Over the last several months, we have been publishing in Sightings some sections from Glad Hearts: the Joys of Believing and Challenges of Belonging (Covenant Publications, 2003), an anthology of Voices from the Literature of the Covenant Church with over 700 readings from the mid-19th century to the present.
We are doing so for the sake of increasing numbers among us who are largely unaware of their inheritance as Covenanters in both life and thought.The complete Glad Hearts volume is available for purchase under the Resources Link on the Home Page of the rootedwings.com website. Comments or questions regarding any of the readings here are always welcome.
Meaning and Purpose
The primary purpose of life is “to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.” So begins a great historic catechism. The Covenant Church also believes that nothing is more basic and essential to life than worship. It is the means by which we affirm the reality and sovereignty of God, confess our finitude and dependence upon him, and celebrate the dignity and worth he bestows on all his people.
That which deeply impresses us by its greatness or worth calls forth our worship. To worship God is to ascribe to him supreme worth. It is to join the psalmist of old when he says: “For great is the Lord, and [therefore] greatly to be praised” (Psalm 96:4). Or again, “Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name” (Psalm 29:2 KJV). In worship we are caught up in the truth and marvel and mystery of the God who has called us “to live for the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:12).
For many, however, worship seems to be at a low ebb. Often our concern for science and technology robs us of the sense of wonder, awe, and mystery. In a world so crowded with facts and skills we have wrongly assumed that human knowledge, information, and techniques can meet our deepest needs. In stressing our independence and self-sufficiency we have failed to recognize how much we belong to God and to one another, how dependent we really are, how inadequate to meet the deepest needs of life.
But as human beings, we must do something with our finitude and failure. Either we attempt to cope in arrogant autonomy, making gods of ourselves or some idol of our choice, or we bow in adoring surrender before the living God and become a celebrant of life. Herein lies the challenge to the church of Jesus Christ and to all of us who have been called to lead people in the worship of the true and living God.
“A Theology of Worship,” in The Covenant Book of Worship (1981), p. 3.
We Christians do not worship God to try to get him to do something for us. Christian worship is a celebration of the great things God has already done. In worship we think of the things God has done for his people from the very beginning, but we think especially of what he has done through Jesus.
We also think of what God has done for our own church and for us personally. Sometimes it helps us to worship if we look around the sanctuary and think of the people who have learned to know Christ here, who have worshiped here, and for whom God has done many great things. These people are part of our family. God has brought us together and helped us to love each other, and now we belong to one another. We do not think only of ourselves when we worship; we remember that we belong to a family for whom God cares very much. Everything good that has happened to our church since its beginning represents what God has done. All this helps us to think of worship as a celebration.
Thinking about all that God has done for us helps us to understand that worship is not trying to get God to do something for us. Rather, worship is celebrating what God has already done for us, especially in giving us his son, Jesus.
Wesley W. Nelson (1910- ), God’s Friends: Called to Believe and Belong (1985), p. 284.
As heirs of the Western reformers of the church, Covenanters have placed Holy Scripture, the word of God, at the center of its communal life both in the weekly meeting and in the passages of life such as birth, confirmation, marriage and death. This word has been celebrated among us as "the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine and conduct” (Constitution, Article II, Section 2.1). It would be in keeping with the spirit of this faith statement to add "and the only perfect standard for the assembly's worship." This affirms that authority in Covenant worship is grounded not in a charismatic leader, nor in a choir or praise band, nor in a private interpretation of biblical text or doctrine, nor in a once-for-all established order of worship, but in the church's book, the word of God. This means that worship is to conform to the book, scripture is to be read in the Sunday meeting, sermons are to be preached on readings full of the good things of the Bible, and liturgical practices are to be judged and formed by biblical norms.
“Word in Worship,” from Proposed Book of Worship (2002).
That which deeply impresses us by its greatness or worth calls forth our worship. To worship God is to ascribe to him supreme worth. It is to join the psalmist of old when he says: “For great is the Lord, and [therefore] greatly to be praised” (Psalm 96:4). Or again, “Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name” (Psalm 29:2 KJV). In worship we are caught up in the truth and marvel and mystery of the God who has called us “to live for the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:12).
