Worship: Yesterday, Today And Forever

Jeremy Cook and Dan Wilt discuss consistency and diversity in worship expressions throughout church history.

Huddled in a small home lit by a few small oil lamps, followers of Jesus of Nazareth in first century Palestine gather together to worship. There are joyful smiles, hearty slaps on the back, loving embraces and a deeply meaningful exchange of the holy kiss of fellowship. Responsive chanting, melodic and flavored with Hebrew hymnody fills the room, and with words of adoration and allegiance to the Eternal King, the worshipers transform this small abode into a cathedral of highest beauty. Bread is broken and shared, wine is opened and taken ceremoniously and the Lord's Supper becomes a joyful celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. Letters from faithful leaders are read and encouraging glances are shared throughout the room. Worship glows like the embers of an underground fire.

Huddled in a large gymnasium lit with fluorescent lights, followers of Jesus of Nazareth in 21st century Canada gather together to worship. There are joyful smiles, hearty high-fives, loving hugs and a deeply meaningful ex- change of the holy laughter of friendship. Corporate singing, guitar-driven and melodic with the sonic styles of postmodern rock fill the large hall, and with words of adoration and allegiance to the Eternal King, the worshipers transform the athletic arena into a sanctuary of highest praise. Bread is broken and shared, grape juice is distributed and taken simultaneously and the Eucharist becomes an exuberant celebration of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Holy letters from faithful leaders 2000 years ago are read, ancient prayers are corporately spoken and reflections on the scriptures, like refreshing drops of rain, are offered by a trusted leader to the gathering. Worship rises in concert like the morning mist off a summer lake.

Worship Yesterday And Today

The scriptures clearly tell us that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow - we worship an unchanging and unchangeable God. Similarly, a brief look at Church history would show many common themes in worship throughout the ages, such as corporate singing, the reading aloud of the scriptures and the practices of baptism and communion. Howev- er, that same history would also conversely show a myriad of different expressions of wor- ship, similar in biblical theme, yet radically different in form. Geographic, linguistic, cultural and theological differences affected worship practices, and in fact, recent scholarship evidences that the earliest Christian worship itself was not a single, homogenous style - but rather was essentially diverse as far back as can be traced.

This can leave us with a challenging thought: Are all these varied expressions of worship from and to the heart of the same God? "Of course," would be our simple and direct an- swer. Varied forms of worship do not change the nature of the One being worshiped. How- ever, how do we explain the incredible diversity of the Church's worship expressions across the stage of history?

There are a number of reasons our expressions of worship have been unique and distinct throughout time, some of which we'll briefly explore:

Worship Expressions Are Culturally Shaped

Historically, throughout every generation of worshipers, the Holy Spirit has stimulated cre- ativity within His Church, and those creative people have sought to use that creativity to ex- press the emotions, desires and faith of their hearts. As they have done that, their unique ex- pression has caught the hearts of others, and hence become popular and useful. Every time that worship has been expressed historically, it has been molded by the emphasis of the cul- ture, revelation and the social background of its day.

Worship Expressions Are Environmentally Shaped

Historically, many ancient forms of worship have also had a great emphasis on nature and creation, as many people lived in peril at the mercy of those elements – elements governing their very survival. One can see nature themes throughout the traditions of Celtic worship, for example. Such challenges as stormy seas, freezing winters and failed crop yields were daily staring them in the face. On other occasions, the emphasis on nature and creation was expressed for the same reasons we do so today – the writer was simply overwhelmed by nature's beauty, and hence looked to nature's Creator.

Worship Expressions Are Ethnically Shaped

Historically, the Church has expanded far beyond its humble beginnings in the small villages of first century Israel. Believers have embraced the Lordship of Jesus across the seven continents and across widely differing ethnic landscapes. Every expression of worship can be traced back to a blending of ethnic sensibilities with the content of the Gospel of Life.

Differing nations and believing communities have both absorbed and resisted many different forms of worship through the ages in accord with their own culture's history and traditions. The essence of worship need not change as the forms and style of a culture embody it in varied ways. Worship celebrations in the heart of Brazil will radically differ from those in the Ukraine, which will differ radically from those in Malawi. However, the heart of the worshiper will remain as true if Jesus is the content of those worship expressions.

Worship Expressions Are Educationally Shaped

Historically, there has been a need for education inside and outside of the Church. Faced with mass illiteracy, the ancients sought to build icons into worship to inform and teach the worshipers the scriptures and bible stories. Visual symbols such as stained glass, tapestries, murals and icons are good examples of this need to educate. In some cases, such as may be true of St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome, Italy's greatest creative geniuses – both secular and sacred in vocation – built a church as a monument to the glory of God, perhaps even today unrivalled for its beauty.

A Living Activity

We must bear in mind, through all of these movements of history, that we worship a living God who is not a mute idol. He is alive, and He does move in the midst of your history and mine. He does new things in fresh ways, and thus we cannot remain still in our worship of Him. Though His nature is unchanging, He does unique things in every generation. Therefore, we must worship God in response to His immanent presence, His present nearness to us, in our day and according to our common languages of expression. Whether we worship God in a Latin vesper or we worship Him in a modern day rap song, God is always to be worshiped in a living and non-static way.

What's The Use?

So, what can we say in all of this? Are the forms of worship from the ancient past of any use to us? Let us offer a few final thoughts:

Firstly, we are all part of the redeemed, the great cloud of witnesses, and so we stand inextricably linked with the saints of old, actively waiting for the return of Christ and the establishment of a new heaven and earth. We are one with the most ancient of worshipers in these hopes.

Secondly, every culture tends to dismiss or minimize the past in excitement over its fresh discoveries. Hence, we often "throw out the baby with the bathwater." Much of the Church's worship that has gone before us reminds us of the great and unchanging God that we worship. Those ex- pressions of adoration and allegiance were anointed and inspired by God for their day. The best of those liturgical expressions can still be very useful today.

Thirdly, recognize that all of today's expressions of wor- ship follow a liturgy of some sort, a work or plan of our hands, that has become comfortable and effective for our own worship. Whether a liturgy is formal, enacting liturgy in a very defined order, or whether it is informal, contem- porary worship songs sung to the hum of an overhead projector, we all gravitate to liturgies that facilitate the worship that is flowing from our hearts.

What Matters Most

We finish with a very pragmatic and necessary thought: It doesn't really matter how and with what form you worship God, provided that such worship is unceasing in devotio, and flowing from a pure heart. While this may seem to be cliché and assumed, much of the Church's struggle to embrace con- temporary and ancient expressions of worship has been built around a faulty assumption – that another's way of worshiping is inherently wrong – because it's not our way. Our way of worshiping is just that – our way – and to at- tach our preferences to God quickly converts those preferences to prejudices.
That which "works" in worship is then defined as that which helps you worship God in un- ceasing devotion and heart purity. Find what works, past and present, and allow it to carry the worship that is in your heart to God. From the home to the cathedral to the gymnasium, let His worship resound yesterday, today and forever.