Yesterday I was asked if I was intentionally incorporating more scripture readings into the worship services I plan. I was almost dumbfounded - especially considering who it was that asked me - but I quickly discerned his discouragement regarding the disheartening lack of public reading of scripture.
(Pardon my excessive alliteration, but allow it to serve as a transition to another observation we made independently of each other.)
We have exchanged the Word of God for cute (and often over-alliterated) self-help lectures (albeit ones with scriptural proof texts). A few months ago I queried a class of about 25 non-traditional Bible college students as to whether or not they publicly read scripture on the previous Sunday (sermon prooftexting notwithstanding) and four raised their hands. FOUR! The use of the Bible in public worship is in a serious state of neglect!
I would also add that we have exchanged the praise, adoration, and thanksgiving - all full of humility and contrition - of Biblical worship for a few songs that suit our personal tastes and make us feel good about being God's people (or, more aptly, one of Jesus' friends). But back to my original rant...
I recently led worship services at a state prison, a nursing home, and a family weekend at a church camp. After each of these I received positive comments about the use of scripture in public worship. It seemed like a brand new idea to some; it seemed like a long - and regrettably - discarded memory to others. Shame on us that it should fall into either category.
The Church has been written into God's narrative. How will we know who we are, where we came from, where we're going, and what we should do now if we neglect his written Word? There is power in the Word - beyond what we know and beyond what we are willing to believe. Without it, can we even hope to better know and lovingly obey the Living Word?
Well?
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8 comments:
and is it any wonder that the scripture your kids are learning this week is, "your word is a lamp to my feet"?
Use that sword. it's the only offensive tool we have!
I heartily agree! I have been convicted about this lack in my own worship planning as well.
I address this isuue in my article "Worship and the Word" on the Articles page of my website www.worr.org. I'll also speak on the topic next January in a seminar at the Calvin Symposium of Worship.
I was just reading recently about the use of the epistles in early church worship--how they were, and were meant to be, read aloud at gatherings of Christians. And, interestingly, we were just thinking (independent of that reading) that we should incorporate this into our home gatherings.
But hey, if topical, proof-texted lecturing is getting the job done, then I say go for that, too. : ]
Hey, I'm pretty pragmatic (for an idealistic perfectionist), but I think that this novel-yet-ancient idea of reading scripture in fellowship might just trump topical proof-texting across the board...
Maybe that's why the writer of Hebrews states "the word of God is living and active." Yet without using it properly, how can it be proved to be alive? Even the apostles and Christ himself used scriptures in their teachings. And their teachings became scripture for use by the power of God. And yet we fail, too often, to remember passages like II Timothy 3:16 "All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
Personally, I think that much of the adverse reactions that come from the public reading of Scripture (especially reader response) is from the Catholic feeling some people get from it. For me, that is part of the attraction. I would not want to be Catholic, but there are many Catholic traditions that I appreciate. Even out at Lincoln we had two factions, in a sense, of students over similar issues. Some students, particularly ones where they were taught to have anti-Catholic feelings were against the idea of Scripture reading, especially reader response. The other group, myself included, loved the use of it, particularly when the texts are carefully selected, not just because they served as proof texting for the main sermon point.
What we need to do is teach people that it is right and good to read Scripture aloud. This is why I think churches ought to offer classes on how and why we do the things we do during service and how they are helpful. Just a bug for your ear.
You ought to blog more often, Bill, you have some really good things to say.
Thanks David. The idea of informing and educating the worshiper is something I touched on a few posts back - and, yes, I've experienced a little anti-High Church paranoia.
We'll be offering our "Worship 101" type of class again later this fall - or, worst case, in the spring. Since I've done it once, I'm more confident in soliciting folks to attend.
Bill, I just wanted to tell you that I didn't really notice that there was more scripture in the service, but I was unusually moved by the service. I came home with convictions and insights triggered by phrases in a couple of the scriptures that we read together in the service. Seriously! I have been listening to an audio Bible on my ipod like crazy this week and have been seeing the Holy Spirit's work in my mind this week.
And I'm serious - it all started because of the scriptures we read aloud on Sunday.
So, there ya go. . .
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