For many, however, worship seems to be at a low ebb. Often our concern for science and technology robs us of the sense of wonder, awe, and mystery. In a world so crowded with facts and skills we have wrongly assumed that human knowledge, information, and techniques can meet our deepest needs. In stressing our independence and self-sufficiency we have failed to recognize how much we belong to God and to one another, how dependent we really are, how inadequate to meet the deepest needs of life.
But as human beings, we must do something with our finitude and failure. Either we attempt to cope in arrogant autonomy, making gods of ourselves or some idol of our choice, or we bow in adoring surrender before the living God and become a celebrant of life. Herein lies the challenge to the church of Jesus Christ and to all of us who have been called to lead people in the worship of the true and living God.
“A Theology of Worship,” in The Covenant Book of Worship (1981), p. 3.
We Christians do not worship God to try to get him to do something for us. Christian worship is a celebration of the great things God has already done. In worship we think of the things God has done for his people from the very beginning, but we think especially of what he has done through Jesus.
We also think of what God has done for our own church and for us personally. Sometimes it helps us to worship if we look around the sanctuary and think of the people who have learned to know Christ here, who have worshiped here, and for whom God has done many great things. These people are part of our family. God has brought us together and helped us to love each other, and now we belong to one another. We do not think only of ourselves when we worship; we remember that we belong to a family for whom God cares very much. Everything good that has happened to our church since its beginning represents what God has done. All this helps us to think of worship as a celebration.
Thinking about all that God has done for us helps us to understand that worship is not trying to get God to do something for us. Rather, worship is celebrating what God has already done for us, especially in giving us his son, Jesus.
Wesley W. Nelson (1910- ), God’s Friends: Called to Believe and Belong (1985), p. 284.
As heirs of the Western reformers of the church, Covenanters have placed Holy Scripture, the word of God, at the center of its communal life both in the weekly meeting and in the passages of life such as birth, confirmation, marriage and death. This word has been celebrated among us as "the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine and conduct” (Constitution, Article II, Section 2.1). It would be in keeping with the spirit of this faith statement to add "and the only perfect standard for the assembly's worship." This affirms that authority in Covenant worship is grounded not in a charismatic leader, nor in a choir or praise band, nor in a private interpretation of biblical text or doctrine, nor in a once-for-all established order of worship, but in the church's book, the word of God. This means that worship is to conform to the book, scripture is to be read in the Sunday meeting, sermons are to be preached on readings full of the good things of the Bible, and liturgical practices are to be judged and formed by biblical norms.
“Word in Worship,” from Proposed Book of Worship (2002).
Focus, Preparation, and Resolve
While our experience in worship is intimate and deeply personal, it is never individualistic. Christian worship is not a private affair. We are not simply a collection of people individually worshiping God. We belong to a company, a special people-the people of God. It is the one Spirit who binds all believers in heaven and on earth into one living Church, which corporately offers its worship to God.
Covenanters value both freedom and order in worship. The conventicle and the churchly traditions have both contributed to our understanding of worship. The Bible makes it clear that God is a God of both spontaneity and order and that “true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23). So, our worship is inspired by the Holy Spirit, and “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17). And it is this same Holy Spirit who requires that “all things should be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40). Therefore, liturgy and liberty are both vital to our worship, assuring an adequate and worthy medium for the proclamation of the whole Gospel and the free movement of the Spirit that gives expression to the joy and hope of the forgiven.
When the New Testament speaks of “worship,” “service,” or “liturgy,” it makes reference to something far greater than simply the religious experience of an hour. It is really speaking about all of life. Our “spiritual worship” (RSV) or “reasonable service” (KJV) is to present ourselves “as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” (Romans 12:1). God is to be worshiped in every area of life. All of our life is a response to him and to what he has done. As God has offered himself to us, so we offer ourselves to God in the loving service of our neighbors, so that they, too, may respond to the living God and find fulfillment for their deepest longings.
So, from the first note of the prelude to the benediction and postlude, the dialogue between God and his people goes on. With the scattering congregation it is carried out in the world, a world God dearly loves and is urgently seeking to redeem. It is only a worshiping church that is adequately prepared to do its work and fulfill its witness in the world. We who are called to lead God's people in worship must do our best to create that atmosphere of joyful celebration, thankful praise, and loving concern which will ring out to our world that God is worthy of our worship.
“A Theology of Worship” in The Covenant Book of Worship (1981), p. 5.
