Thoughts on Essentials Red Project

For: The Institute Of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Red Fall ‘08 Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt.

 

During the first week of the Essentials Red course, as we studied the Language of Time and Space, while reading the discussion posts of the other class members, I realized that each individual has had their life shaped in Christ through significant times, places, and events.  I was reminded of the second verse of the hymn, Come Thou Fount, where it says, “Here I place mine Ebenezer,” which are moments of remembrance where you realize God moving in your life.  As I read scripture, I am struck how God moves at just the right time.  He moved in the lives of the Israelites at the right time, Jesus’ birth was at the right time, His death and resurrection timed perfectly and His second coming will be in the fullness of time, all according to God’s plan and purpose.

Although I’m not a songwriter, I wrote the song, “In the Fullness of Time,” not as a congregational song, but as one to be used for special music, or to be sung during an altar call for salvation.  It tells of God bringing His salvation in the fullness of time and is roughly based on Ephesians 1:1-10.

Chord Chart In The Fullness of Time

In The Fullness of Time mp3

 

The project also includes a daily Bible study for the Advent season.  This came about during the one hour early morning prayer time the pastors host each Sunday morning at our church.  I like reading “succulent chunks” of scripture during this time and chose to read the final chapters of Isaiah a week ago.  As I was reading, I realized how these chapters seem to reveal God’s promises when Jesus comes again. Our celebration of Advent this year is tending to focus on expectantly anticipating (is that too redundant) His second coming. Therefore, I divided the passages from chapters 59 through 66 into fairly equal-length daily readings for the 2008 Advent season; allowing for divisions in seemingly logical places.  The person doing the study is asked to write down main themes they find as they read, what they believe the Holy Spirit is revealing to them as they read and a prayer for the day.  At the conclusion of the study, they are to write what the Advent season has meant for them this year.  

Advent Bible Study pdf

Thoughts on Public Prayer

For: The Institute Of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Red Fall ‘08 Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt.

This week’s discussion question evoked great response on how public prayer and reading of scripture in a worship service give language to our worship.  The prayers found in books of worship used in many churches give rich, Biblical vocabulary and focus to the worship.  Using these prayers helps eliminate the opportunity for individuals to preach their little mini-sermon under the guise of prayer.  These prayers are focused usually on a single theme or idea, and their reading keeps all on the same thought in the worship. But, from personal experience, they can lose their meaning when used week after week after week in the same manner.

It is my thought that it must be a very difficult task for a church’s leadership to keep the use of these prayers fresh and meaningful to the people.  An example I will offer is our way of creating a public prayer meeting around the Lord’s Prayer.

Four times a year, usually on a Friday night, we have a worship/prayer gathering. Our worship singing offers one or two songs for each of the themes of the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:2-4) followed by individuals to come to the mic to pray on that specific theme.  Our elders facilitate the prayer time with the pastor closing the meeting.  These are the themes we pray within:

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name”  

“Your kingdom come”  (Here we pray for our community and community leaders and for the church of our community and for governmental leaders)

“Give us each day our daily bread” (Provision for the advancement of His kingdom and small group prayer for individual’s needs)

“Forgive us our sins…” (A time of personal and corporate repentance)

“And lead us not into temptation” (Strengthening of us as a church body, asking the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us)

Celebratory worship singing, declaring again who God is, and celebrating what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do.

The pastor then brings us all together with a prayer for unity.

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.

A Thought About Habakkuk 3 (ICEWS, eb 08)

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

In reading classmates’ responses to Week One’s discussion question concerning the themes of justice, spiritual hunger and thirst, the desire for relationship, and the beauty of God in songs for worship, the prayer from Habakkuk 3 came to mind. An awesome, all powerful God is portrayed at the center of everything in this prayer.

We see His beauty referenced in the created things surrendering to Him, trembling before Him, lifting its hands to Him. His justice shows forth as he put things to right and “in wrath remember mercy.” In verses 17 – 19, the prophet longs for relationship “though the fig tree fails to blossom.” He will rejoice in the God of his salvation for He is the prophet’s strength and takes care of his steps. The prophet expresses that spiritual hunger as he proclaims, “LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known;”

Reading through the whole prayer, it seems that Habakkuk understood each of the themes but wrote with a focus of God bringing His justice. Is it difficult, then, to isolate a theme in writing a worship song? Does a theologically sound worship song, or better yet, one the worshiping congregation resounds with, touch on more than one of these themes?

Curiously enough, this passage ends with these words, “To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.” It would seem that the Holy Spirit, Who breathed these words, thought it very appropriate to use all 4 themes in this worship song.