Christian Worship is a celebration of God’s first love for the world made known in Jesus Christ. In the midst of wonder, love and gratitude for this astonishing gift, we are sent in the power of the Holy Spirit to love all that God loves — “every soul God hath made.” The rhythm of God’s call and our response, practiced in the rituals of the church, shapes us into the vessel of grace that God intends the church to be —“lost in wonder, love and praise.” (1)
As an ordained pastor, I also understand myself to be a steward of the deep tradition of wonder, love and praise entrusted to me by the church. “When in doubt, trust the tradition,” a teacher once told me. It was good wisdom. I lead worship, intentionally, within the time tested patterns of worship handed on to us by those who came before. Gathered together before the ancient symbols of font and table, within each service, and in the seasons of the Christian year, we reenact the drama of God’s salvation witnessed in Scripture for the healing of the world.
Vital Worship
I am also called to lead worship that is vital, worship that speaks within the unique language, culture and needs of the gatherings I serve. Several personal observations guide my work: 1) Words shape reality. When we use warm, affirming language in our ministry together, our very words, with God’s help, shape graceful community. 2) As a classically trained musician, I realize that artistic taste is contextual and changes over time. People acquire an appreciation for the music or art of a particular era by learning the vocabulary to hear or see it. We do that through receptive repetition. Unlike some of my Reformation forbears, I am convinced that art and music, when God directed, are means of grace. 3) In the end, what survives over time is the best liturgy and art of an era; new art and liturgy are created, as classics are retained and reinterpreted for another generation.
I also believe that the style of worship and art appropriate to a particular context will emerge organically from within the congregation. In other words, if all generations in the assembly are given voice and leadership, liturgical arts will evolve slowly, naturally, over time. This is important. According to the theory of adaptive change, the seismic cultural shifts confronting the church today require a “holding environment” of nurture to sooth the anxiety that accompanies deep change (2). A congregation’s weekly worship is it’s primary location of spiritual nurture. If worship becomes a source of conflict, a congregation may seize like a vertigo stricken climber against a cliff face, frozen in time and place.
Beyond the Worship Wars
I have found Thomas Long’s study, Beyond the Worship Wars, to be a helpful guide. In a survey of vital worshipping communities, Long identified a number of characteristics these congregations held in common. I have adapted these for the congregations I serve: 1) we make room in worship for the mystery and humility essential to our life in faith; 2) we intentionally show hospitality to the stranger; 3) we recover the sense of drama inherent in Christian worship; 4) we emphasize congregational music that is excellent and eclectic in style & genre; 5) we give attention to the space, symbols and multimedia environment of worship; 6) we forge a strong connection between worship and mission; 7) we maintain a stable order of service with worship elements people know by heart; 8) each worship service moves into a joyful celebration of the grace of God. 9) we intentionally involve youth and children in worship participation and leadership. (3)
Worship is Sacramental
Vital worship is experienced as sacramental. By sacramental I mean that the love of God is mediated through the common elements of our life in the world. In worship, our experience of God’s life giving grace is mediated by the Holy Spirit in common things. Water, meals, language, and relationships are the basic necessities of whole, happy lives. In our worship, we follow Jesus’ example, and use these needs to open us to God’s love for the world already in our midst.
The primary sacramental symbols of Christian worship are: water in the Sacrament of Baptism and meal at the Sacrament of Holy Communion. The words of scripture, the art and song of God’s people, and our fellowship as the body of Christ are also essential elements of our rituals. These holy things, set apart by our God for worship — water, meals, language, art, music, relationships — become means of grace through which we are awakened to the love of God for the world.
Wesleyan Discipleship
With the Wesleyan tradition, I believe that spiritual growth is itself sacramental. Our goal is to invite and send people into the places in their lives where they may encounter the grace of God and allow God to do God’s work in them. Through the water of Baptism we teach that God’s grace is everywhere and for everyone if they accept it. Through the holy meal, we recognize that God provides our basic needs, sustains our lives in grace, and calls us to feed others in body and spirit. In the words of God’s people, we are invited to search the Scriptures, sing the faith, and bear witness to God’s work in the stories of our everyday lives. In our fellowship together, we discover that to be human is to be in loving relationship with one another and with God, for the sake of the healing of the world. Worship is a gift of grace that shapes us “in the mind that was in Christ Jesus,” that we may “walk as Jesus walked.”
-- Rev. Mark F. Sturgess
(1) Charles Wesley, “Love divine, all loves excelling,” The United Methodist Hymnal (Nashville: The United Methodist Publishing House, 1989), #384, vs. 4. Other words in quotes are common phrases used by John Wesley in his published sermons and letters.
(2) Anthony B. Robinson, Transforming Congregational Culture (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003), Ch. 13; Ronald A. Heifetz, Leadership Without Easy Answers (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1994).