A carefully planned worship service is God's story told well, having a clearly defined beginning and end, moving from revelation to response throughout. When people are drawn into the story, they are able to encounter and respond to God. Conversely, poorly planned worship leaves the worshiper unengaged and self-focused, having never encountered God. Sensitive planning invites the Holy Spirit to guide in all choices, with prayer being a necessary prerequisite to all worship decisions. The Holy Spirit lives in every believer (Galatians 4:6), works among us when we worship, and is not bound by planning. The planners - pastors, worship leaders, musicians, and others - must make choices so as not to impede the flow of the story and the Spirit’s surprises. Thoughtful planning arranges the worship in order to draw the participants deeper, anticipating and facilitating their need for response. Music, scripture, readings, drama, dance, prayer and all other means of expression are used to advance the telling of and the congregational participation in the story- Worship planning requires making Spirit-sensitive choices based on understanding God, congregation, the integrity of the liturgy, and the means of expression available to us. When God visits the service, there is no telling what might happen next.
“The Planning and Implementation of Worship,” from Proposed Book of Worship (2002).
As Christians we ought to set ourselves unequivocally against the kind of spirituality which thinks that it needs to force God to help. The prophet Elijah even ridiculed these rainmakers: “Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is musing, or he has gone aside, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.”.Elijah knew the needs of the people fully as much as the priests of Baal. He could even fully appreciate the zeal of the priests when they went all day long and cut themselves with knives. But their zeal was misdirected, and he did not hesitate for a moment to expose their folly.
In our own time there is in Christendom much zeal for God which is unwise. Often in religious circles one proceeds from the principle of the commercial advertiser: Don't lose the masses. So the points of view and the tastes of the masses become the determining factor in how the church of God shall order its worship. In place of truly religious songs one gets “jazz,” and in the pulpit one no longer looks for a prophet but for a clown. In place of worship there is entertainment. The whole thing results in a sort of primitive folk religion which is considered to be the only true, evangelical Christianity. Because we must get the masses to church at whatever cost we must tickle them under the chin in order to some way get them to open their mouths and now and then swallow a spoonful of our evangelical proclamation.
Nils W. Lund (1885-1954), “Restore Us Again, O Lord”
From Herbert E. Palmquist, The Word Is Near You (1974), p. 185.
What joy there is in coming to God’s own courts so fair,
where faithful souls are blooming like lilies in his care!
They raise their chalices tender for heav’n’s refreshing dew,
‘mid blessings God doth render they life and strength renew....
How beautiful the union of souls redeemed and free,
who hold with God communion in faith and purity!
While songs of praise are filling their sacred place of rest,
who then can be unwilling to join their circle blest...?
Come, see the Lord’s salvation and taste his love sincere;
come, pray without cessation, watch with his people here.
Outside the world makes merry, unhappy ‘mid its toys,
but in God’s sanctuary the soul finds heav’nly joys....
May ne’er my footsteps falter tow’rd night away from day,
my light shines from God’s altar, my sun I’ll seek alway.
Here in his presence glorious it is so good to be–
let here my soul victorious its tabernacle see....
Johan Ludvig Runeberg (1804-1877), “What Joy There Is,” tr. A. Samuel Wallgren (1885-1940). From The Covenant Hymnal: a Worshipbook (1996), No. 518.
SPIRITUAL ALCHEMY
Christ is the central prismatic truth,
Diamond-hard and flawless.
All justice and all goodness emanate from Him
As drops of molten steel leap from a fiery furnace.
Men save these molten sparks
And hold them to their breasts for warmth,
Or, as they cool, encrust them in gems
And set them up as idols–
Sorry, small, pitiful marks of the divine
That they are.
He who worships such a part of the whole
Does not worship the whole.
He who enthrones justice and goodness
Has dethroned Christ in his heart.
Exchange your piece of molten steel
For Christ the diamond.
Pauline Lenore Larson (1951-1977), Broken Arcs (1979), p. 3.
There is...no such thing as a church history that is not necessarily the history of the times in which real people are living. There is, therefore, no such thing as a theology that is not in some way speaking merely about the science of God, but also about the historical experience of the people who are doing the arguing. There is no such thing, therefore, as a church poetry, a liturgy, that must not necessarily relate itself to the daily experience of the people who practice it. My point is that it is one thing to reflect upon our history when we are in the planting stage, the period of abandon and freedom where a certain kind of liturgy may well be appropriate for the wandering pilgrim. It is another thing to arrange a liturgy for people who are managing space programs, major industrial components, computer technologies, and all the sophistication of the modem world, as though they were still footloose and unattached wanderers on the frontier. It is one thing to be a real child, but it is quite another thing to be a fake child. And if the church becomes an instrument of further fragmentation, then the church had better ask itself whether or not it is being faithful to the possibilities inherent in the good news to make people whole....
