Urbana 2000 Convention
Forms of Corporate Worship(How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways.)
In John 4:23, Jesus says that God is seeking worshippers. This is clear evidence that the Lord takes the worship lives of his people very seriously. But worshipping God has never been just about singing (though we sometimes, unfortunately, think it is). What follows is a specific and practical (but not exhaustive) list of different forms of corporate worship. Use them liberally!
- Silence - In a fast-paced, busy, and noisy world like ours, there are few things more profoundly worshipful than slowing down and being quiet in God's presence. Being silent is an act of worship because it says to God that we choose to focus on him and his voice rather than everything else that is commanding our attention. There is nothing more important than being with and hearing from God and it often takes an act of reverent worshipful silence to accomplish this. Furthermore, in the presence of an awesome God like ours, reverent silence is sometimes the only appropriate response.
- Making Noise - We get plenty loud at our non-religious worship services (like sporting events), so why shouldn't we do the same when we gather to worship the most awesome and high God? When we get excited, it's natural to show it. What is there to get more excited about than a God who loves us and shows it everyday?
- Hearing God's Word Expounded - Like listening in silence, giving our ears to those God has sent to speak to us is an act that demonstrates our desire to hear from God. This is an act of worship because it's an action that proclaims our belief that we need to hear from God more than we need anything else (it's like food to our souls). It also says that we believe God is gracious and trustworthy and that he will speak to us if we listen. And in a highly relativistic world, when we choose to receive and focus on God's word as ultimate truth, it is a startling act of worship.
- Reading Scripture Together - Similar to hearing God's word preached is the act of hearing from our own and others' mouths. Simply put, we fill our heads and hearts with what we value (i.e. worship) the most. We hear from God and speak to him in unity when we read his word corporately.
- Prayers - Demonstrating our belief that God listens, that he cares, and that he has the power to respond, praying is a tremendously important act of worship.
- Giving Offerings - Yes, giving our money is an act of worship! We show that we believe God is good by giving our financial resources and trusting him to supply our needs. At a church I attended a couple of years ago, the offering time was one of the most exciting points of the service. Church members certainly liked singing and praying together, but when it came time to give their money to God, the whole congregation would start to hoop and holler. It was a worshipful thrill to give some of God's blessings back to him and acknowledge that "everything comes from thee, O Lord, and of thine own have we given thee."
- Physical Movement - God's people of the Old Testament would move, dance, clap, lift up their hands, and bow down when they got caught up in worshipping him. Though different cultures do it in various ways, it's a natural human response to want to move around physically when we're excited about something.
- Singing - God's people have always been singing people. It's one of the things that every period of Old Testament and Church history has in common. Instrumentation and musical style have changed dramatically, but singing has remained constant. There are very few denominations today for which singing is not an important element of their communal worship. The ability of music to break down our emotional and psychological defenses is unparalleled. It's as though while singing (rather than speaking, for example) we can put parts of ourselves into communicating with God that we could not otherwise access. Singing-type worship is going on in heaven right now and as far as we know, it always will be.
- Using Different Kinds of Music/Songs - There are many ways to sing to God and worship him in musical forms. Sometimes we fall into patterns of singing only one or two types of songs (we usually call them "fast" and "slow" - or "praise" and "worship"), but there are lots of other categories to consider. There are songs that help us to access our feelings about God. There are songs that help us to think about God. (Some songs do both at the same time.) Some songs give a sense of how near God is, while others demonstrate how great God is. These (and many others) are all important. Occasionally, even instrumental music can help us to encounter God in a way that is deeper than words allow.
- Many other kinds of artistic expressions - dance, poetry, and visual art can all be useful forms to express worship. Sometimes they are participatory, and sometimes spectator oriented, but they can always be worshipful. Good art not only communicates meaning, but it also strengthens meaning. "In fact, the effect of any proposition, whether true or false, can be heightened if it is expressed in poetry or in artistic prose [or in dance or in sculpture, etc.] rather than in a bald, formulaic statement (Francis Schaeffer, Art & the Bible, IVP, pp. 38-9).
Matt Frazier
Urbana Worship Team Leader
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