{"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
\"book<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Blog read\u00aders: Chi Alpha @ Stan\u00adford is engag\u00ading in our annu\u00adal sum\u00admer read\u00ading project. As we read through an anno\u00adtat\u00aded trans\u00adla\u00adtion of Pascal\u2019s Pensees called Chris\u00adtian\u00adi\u00adty For Mod\u00adern Pagans<\/a>, I\u2019ll post the thoughts I\u2019m email\u00ading the stu\u00addents here (which will large\u00adly con\u00adsist of excerpts I found insight\u00adful). They are all tagged sum\u00admer-read\u00ading-project-2020<\/a>. The read\u00ading sched\u00adule is online<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week we come to one of the most vis\u00adi\u00adble cor\u00adpo\u00adrate dis\u00adci\u00adplines in the Chris\u00adt\u00adian life: wor\u00adship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If I had to iden\u00adti\u00adfy one chal\u00adleng\u00ading aspect of wor\u00adship for Stan\u00adford stu\u00addents it would be this: wor\u00adship feels like a waste of time. Time spent in wor\u00adship is time not spent doing home\u00adwork. More altru\u00adis\u00adti\u00adcal\u00adly, time spent in wor\u00adship is time not spent wit\u00adness\u00ading to some\u00adone. Fos\u00adter nails this men\u00adtal\u00adi\u00adty on page 161:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe divine pri\u00ador\u00adi\u00adty is wor\u00adship first, ser\u00advice sec\u00adond\u2026. The pri\u00adma\u00adry func\u00adtion of the Levit\u00adi\u00adcal priests was to \u2018come near to me to min\u00adis\u00adter to me\u2019 (Ezek. 44:15). For the Old Tes\u00adta\u00adment priest\u00adhood, min\u00adistry to God was to pre\u00adcede all oth\u00ader work. And that is no less true of the uni\u00adver\u00adsal priest\u00adhood of the New Tes\u00adta\u00adment. One grave temp\u00adta\u00adtion we all face is to run around answer\u00ading calls to ser\u00advice with\u00adout min\u00adis\u00adter\u00ading to the Lord him\u00adself.\u201d <\/p>Richard Fos\u00adter, Cel\u00ade\u00adbra\u00adtion of Dis\u00adci\u00adpline, page 161<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In Mark 3:14 we see Jesus select\u00ading the dis\u00adci\u00adples. What does it say? \u201cHe appoint\u00aded 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 adopt\u00aded us. Wor\u00adship 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 wor\u00adship 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 impor\u00adtant part of our spir\u00adi\u00adtu\u00adal health, and often actions accom\u00adpa\u00adny the singing. If I had to pick a sec\u00adond chal\u00adleng\u00ading aspect of wor\u00adship for Stan\u00adford stu\u00addents it would be this: such wor\u00adship often feels undig\u00adni\u00adfied. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through\u00adout Scrip\u00adture we find a vari\u00adety of phys\u00adi\u00adcal pos\u00adtures in con\u00adnec\u00adtion with wor\u00adship: lying pros\u00adtrate, stand\u00ading, kneel\u00ading, lift\u00ading the hands, clap\u00adping the hands, lift\u00ading the head, bow\u00ading the head, danc\u00ading, and wear\u00ading sack\u00adcloth and ash\u00ades. The point is that we are to offer God our bod\u00adies as well as all the rest of our being. Wor\u00adship is appro\u00adpri\u00adate\u00adly phys\u00adi\u00adcal. We are to present our bod\u00adies to God in a pos\u00adture con\u00adsis\u00adtent with the inner spir\u00adit in wor\u00adship. Stand\u00ading, clap\u00adping, danc\u00ading, lift\u00ading the hands, lift\u00ading the head are pos\u00adtures con\u00adsis\u00adtent with the spir\u00adit of praise. To sit still look\u00ading dour is sim\u00adply not appro\u00adpri\u00adate for praise. Kneel\u00ading, bow\u00ading the head, lying pros\u00adtrate are pos\u00adtures con\u00adsis\u00adtent with the spir\u00adit of ado\u00adra\u00adtion and humil\u00adi\u00adty. We are quick to object to this line of teach\u00ading. \u2018Peo\u00adple have dif\u00adfer\u00adent tem\u00adpera\u00adments,\u2019 we argue. \u2018That may appeal to emo\u00adtion\u00adal types, but I\u2019m nat\u00adu\u00adral\u00adly qui\u00adet and reserved. It isn\u2019t the kind of wor\u00adship that will meet my need.\u2019 What we must see is that the real ques\u00adtion in wor\u00adship is not, \u2018What will meet my need?\u2019 The real ques\u00adtion is, \u2018What kind of wor\u00adship does God call for?\u2019 It is clear that God calls for whole\u00adheart\u00aded wor\u00adship\u2026. Often our \u2018reserved tem\u00adpera\u00adment\u2019 is lit\u00adtle more than fear of what oth\u00aders will think of us, or per\u00adhaps unwill\u00ading\u00adness to hum\u00adble our\u00adselves before God and oth\u00aders. Of course peo\u00adple have dif\u00adfer\u00adent tem\u00adpera\u00adments, but that must nev\u00ader keep us from wor\u00adship\u00ading with our whole being. <\/p>Richard Fos\u00adter, Cel\u00ade\u00adbra\u00adtion of Dis\u00adci\u00adpline, pages 169\u201370. <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Fos\u00adter says it well, but King David says it even bet\u00adter. In 2 Samuel 6:22, the Psalmist tells a crit\u00adic of his extrav\u00ada\u00adgant wor\u00adship, \u201cI will become even more undig\u00adni\u00adfied than this, and I will be humil\u00adi\u00adat\u00aded in my own eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some of the ways we see wor\u00adship expressed in Scrip\u00adture. If you strug\u00adgle with expres\u00adsive\u00adness or self-con\u00adscious\u00adness in wor\u00adship, med\u00adi\u00adtate on this list. Many more vers\u00ades could be added along with much com\u00admen\u00adtary \u2014 this is far from a com\u00adpre\u00adhen\u00adsive study. It is mere\u00adly meant to open your eyes to the var\u00adi\u00adous expres\u00adsions of wor\u00adship we find in the Bible. Some are com\u00admand\u00aded while oth\u00aders are mod\u00adeled, all of these expres\u00adsions are appro\u00adpri\u00adate at dif\u00adfer\u00adent times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n