Zenos E. Hawkinson (1925-1997), “Uprooting” (1978)
From Anatomy of the Pilgrim Experience: Reflections on Being a Covenanter, Edited by Philip J. Anderson and David E. Hawkinson (2000), p. 6.
To worship “in spirit” puts the emphasis on inner response rather than external regulation. Unless it proceeds from a humble and grateful heart, its external expressions will be sham and hypocrisy. Love, not law, draws the human heart to worship. Therefore place is irrelevant. Neither Gerazim nor Jerusalem, a cathedral or a cottage, can contain or limit true worship. The sanctuary in which the Father desires our worship is the temple of the human soul. The vital ingredient is spirit, not site. Thus Jesus frees worship from bondage to the letter, legal encumbrance, and ceremonial restriction.
To worship “in truth” emphasizes the need to hear the Word of God. Adherence to superstition, belief in falsehood, or worship of idols set no persons free. The Samaritan woman needed to learn that the one to whom she was speaking was the one able to give water that could satisfy her deepest thirst. To her query regarding the Messiah, she needed to hear Jesus say, “I who speak to you am he.” This is how evangelism by a worshiper leads another to the liberation of true worship.
Randolph J. Klassen (1933- ), Jesus’ Word, Jesus’ Way (Herald Press, All Rights Reserved, 1992), pp. 138,139.
In your temple courts, O Father, once again assembled now,
sing we praises as we gather, in contrition humbly bow.
Here a foretaste we are given of the holy sabbath peace
which for us is stored in heaven, when life’s woes and strife shall cease.
For the hour of mercy granted we present our heartfelt praise;
thanks, O Lord, for truths implanted, thanks for tokens of your grace.
Thanks for warnings, for instruction, thanks for newborn hopes received;
thanks for light, blind fear’s destruction, for anxiety relieved.
Help us now your Word to cherish, sanctify our service, Lord!
That your truth our souls may nourish, be your will in us restored!
Help us in our daily living, as we face the days ahead,
that we may be always giving room to you, by you be led.
David Nyvall (1863-1946), “In Your Temple Courts, O Father,” tr. E. Gustav Johnson (1893-1974), from The Covenant Hymnal: a Worshipbook (1996), No. 507.
Somehow most church members manage to be more physical than spiritual in their responses. Our spiritual needs should drive us to prayer and the therapeutic of worship rather than our physical. There is no “social security” in the world of the spirit, even though there are those who have been trying to produce such a product. Some in the liturgical tradition would assure spiritual security in baptism while others in the reformed tradition are seeking to provide similar security in the context of once having “made a decision.”
There is no socialism in the Kingdom of God. Either you have life or you don't, and this is evident by the life you are living. Baptism and spiritual decisions have their place, but they are not substitutes for active life although they do have some relationship to spiritual life's beginning. Church attendance has little significance if it is not motivated by a need for spiritual resources. And our churches will not have significant attendance until they manage to meet these needs and awaken people to them. This is more than being given a “ticket to heaven.” It is an introduction to the grandeur of life lived in conscious companionship with Jesus Christ--which is more attractive than water-skiing or a rodeo or a park setting for a home barbecue. It is possible to enjoy all of these, but there is the matter of priority and not confusing values.
C. Milton Strom (1911-1972), Holy Curiosity (Board of Publications of the California Conference,1966), p. 76.
Form and Freedom
In 1900 the Covenant's Committee on Ritual produced an important document entitled “Guide to Christian Worship,” which not only reflected concern for a living worship among congregations at the turn of the century, but continues to give wise counsel for shaping worship in Covenant churches today. The essay bears the marks of the revival movement as reaction against cold, lifeless, liturgical forms: “The Christian worship is a form for the corporate life of the church but this life must have the freedom to develop such forms as are consistent with its own nature. One cannot confine Christian church life within one for-all-time-established form. It grows freely and breaks through all coercive forms.” But if there is reaction here, the call for order is clear. “Spiritual life is the inner, true essence of worship but this life must reveal itself through the outward forms of words and deeds. Forms can be without life, but life cannot be without forms.... The outward form of worship should be reverent, festive and beautiful.”
