Worship As Celebration Of God's Saving Deeds

The ultimate aim of worship is not to create a certain mood, nor is it the pragmatic goal of teaching or evangelism. Rather, the aim of worship is to joyfully respond to God's great deeds of salvation in Jesus Christ through praise and thanksgiving.

During the past two decades we have seen a renewal of interest in worship that has had both refreshing and disturbing features in the church. On the positive side, we have seen a much needed emphasis upon worship as involving congregational praise to God. People have become involved in upward expression, as well as in listening. As the worship service has taken on an air of festivity and activity, many churches have been freed from a Bible-lecture mentality. On the negative side, however, we have seen an unfortunate overemphasis upon "worship style." For example, we are told that a neocharismatic style of worship is definitely a proven attendance builder. Some years ago a worship-style clinician assured our congregation that if we could achieve a certain "sound" in chanted praise, it would "revolutionize" the life of the church. Mood was his aim. Then the more flexible students tell us that any style that suits the tastes of the people in a given congregation is "the way to go." In other words, God works through many worship styles. Pragmatism is their secret, many pastors say. In their absorption with "style," many churches have decided to seek dignity in worship. They have decided to borrow heavily from the traditional and liturgical churches, polishing up their previous information style with touches of tasteful order. Balance is their watchword. There is probably some truth in all of the above. However, something vital is lost in this all-consuming concentration upon style in worship. It is simply this—that worship is not first of all a matter of style, but a matter of response to truth. Overemphasis upon the manner of worship has beclouded the purpose of praise. Worship is our unified, celebrative response of thanksgiving to God for his creative and redemptive acts in Christ Jesus our Lord. This response involves our songs, prayers, offerings of thanks, ministry in the Word, mutual sharing of faith experience, and, at regular intervals, the celebration of the Lord's Supper. If the church is the foregleam of the future, then our worship has features that will culminate in the worship of the eternal world. This type of worship we find in chapter 5 of Revelation. Here we see a great numberless throng breaking into utmost praise as it grasps the truth that Jesus Christ, the Lion and the Lamb, has become the conqueror. The heavenly hosts' worship is a response to truth about Christ. Therefore, worship that becomes a quest for a certain style—whether neocharismatic or neodignified or a search for personal fulfillment and enjoyment, or a reaching out for a mood—misses the point. Although worship involves moods and experiences, it is not primarily a quest for these. It is something we do in response to what God has already done in Christ. Our total service then becomes worship. Certain portions of the service may bring us a more intense realization of the presence of God, but we do not apply the term worship to that experience in a special manner. We come as worshipers, participate as worshipers, and leave as worshipers. In our congregation we like to say: We are not on a quest for long-delayed dignity, but on a quest for truth. Any intentional structuring of the service is for the sake of placing redemptive truth about Jesus Christ up front in song, word, and prayer. This helps us to avoid excessive talking about ourselves under the guise of "fellowship." The service must speak much about Jesus Christ. When we discover that truth, not style, is the secret of New Testament worship—a response to truth inspired by the Holy Spirit—then that can be expressed under various styles. It is then no longer the simplistic idea that "any style works," but the biblical principle that the central saving truth about Jesus Christ will inspire worship in any culture. We also need to remind ourselves that worship is not primarily a period devoted to refueling church workers, nor a pep rally for church growth—although activity and growth should be natural results of our life together. The church is first of all a community of working worshipers, not a community of worshiping workers. In worship we present ourselves to God first in a response of thanksgiving and praise, centered around the truth in Christ—then in a response of service.