Worship

I am going to write a page or two on the subject of Christian worship. It is a popular buzz word at the moment and number of worship CDs increases by the day. First of all I am going to look at the subject historically and finally I shall make a few comments that are very relevant to modern day church life.

The word for worship in the New Testament is proskuneo. It is used over fifty times and it means literally to bow low and kiss the hand in reverence. It obviously had a secular as well as a spiritual meaning. In the NT there is virtually no clear descriptions of what a typical service was like. But we have a few glimpses. We learn in 1Corinthians 14 that there was a surprising amount of freedom. Anyone it seemed had the the freedom to bring a tongue or a revelation or a prophecy to the assembly. There was only one proviso; that everything was to be done decently and in order. We also learn that believers were encouraged to sing and to make melodies in their hearts to the Lord (Ephesians 5:19) It all seems to have been spontaneous. All scholars agree that all worship in apostolic times was purely vocal.

There were no musical instruments. Why? Religious instrumental music was associated in the minds of believers with pagan temples.

During the following centuries the main form of music was a sort of chant using the psalms and other biblical passages. This of course developed into the Gregorian chant of the middle ages. Most modern Christians find this sort of thing totally alien.

The first instrument used was the organ, which seems to have been introduced during the time of Thomas Aquinas in the thirteenth century.

Music does not seem to have played an important role during the Reformation. Calvin thought it was like going back to Judaic practices. In Puritan times church music was mainly the singing of what is known as the metrical psalms. This involved putting the psalms into verse form. It was all very formal

The real breakthrough occurred in the eighteenth century. Methodism swept the country and the songs of redemption could be heard across the land. Charles Wesley was probably the finest hymn writer that the English- speaking world has ever known. His lyrics are good verse and contain solid biblical and doctrinal truths. They are still sung throughout the world.

Here are some of the most famous:

• "And Can It Be That I Should Gain?"
• "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today"
• "Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies"
• "Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus"
• "Hail the Day that Sees Him Rise"
• "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing"
• "Jesus, Lover of My Soul"
• "Jesus, The Name High Over All"
• "Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending"
• "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling"
• "O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing"

The next important event that has deeply affected Christian worship occurred after 1859, the start of the second evangelical revival.. Many thousands of ordinary uneducated man and women were swept into the church. Many could not read the standard hymns. To help the new converts, a simple refrain or chorus was attached to every verse. The words were quickly learned and the converts could sing lustily and not be embarrassed.

The next phase can be seen in the pentecostal revival that spread out during the first three decades of the past century. The meetings were held in public halls and many of the converts had no knowledge of traditional hymns. The meetings were often preceded by a lively interlude of chorus singing.

What was worship like in those days? After a period of chorus singing and one or two traditional hymns (see Redemption Hymnal for examples), a reading was given and then there was a period of open worship around the Lord's Table. The people were encouraged not to pray but to bring their offering of praise and worship in their own words to the Lord. Some of these times were very precious. Sadly this form of open worship has almost disappeared in most charismatic churches.The reason is simple. In the last thirty years the introduction of the acoustic guitar and powerful electronic amplification have completely changed the nature of Christian worship. Traditional hymns are sung less and less. and chorus singing led by a lively band has largely taken over the scene.

Band-led singing is worship in the minds of most modern Christians today. I have no problem with modern worship. Singing is part of our spiritual life. But all singing, be it hymns or choruses, is basically liturgical: it is the repeating of words written by another. Liturgy has its place but not too big a one. Some worship services have sometimes an hour and half of singing. Unless God comes down in remarkable power, I think this unscriptural and excessive.

Imagine being a father and your children never thanked you in their own words, but used only words learned elsewhere. I am making a plea that there be less chorus singing and a lot more spontaneous public worship.