{"id":5647,"date":"2019-08-26T14:28:49","date_gmt":"2019-08-26T22:28:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/?p=5647"},"modified":"2019-08-26T14:28:50","modified_gmt":"2019-08-26T22:28:50","slug":"celebration-of-discipline-worship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2019\/08\/26\/celebration-of-discipline-worship","title":{"rendered":"Celebration of Discipline: Worship"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Blog readers: Chi Alpha @ Stanford is engaging in our annual summer reading project. As we read through an annotated translation of Pascal\u2019s Pensees called Christianity For Modern Pagans<\/a>, I\u2019ll post the thoughts I\u2019m emailing the students here (which will largely consist of excerpts I found insightful). They are all tagged summer-reading-project-2020<\/a>. The reading schedule is online<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week we come to one of the most visible corporate disciplines in the Christian life: worship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If I had to identify one challenging aspect of worship for Stanford students it would be this: worship feels like a waste of time. Time spent in worship is time not spent doing homework. More altruistically, time spent in worship is time not spent witnessing to someone. Foster nails this mentality on page 161:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe divine priority is worship first, service second\u2026. The primary function of the Levitical priests was to \u2018come near to me to minister to me\u2019 (Ezek. 44:15). For the Old Testament priesthood, ministry to God was to precede all other work. And that is no less true of the universal priesthood of the New Testament. One grave temptation we all face is to run around answering calls to service without ministering to the Lord himself.\u201d <\/p>Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline, page 161<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In Mark 3:14 we see Jesus selecting the disciples. What does it say? \u201cHe appointed twelve that they might be with him<\/em><\/strong> and that he might send them out to preach.\u201d They are first to be with him, then they are to serve him. God did not hire us, God adopted us. Worship must come first. In Deut 6:4 we are called to love Him with all our heart before we are called to love Him with all our strength.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it is true that worship means far more than music, it is also true that the largest book in the Bible is a book of songs. Singing praise to God is an important part of our spiritual health, and often actions accompany the singing. If I had to pick a second challenging aspect of worship for Stanford students it would be this: such worship often feels undignified. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout Scripture we find a variety of physical postures in connection with worship: lying prostrate, standing, kneeling, lifting the hands, clapping the hands, lifting the head, bowing the head, dancing, and wearing sackcloth and ashes. The point is that we are to offer God our bodies as well as all the rest of our being. Worship is appropriately physical. We are to present our bodies to God in a posture consistent with the inner spirit in worship. Standing, clapping, dancing, lifting the hands, lifting the head are postures consistent with the spirit of praise. To sit still looking dour is simply not appropriate for praise. Kneeling, bowing the head, lying prostrate are postures consistent with the spirit of adoration and humility. We are quick to object to this line of teaching. \u2018People have different temperaments,\u2019 we argue. \u2018That may appeal to emotional types, but I\u2019m naturally quiet and reserved. It isn\u2019t the kind of worship that will meet my need.\u2019 What we must see is that the real question in worship is not, \u2018What will meet my need?\u2019 The real question is, \u2018What kind of worship does God call for?\u2019 It is clear that God calls for wholehearted worship\u2026. Often our \u2018reserved temperament\u2019 is little more than fear of what others will think of us, or perhaps unwillingness to humble ourselves before God and others. Of course people have different temperaments, but that must never keep us from worshiping with our whole being. <\/p>Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline, pages 169\u201370. <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Foster says it well, but King David says it even better. In 2 Samuel 6:22, the Psalmist tells a critic of his extravagant worship, \u201cI will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some of the ways we see worship expressed in Scripture. If you struggle with expressiveness or self-consciousness in worship, meditate on this list. Many more verses could be added along with much commentary \u2014 this is far from a comprehensive study. It is merely meant to open your eyes to the various expressions of worship we find in the Bible. Some are commanded while others are modeled, all of these expressions are appropriate at different times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n