Just because lyrics were written in the last ten years and are performed with guitars, drums and a modern setting - does NOT mean they are devoid of value, worship, death, the Cross, or substitutionary atonement.
Posted on 05/15/2013 6:52:06 PM PDT by Lee N. Field
The problem with much Christian worship in the contemporary world, Catholic and Protestant alike, is not that it is too entertaining but that it is not entertaining enough. Worship characterized by upbeat rock music, stand-up comedy, beautiful people taking center stage, and a certain amount of Hallmark Channel sentimentality neglects one classic form of entertainment, the one that tells us, to quote the Book of Common Prayer, that “in the midst of life we are in death.”
It neglects tragedy. Tragedy as a form of art and of entertainment highlighted death, and death is central to true Christian worship. The most basic liturgical elements of the faith, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, speak of death, of burial, of a covenant made in blood, of a body broken. Even the cry “Jesus is Lord!” assumes an understanding of lordship very different than Caesar’s. Christ’s lordship is established by his sacrifice upon the cross, Caesar’s by power.
Perhaps some might recoil at characterizing tragedy as entertainment, but tragedy has been a vital part of the artistic endeavors of the West since Homer told of Achilles, smarting from the death of his beloved Patroclus, reluctantly returning to the battlefields of Troy. Human beings have always been drawn to tales of the tragic, as to those of the comic, when they have sought to be lifted out of the predictable routines of their daily lives—in other words, to be entertained.
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(Excerpt) Read more at firstthings.com ...
Carl Trueman's always worth reading.
Only the dead can be resurrected. As the second thief on the cross saw so clearly, Christ’s kingdom is entered through death, not by escape from it. Traditional Protestantism saw this, connecting baptism not to washing so much as to death and resurrection. Protestant liturgies made sure that the law was read each service in order to remind the people that death was the penalty for their sin. Only then, after the law had pronounced the death sentence, would the gospel be read, calling them from their graves to faith and to resurrection life in Christ. The congregants thereby became vicarious participants in the great drama of salvation.
Such things weight on my mind more as I get older (though I don't intend to croak any time soon).
That’s why my kids love the Good Friday live stations of the cross. It is gripping for them, more so than many liturgies with happy drums and clapping celebrants.
Thanks for that. Certain widows in my first parish begged me not to speak of death, having lost their husbands to it. I reckon in weakness they wanted a cheerleader, not a Pastor. They are baptized into Christ, so it’s okay. Let those who teach in the Church be strengthened in the Holy Spirit, for we anticipate the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.
Well said.
There was surely catharsis in such worship: The congregants left each week having faced the deepest reality of their own destinies. Perhaps it is ironic, but the church that confronts people with the reality of the shortness of life lived under the shadow of death prepares them for resurrection better than the church that goes straight to resurrection triumphalism without that awkward mortality bit.
Well said and so very true.
Released by the Newsboys in 2003:
In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand
In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ
No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand
I will stand, I will stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground (x2)
Is sinking sand (x2)
So I’ll stand!
Lyrics from sing365.com
Just because lyrics were written in the last ten years and are performed with guitars, drums and a modern setting - does NOT mean they are devoid of value, worship, death, the Cross, or substitutionary atonement.
The best worship environments will meet the entire congregation exactly where they are, every Sunday.
-The sad will be able to mourn.
-Those who are thrilled with their salvation will find a place to rejoice.
-Those who are confident with their place in Jesus will be assured.
-Those who are genuinely questioning will find answers.
Churches that do all of this simultaneously this are very rare, but they do exist* and they are an incredible blessing.
(I have been a member of two. It is what I look for when I move, which is every 2-3 years.)
I have heard it said that on of the goals of Christianity is to help one to die well.
God tells us that we should welcome death because it is a time when we are taken away from the toil of this world and are made whole. We enter into God's peace. Yet we simply don't understand this concept.
I have always gotten a sort of creepy feeling when I hear a funeral called a “celebration of life”. Carl’s article helped me understand why. BTW I kind of like being called a curmudgeon as I am sure I have been.
Thank you.
Thank you for this. Becoming a Christian in college, and still in the Lutheran church, the liturgy took on a new significance and beauty for me, as I was truly praising the LORD in worship for the first time.
I hardly ever post, but do check and read posts on GRPL. Thank you for the ping to GRPL. Blessings !
P.S. Although reformed and Presbyterian for 19 years, I am always blessed by the liturgy when even reformed churches implement it in worship ! My husband loves Carl Trueman’s books and blogs. Thanks again!
I have heard it said that on of the goals of Christianity is to help one to die well.
I think you've been listening to White Horse Inn.
God tells us that we should welcome death because it is a time when we are taken away from the toil of this world and are made whole. We enter into God's peace. Yet we simply don't understand this concept.
For the Christian, death has an odd dual character. It is the inheritance from Adam, but also "an end to sin, and an entrance into eternal life" (Heidelberg Q 42).
Good to see you P.I. ;)
I appeal to you therefore, brothers,by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. - Romans 12-1
"Worship experience" also exalts emotions which can fool us, many times, into thinking we are entering God's presence. I am not dismissing such things outright, just saying that we are not truly worshiping unless we have the proper attitude toward God.
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