With roots in both Lutheranism and classical Pietism, Covenant people knew about the priesthood of all believers not only in caretaking but in worship. “The church is not a chaotic heap of members but a body in which each member has his place and function,” thus allowing for “a free participation of the attendants” in prayer, song, and personal witness. Yet good order in the body should be reflected in “the beautiful worship of the Lord” and always appear in “a worthy and gracious manner.”
Glen V. Wiberg (1925- ), This Side of the River (Published by Salem Covenant Church, New Brighton, Minnesota, 1995), p. 59.
A spiritual worship is also a matter of freedom, for the human spirit is free. Particularly are the believers called unto freedom (Galatians 5:1,13). The fear of God cannot be accomplished through legalistic coercion. Worship must be a free action and be so arranged that there is room for the free participation of the attendants. The church also, in its Christian freedom, should have the privilege of arranging its worship with regard for the needs of the time.
In all the freedom allowed, however, there should be order even in the exercise of worship. “For God is not a God of confusion but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33). In the church, “all things should be done decently and in good order” (vs. 40). The church is not a chaotic heap of members but a body in which each member has his place and function. This good order should be reflected in the worship of the church.
Introduction to A Book of Worship for Covenant Churches (1964), p. xxv.
The Covenant is not a liturgical church and does not make use of a litany or prayer book. Its order of worship is similar to that found in the usual non-liturgical church. It combines reverence and dignity with informality. The good practice of bowing the head in prayer upon entering the church is still followed in many churches. The Hymnal (1950), which was prepared through many years of careful study, carries the best hymns of the Christian church, including a number of translations from the rich heritage of the Swedish church.
Herbert E. Palmquist (1896-1981), The Covenant Church at a Glance (1952), p. 9.
The Mission Friends’ worship services were by firm consensus informal. There was no wish to return to the order from which they had departed. This determination to open the service to greater spontaneity and more participation on the congregation’s part was in wise harmony with the living spirit that prevailed among the Mission Friends. As long as the fountain plays, it is wise to drink from its waters.
Members were regularly called upon to pray, even in the stately morning worship. Some, in the pastor’s absence, would read and preach....
Let no one suppose that these informal worship services lacked dignity. They varied as all services do. More often they are described as festive hours. The sermon was the heart of the service. One can still feel something of the excitement with which they anticipated the sermon, singing songs such as “O Savior, thou who for us died, Come be our shepherd tender...”, and “Now before thee, Lord, we gather, To receive thy precious Word...”. The sermons were textual expositions, often with memorable statements....
There is some evidence that the temper had changed somewhat in 1892 when Youngquist wrote to L. J. Peterson: “We stand in danger of setting aside the sermon that empties a person of his own confidence in his own power and fastens the heart’s comfort and confidence alone in the grace of God in Christ. I am afraid that we must take a review in these matters so that subtle self-righteousness shall not spread its veil over the righteousness by faith and hide its value. Let us in our old days take a course in righteousness by faith alone. This is a very important matter. It is the foundation of true godliness.”
Eric G. Hawkinson (1896-1984), Images in Covenant Beginnings (1968), pp. 86,87,88.
The tension between the formal and the informal, the high liturgy and low liturgy reflects the traditional tension between transcendence and immanence in theology, God is both among us through the indwelling Christ and above us as the Lord of history. Theology that leans too far in either direction becomes heretical, as in deism or pantheism. The tension is found within the Scriptures. At the Last Supper the disciples recline with him in informal questions and answers (Luke 22:14). In the book of Revelation the four and twenty elders fall on their faces before the throne and chant in unison, “Worthy is the Lamb...” (Revelation 5:6-14). Biblical worship must involve both aspects. Rather than resolving the tension, a balance must be maintained in every church and in every individual life. Christ is both Lord and friend.
Covenanters have generally found themselves in reaction to high liturgical forms. They have also felt the need for order. Theirs has been an implicit theology of interior covenantalism. They want true worship from the heart, but recognize that external forms are necessary....
A visit to Covenant churches across North America will reveal the variety of ways in which this tension is expressed. The tensions of the dialogue can be constructive only as long as our sense of the covenantal unity surpasses these differences.
