do this but not people who...
When a church gathers for worship, “the proclamation of the divine agape is [its] first and fundamental task.” Worship resounds with announcements of the revelation of God upon which it is founded and to which is is a response. from The Gift of Worship
God can be the object of our worship only if he is first the subject. from Dynamics of Worship: Foundations and Uses of Liturgy ———————————Gender-neutral version: God can be the object of our worship only if God is first the subject. from Dynamics of Worship:...
If God is to be the first in our life, worship must get top priority. from Music, Worship, and the Ministry of the Church
Christian worship is our affirmative, transforming response to the self-revelation of God… We are not seeking to find or to know an obscure, frightening being who needs to be placated. God makes and continues to make the first move, showing himself in power and in...
The purpose of this Christian society called the “Church” is, first: to glorify God by our worship. We do not go to church just to hear a sermon. We go to church to worship God. from Peace with God
Worship is our response to the overtures of love from the heart of the Father. Its central reality is found “in spirit and truth.” It is kindled within us only when the Spirit of God touches our human spirit. Forms and rituals do not produce worship, nor does the...
To ask the theological question is simply to ask, What does our worship say about God? or the corollary, What does God say to us about our worship? Surely, this is the toughest and most basic question to be asked, but curiously, it is often the last question we ask....
Just as worship begins in holy expectancy, it ends in holy obedience. If worship does not propel us into greater obedience, it has not been worship. To stand before the Holy One of eternity is to change. Resentments cannot be held with the same tenacity when we enter...