Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Frightful Redundancy
Todd Rhoades:
But then, of course, comes the inevitable charge of one form or the other being "genuine" worship. And then comes the inevitable response, "For me...." As soon as the "me" word is used, the debate is forfeited. You see, how we worship is not a function of the worshiper, but of the object of worship.
Sadly, the Bible provides no direct command on the how's of worship. Here is where tradition is informative. No simply becasue it is tradition, but because tradition had thousands of years of thought and pray and discussion built into it about all these issues.
Can tradition be changed? Of course it can and it should be from time-to-time, but that change must occur in the context of all that has gone into the development of the tradition. Before we can reject or change tradition, we must learn and understand it.
Failure to do so is all about the "me," which means it is about the worshiper and not the object of the worship.
The scary trend, however, is the growing worship of the art of worship. The worship leader/pastor/director/producer has become a rock star. The need for ever-improving technology (“2K Projectors? Yes!!!”) dominates the church budget. The demand for professional musicianship squeezes out the possibility of homegrown talent. On Monday mornings we talk more about the sound quality, the experience, the arrangement than about the jaw dropping recognition of the awesome power of an omniscient God. We are in danger of worshipping the creation more than the creator.I believe this to be true of the "worship wars" generally. When you are fighting about the "how's" of worship instead of the object of worship, your priorities are int he wrong place.
But then, of course, comes the inevitable charge of one form or the other being "genuine" worship. And then comes the inevitable response, "For me...." As soon as the "me" word is used, the debate is forfeited. You see, how we worship is not a function of the worshiper, but of the object of worship.
Sadly, the Bible provides no direct command on the how's of worship. Here is where tradition is informative. No simply becasue it is tradition, but because tradition had thousands of years of thought and pray and discussion built into it about all these issues.
Can tradition be changed? Of course it can and it should be from time-to-time, but that change must occur in the context of all that has gone into the development of the tradition. Before we can reject or change tradition, we must learn and understand it.
Failure to do so is all about the "me," which means it is about the worshiper and not the object of the worship.
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