Covenanters affirm the promise of our Lord that, “Where two or three and gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:19,20). To gather together is to covenant; hence to worship is to covenant.
Paul E. Larsen (1933- ), The Mission of a Covenant (1985), pp. 47,48.
The emotions find their outlet in worship. They constitute a great force with a transcendent power that needs to be harnessed for service. In worship they become purified, strengthened, and disciplined, and subordinated to the will of God. The sordid and selfish has no place in prayer, praise, and adoration. The heart dares not indulge in the unworthy, and the lips may not utter the impure. The majesty and holiness of God will not tolerate it. And the worshiper feels that way. Then he would have to meet an angry God with his disfavor and judgment. In spiritual worship, however, there is a transcendence above the natural, and the emotions feel and are blessed with the presence of God.
The esthetic elements are interwoven with worship. And the esthetic has also a right to be a child of God. The beautiful in its various forms must be recognized as a great force in human life. As such it has its legitimate place in Christian character. But the beautiful must become a servant, not a lord. If it predominates in worship, it leads to formalism. The guard against it is the deeper strains of confession, penitence, humility, and poverty of spirit. That must forever have a predominant place in worship
Nils Heiner (1868-1958), “Covenant Characteristics,” from Covenant Roots: Sources and Affirmations, Glenn P. Anderson, ed. (1980), p.226.
The life movement out of which the Covenant Church came was not easily confined within the structure of the church. It tended to challenge most restrictions of tradition and usage. As a consequence, there developed an understandable impatience with those elements of liturgy and symbolism of the old church which seemed to hamper the new life. Although it is wrong to assume that our fathers had no feeling for order, it is certainly true that liturgical form was reduced to a minimum. Our churches were plain meeting houses, and the freedom and simplicity of the conventicle dominated our worship pattern. Today we need to distinguish between an undue emphasis on the minutiae of forms and those elements of our time-honored Christian heritage which are the necessary and efficient agents of Christian thought and action.
“Symbolism in Worship,” from A Book of Worship for Covenant Churches (1964), p. 12.
The liturgy tells a story. It uses the Christian year to show how God entered our history. The story involves a person, Jesus of Nazareth, and his life and work. By hymns, creeds, Scripture, sacraments, and prayer his life and work are commemorated, celebrated, and confessed. The story is kept alive by its retelling. Every year we repeat it and retell it. As Gerard Lukken said, it is by this annual and weekly retelling that we abandon ourselves to God in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. We tell the story to get a story, a story that addresses me in my need so that my story can be taken up in the larger story of God in Christ. The story--sung, spoken, and acted out in liturgy--is the point of entry.
C. John Weborg (1937- ), Alive in Christ, Alert to Life (1985), p. 68.
Although our churches are non-liturgic, having no prescribed form of worship, yet there is a deep-felt need of order, beauty, and dignity which comes from God, who is the God of order. Beautiful and fitting forms need not necessarily mean formality and deadness of spirit. The minister whose heart is aflame will make the service glow as he [or she] ministers in the Master's name. All who are deeply conscious of the greatness of the minister's calling will welcome every aid in the performance of his [or her] God-given task.
Foreword to Covenant Ministers’ Service Book of the Evangelical Mission Covenant Church of America (1944).
The innermost essence of all true worship is the heart’s devotion to God. That is what the Savior means when he says “to worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). A worship which consists merely of outer forms is vain (James 1:26). This is strikingly characterized in these words of the Lord: “This people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men learned by rote” (Isaiah 29: 13).
However, it is not the outer forms themselves of which the Lord disapproves--he has himself ordained them--but spiritless and lifeless formalism. Spiritual life is the inner, true essence of worship, but this life must reveal itself through the outward forms of words and deeds. Forms can be without life, but life cannot be without forms.
Introduction from A Book of Worship for Covenant Churches (1964), p. xxi.
Worship is an expression of religious faith. It is the soul seeking in outwards acts of devotion to make evident the life of faith within. Whatever the form of faith may be...it must in some way express itself outwardly. The faith that ceases to take outward form in worship will soon wither and die.
True worship is not merely a matter of forms and rituals; it is a matter of heart attitude. Such worship always affects conduct. It leads to acts of love and goodness; it directs the believer in the channels of service and love. The soul that in sincerity and lowliness of heart worships God will be fruitful in Christian living. We come then to the conclusion that without true worship there can be no true Christian living.
