For: The Institute Of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt.
Declaration of Worship
For the final Essentials Blue’08 course project, I developed a responsive Declaration of Worship to be read between the worship leader and the congregation. It declares that we worship God, the Creator, the Sovereign Lord, the Triune God, and Savior based upon our study of the ways God reveals Himself in Scripture as One who creates, rules, fellowships, and saves.
If I were to poll our congregation, asking, “What is worship?,” the majority of the people would respond to the time we spend in a service singing songs. This despite monthly newsletter items which I have written over the last six years and two to three sermons I give each year trying to teach that a lifestyle as described in Romans 12:1-2 is our spiritual worship. It is my intent to introduce this declaration as we transition from singing our worship to the sermon on a Sunday morning in hopes to intentionally bring a new expression of worship to the congregation.
Many responsive readings in liturgical settings have the congregation responding with a simple phrase while the leader articulates the substance of the reading. In my own experience, the congregation tends to blindly respond this way without ever having attended to or perceived the substance of that which has been read. In this declaration, the worship leader introduces the thought with the congregation articulating the substance. The responses are based upon Scripture, even quoting Scripture in many places.
This declaration, “We Worship The Lord!” is linked here in PDF format and as a PowerPoint slideshow. Please feel free to use it if applicable to your situation.
We Worship the Lord! PDF declaration_worship1
We Worship The Lord! Powerpoint slideshow we_worship1
Nice job, Fred. I like it.
Comment by nathanicews — August 9, 2008 @ 3:02 am
Fred, thanks for this piece. I think declaring this with a congregation is a great way of worshipping. It’s an ongoing job to make people aware of the many aspects of worship. I think you’re doing a great job, you’re a wise man. Keep doing your calling!
Jedi Noordegraaf
Comment by noordegraaf — August 9, 2008 @ 5:44 am
Fred, this is great. There are such powerful declarations here revealing many great truths about how awesome God is. This articulates a mighty response. Thanks for this.
Greig
Comment by avworship — August 9, 2008 @ 9:11 am