Young Theologians Society

For some reason I have found myself reading a lot, in a variety of forms of media, about worship. It seems like the church has almost moved from one battle over "worship" to the next. Do we sing the Psalms or the hymns? Do we sing hymns or choruses? Do we sing hymns again? It almost feels like in the midst of contending for our own preferences, the church has lost sight of what worship is really supposed to be - a declaration of the worthiness of our God. It has become a means of putting rear ends in the seats to hear the truth. Two common questoins have become: Is it relevant? Is it excellent? While these are valid questions, we need to remember to add a qualifier to them - "to God."

But why do most arguments seem to come back to the idea of worship? I wonder if its because Satan knows that it is the central battleground in our lives. We are what we worship - whether artist, preacher, or possession - we can be defined by our object of worship. Has our enemy crafted a scheme where what we worship, and where our worth is, is no longer God, but the idea of worship itself? Have we become so concerned with its form that we've forgotten its function. If we lose sight of the object of our worship in our debate over its form, my friends, we have sorely missed the mark.

Does it need to be done to the best of our abilities and relevant (if we define relevant as being in the heart language) to the participant - yes, because in failing either of these two, it ceases to be worship and becomes mere words. But in discussing form and style, we must not forget that God is worshipped in every way. So let the discussion on emerging vs. contemporary vs. traditional/liturgical rage, but let us remain vigilent that in the discussion our worship does not shift from the ONE worthy of our worship to the form in which we do so.

In His Grace.