Leonard J. Larson (1894-1973), “Old Testament Faith, Worship, and Conduct”
From Covenant Graded Lessons, Special Unit, 1949, p. 14.
There will be many times when religious worship will seem lifeless, when hymn singing will seem perfunctory and sermons dull. Sometimes there will be nothing but the fading memory of that which was a vital experience in the past. Nevertheless, the fact that it did have significance in the past gives it meaning for the present. The pilgrim does not reject his past but moves beyond it, and the memory of it gives him perspectives that he could not have without it. Therefore he recognizes that traditional forms of worship have their place even if they are not always aglow with meaning, and he shares in them because in so doing he links himself with other Christians in the life that is continuous from the past into the future.
The pilgrim recognizes, however, that these traditional forms of worship must be renewed continually with new life from the risen Christ. He recognizes that renewal will often transform and change them. The risen Christ is his guide in these matters, for Christ is related to the past and the present as well as the future. He is the Alpha as well as the Omega, the beginning as well as the end, the one “who is and who was and who is to come.” He is able to lead the pilgrims from the past into the future without breaking the continuity.
Wesley W. Nelson (1910- ), Salvation and Secularity (1968), p. 147.
Spiritual Formation
Participation in service and worship times in the family, in the congregation, and in the community ...provides opportunities for spiritual formation for children. In service and worship, children can learn how to tell others about Jesus and how to care for others in Jesus' name. Sharing these experiences with adults satisfies the child's need to belong, [to] be significant, and to be secure in a familiar setting. A variety of service opportunities helps children to be creative in making choices and in caring for all of God's created world. In service and in worship, children learn to celebrate God's work in us, to hear Christ's joyful call to forgiveness and lifelong pilgrimage, and to recognize the role of the Holy Spirit in life and worship.
Children’s Ministry Team, A Framework for Children’s Ministry (Department of Christian Education and Discipleship, 1977), p. 6.
The pastor can work with the worship committee to ensure that our gathering for worship is not just a protected enclave from the world, not just a spiritual group therapy session, not a theologically one-sided affair. Hymns and scripture lessons should rehearse and celebrate the fullness and greatness of God; this necessarily includes God's acts and words with respect to our neighbors and our world. Our sharing of concerns and ministry reports should include social concerns. For this to happen, leadership and initiative are crucial. Without this our natural tendency is to limit our sharing to personal crisis (usually health) and current projects of our members. The fact that God cares about politics, nations, and our neighbors outside the sanctuary should be reflected in our services.
David W. Gill (1946- ), “The Unique Role of the Church in a Troubled Society”
From Servant Leadership, Volume Two: Contemporary Models and the Emerging Challenge, James R. Hawkinson & Robert K. Johnston, editors (1993), 73.
I believe one of the central features of a growing church is lively, celebrative worship and the proclamation of good news. People will “feel good” about their faith and their relationships with each other when they feel like they are participants in the celebration of God's mighty acts. As soon as congregants get the feeling that they are spectators at a “performance” someone else is making for a living, or because it is the traditional way services have always been done, it won't take long before dissatisfaction with the way the story is being told will be laid at the feet of the performer who occupies the most central place in the Sunday morning “drama.”
Good. strong, imaginative proclamation of the joy of the Lord, when accompanied by active lay participation in planning and actively ministering in the worship hour, will vitalize Sunday morning if for no other reason than the growing feeling that there is no one who is not drawn into the marvelous dialogue which worship is. Worship then becomes a celebration of what God is saying of judgment and of grace to persons engaged actively in listening, responding, and identifying with those who are more specifically involved at any given moment.
Arthur A. R. Nelson (1934- ), “To Build Up the Body.” From Bound to Be Free: essays on being a Christian and a Covenanter, James R. Hawkinson, ed. ( 1975), p. 69.
The greatest blessings are received from the worship service by those who share most in it. Our attitudes and acts should seek to establish reverence both for ourselves and others. We should share in the singing, responsive readings, and all other congregational acts of worship. The true worshiper will not always be watching for faults and mistakes in the worship service whether by the congregation or the choir or the minister. The worship hour should be a time wholly given to edifying and inspiring the inner life.
Leonard J. Larson (1894-1973), “Christian Youth and Church Worship”
From Covenant Graded Lessons (1943), p. 19.