(3) Thomas G. Long, Beyond the Worship Wars: Building Vital and Faithful Worship (The Alban Institute, 2001), 13. 1-8 are adapted from Long, 9 is my addition.
As an ordained pastor, I also understand myself to be a steward of the deep tradition of wonder, love and praise entrusted to me by the church. “When in doubt, trust the tradition,” a teacher once told me. It was good wisdom. I lead worship, intentionally, within the time tested patterns of worship handed on to us by those who came before. Gathered together before the ancient symbols of font and table, within each service, and in the seasons of the Christian year, we reenact the drama of God’s salvation witnessed in Scripture for the healing of the world.
Vital Worship
I am also called to lead worship that is vital, worship that speaks within the unique language, culture and needs of the gatherings I serve. Several personal observations guide my work: 1) Words shape reality. When we use warm, affirming language in our ministry together, our very words, with God’s help, shape graceful community. 2) As a classically trained musician, I realize that artistic taste is contextual and changes over time. People acquire an appreciation for the music or art of a particular era by learning the vocabulary to hear or see it. We do that through receptive repetition. Unlike some of my Reformation forbears, I am convinced that art and music, when God directed, are means of grace. 3) In the end, what survives over time is the best liturgy and art of an era; new art and liturgy are created, as classics are retained and reinterpreted for another generation.
I also believe that the style of worship and art appropriate to a particular context will emerge organically from within the congregation. In other words, if all generations in the assembly are given voice and leadership, liturgical arts will evolve slowly, naturally, over time. This is important. According to the theory of adaptive change, the seismic cultural shifts confronting the church today require a “holding environment” of nurture to sooth the anxiety that accompanies deep change (2). A congregation’s weekly worship is it’s primary location of spiritual nurture. If worship becomes a source of conflict, a congregation may seize like a vertigo stricken climber against a cliff face, frozen in time and place.
Beyond the Worship Wars
I have found Thomas Long’s study, Beyond the Worship Wars, to be a helpful guide. In a survey of vital worshipping communities, Long identified a number of characteristics these congregations held in common. I have adapted these for the congregations I serve: 1) we make room in worship for the mystery and humility essential to our life in faith; 2) we intentionally show hospitality to the stranger; 3) we recover the sense of drama inherent in Christian worship; 4) we emphasize congregational music that is excellent and eclectic in style & genre; 5) we give attention to the space, symbols and multimedia environment of worship; 6) we forge a strong connection between worship and mission; 7) we maintain a stable order of service with worship elements people know by heart; 8) each worship service moves into a joyful celebration of the grace of God. 9) we intentionally involve youth and children in worship participation and leadership. (3)
Worship is Sacramental
Vital worship is experienced as sacramental. By sacramental I mean that the love of God is mediated through the common elements of our life in the world. In worship, our experience of God’s life giving grace is mediated by the Holy Spirit in common things. Water, meals, language, and relationships are the basic necessities of whole, happy lives. In our worship, we follow Jesus’ example, and use these needs to open us to God’s love for the world already in our midst.
The primary sacramental symbols of Christian worship are: water in the Sacrament of Baptism and meal at the Sacrament of Holy Communion. The words of scripture, the art and song of God’s people, and our fellowship as the body of Christ are also essential elements of our rituals. These holy things, set apart by our God for worship — water, meals, language, art, music, relationships — become means of grace through which we are awakened to the love of God for the world.
Wesleyan Discipleship
With the Wesleyan tradition, I believe that spiritual growth is itself sacramental. Our goal is to invite and send people into the places in their lives where they may encounter the grace of God and allow God to do God’s work in them. Through the water of Baptism we teach that God’s grace is everywhere and for everyone if they accept it. Through the holy meal, we recognize that God provides our basic needs, sustains our lives in grace, and calls us to feed others in body and spirit. In the words of God’s people, we are invited to search the Scriptures, sing the faith, and bear witness to God’s work in the stories of our everyday lives. In our fellowship together, we discover that to be human is to be in loving relationship with one another and with God, for the sake of the healing of the world. Worship is a gift of grace that shapes us “in the mind that was in Christ Jesus,” that we may “walk as Jesus walked.”
-- Rev. Mark F. Sturgess
(1) Charles Wesley, “Love divine, all loves excelling,” The United Methodist Hymnal (Nashville: The United Methodist Publishing House, 1989), #384, vs. 4. Other words in quotes are common phrases used by John Wesley in his published sermons and letters.
(2) Anthony B. Robinson, Transforming Congregational Culture (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003), Ch. 13; Ronald A. Heifetz, Leadership Without Easy Answers (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1994).
(3) Thomas G. Long, Beyond the Worship Wars: Building Vital and Faithful Worship (The Alban Institute, 2001), 13. 1-8 are adapted from Long, 9 is my addition.