My new (and changing) view of worship....

“True worship reclarifies the purposes of God and our part in them. False worship, which can be found as much among God's people as elsewhere, leads to distorted mission.”

I recently read this in an article by Mark Labberton entitled “The Real Worship War” while doing research for Theology and Practice of Worship, a class I am taking at UGST. I am interested and perplexed by the so-called “worship wars” in our churches as much as anyone. Over and over in this blog we have addressed this issue, and I have to thank all of my fellow-bloggers for the great deal that I have learned. As a result of this, my own opinions have been reexamined, expanded, and much of the time, changed. I’ll warn you that I’ll probably be stuck on this subject this semester. So please read and RESPOND – I want to hear and learn more from all of your experiences.

While I encourage you to read this article in its entirety, I want to highlight and examine some of Reverend Labberton’s thoughts here.

“What is ironic and especially pertinent is that many debates about worship are just indirect ways of talking about ourselves, not God. Our debates devolve into how we like our worship served up each week. It's worship as consumption rather than offering. It's an expression of human taste, not a longing to reflect God's glory.”

I firmly believe that the greater cause of our worship dispute lies in the point quoted above. If I really worship God, then the things that matter to Him will matter to me. We have to admit that we are naturally a self-centered lot. As much as we would like to think this doesn’t affect our worship, it does. It’s hard for me to wrap my mind around this when I am in church either playing or standing with the congregation hands raised. Or when I look down on someone who is not saved. Or when I ignore societal needs because I’m too busy or don’t feel like caring.
Reverend Labberton referenced Isaiah 29:13:

“Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:”

Worship should drive us to serve. Serve each other in the church building but giving up our obsessive need to have the music our way, with our beat and our lyrics. Could it be that, as musicians, much of our trouble with service outside the church starts with this very battle? I’ll finish with this quote by Reverend Labberton:

“Worship leaders may want to focus only on what seems culturally and socially immediate. But if we are to worship the Lord of all creation, the Savior of the world, then while we are checking the sound system or pondering prayers or sermons, we have to hold on to a wider vision of God's love.”