Thoughts On A Worship Manual

For: The Institute Of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt.

One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 96. During the week as I was preparing for Week 5’s assignment, I was drawn back to it along with Revelation 4 and 5. To me, its seems as if these 3 chapters in the Bible, not exclusively, but generally, provide us with a manual for leading worship

Psalm 96 encourages God’s people to sing; sing a new song unto Him and declare His greatness and His marvelous deeds and proclaim His Salvation daily. What an encouragement from God’s Word to musically tell the Story of His plan to redeem and reconcile a fallen world!

God’s people are also encouraged to ascribe to Him all glory and praise because He is worthy; to worship Him because He is holy and to tremble before Him. He even robes us in the splendor of holiness as we worship

Because He rules with justice as Sovereign Lord, we can join all of creation in praising Him in gladness and joy. Our worship speaks to the culture around us [nations] “The Lord reigns!” His judgment is just and all of creation sings for joy.

Revelation 4 and 5 gives a picture or model, if you will, of worship around the Heavenly Throne of God. The four living creatures cry out day and night, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” They are worshipping Him for what He has done, what He is doing and what He will do. We also can do that in our worship services to remind ourselves of His worthiness. The praises are gathered up by the twenty-four elders as they declare, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

In Revelation 5, the ones before the Throne (the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders) bring their music [harps] and their intercession [bowls] before God and fall before Him singing praises to Jesus, the Lamb who was worthy, the Lamb who was slain for the forgiveness of sins. He has been resurrected from death to heaven to rule and reign forever.

The heavenly worship is truly one of celebration and victory, and all creation sings in gladness and joy to the Everlasting King.