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Post by Soulfyre on Oct 26, 2004 9:08:43 GMT -5
As one of the most important activities in which we participate as a group, a "body" if you will, what are the important parts of Christian worship? What about style of music? How important is the sermon or homile? What place should "communion" or the "eucharist" occupy in our worship? What place do gifts or "charismata" have when we meet as the body of Christ to worship? These are all things we should discuss together and learn from one another...perhaps our discussion will revitalize worship for each one of us! God bless and keep you and yours, Matthew (soulfyre)
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Post by worthily on Dec 22, 2004 9:16:01 GMT -5
what are the important parts of Christian worship?
you ask many questions, so on this post i will address the one mentioned above for now. In the context of what is important to a Christian who worships Jesus Christ and God through Jesus Christ... then that would direct us to Jesus Christ who said that God seeks one who worships in truth and in spirit.
Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
When David danced with all his might before the Lord, then by whose Spirit would allow that?
When we sing and make melody within our hearts, then by whose Spirit would allow that?
when we intentionalize our worship in word or deed, then by what manner do you direct yourselves towards a relationship to fulfill, with the spirit to Spirit or flesh to Spirit?
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Post by worthily on Dec 30, 2004 7:36:22 GMT -5
nobody else wants to add input to this thread?
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Post by Soulfyre on Dec 31, 2004 4:45:02 GMT -5
I hope so, for worship is essential to our Christian lives, and is a lively topic of conversation. In fact, at some point I think we should have a separate board on worship. I shall try to encourage some others to post here. I think what often happens is we get so caught up in the excitement of doctrinal discussions that we forget that worship was, in fact, a major part of the lives of the Christian community over history, and should be a far greater part of ours. God bless you and keep you, Matthew (soulfyre)
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Post by melinky on Jan 1, 2005 12:07:36 GMT -5
As one of the most important activities in which we participate as a group, a "body" if you will, what are the important parts of Christian worship? What about style of music? How important is the sermon or homile? What place should "communion" or the "eucharist" occupy in our worship? What place do gifts or "charismata" have when we meet as the body of Christ to worship? These are all things we should discuss together and learn from one another...perhaps our discussion will revitalize worship for each one of us! God bless and keep you and yours, Matthew (soulfyre) I think that for me, it's the whole experience. While the sermon is the focal point of worship where the Word of God is revealed, the sermon alone would not have the impact on me that the worship service as a whole has. The music sets the tone and draws everything together. I think this is especially true for me since I sing in the choir and I'm so involved with the music. The services I enjoy the most are Christmas and Easter where we get to do special music. A small part of our service that has really come to mean a lot to me is when our joys and concerns are lifted up to the church. This simple act of sharing gives me a feeling of being amongst family. Communion is a very important and often intense part of the worship experience for me. I think that the whole idea of participating in a ritual that our Lord began is so moving to me. "The body of Christ, broken for you." "The blood of Christ, poured out for you." When I hear these words, they are such an intense reminder of the sacrifice Christ made for us. I had never experienced Communion until four years ago and still remains something that I really look forward to. I think that one of my favorite parts of the worship service is baptism. My son and I were baptized together on his birthday four years ago and it was an extremely special event in my life. Seeing others baptized is special to me because I remember my own baptism. As for "Charismata," that isn't my thing. I was only exposed to it once and it made me very uncomfortable. However, I do realize that this is something that brings others closer to God, it just doesn't work that way for me. I guess it's kind of like when Paul was talking about the church as a body: “Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,†it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,†it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!†And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!†On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.†(1Cor. 12:14-26, NIV)It's all of the parts together that make the worship service special, and meaningful to me. Melinda
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Post by fairbank on Feb 6, 2005 0:45:39 GMT -5
I stand with Melinda...all parts are saturated with meaning and blessing. It depends from one week to the next which part will take center stage. The prayers, the singing, and fellowship all "set the table" for the feasting on the truth of the word during the sermon. Ater the "meal" partakers are urged to respond to what God has said to them in the sermon. They then have a week to be nourished, and strengthened by what they have heard and how they have responded.
Two weeks ago, an elderly gentleman in my church collapsed in the middle of the sermon. I ran from the pulpit and was joined by a nurse. A third person ran to call 911. Everyone else bowed their heads and instinctively prayed. Once the paramedics arrived, I led the church in public prayer for the man, then sat with groups of people in the church and quietly updated them on what the paramedics were doing to set their minds at ease.
Once the man was taken to the hospital accompanied by his wife, I ended the service giving thanks that this elderly couple faced this trial in church, surrounded by people who have loved them for 7 decades rather than alone at home or worse yet, in the car. The point is, I never finished the sermon, the church acted it out. It was clear for visitors to see how we loved and cared for one another. Wonderful, unexpected...all line items in the bulletin were subordinated that day to the love of Christ reflected in the body's love for one another. We all left with a strong sense of having worshipped the one who was and is and is to come.
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