Let’s take this pattern of seeing and singing and flesh it out a bit.
Worship is an action that begins with God, not us. Humanity did not exist without the creative Word of God, and it has always been God who has initiated relationship with us. Our response to God is just that: a reaction to the revelation of God. We see - we sing. This pattern is clearly seen throughout Scripture. It builds a cycle of sorts; as people journey with God, he continues his revelation of Himself, and as his faithfulness and salvation is seen, the journeying people (along with those who see and join into the journey) become a worshipping people.
The cycle looks like this:
revelation->response->revelation->response->revelation…etc…
And worship design centers on bringing people into this cycle, that they may live lives as worshippers of God in all things.
The entrance into this cycle is not response; it is revelation. So let’s keep this really simple: if worship starts with seeing God, good worship design builds off of how God has already been seen most clearly. And we believe,
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Col 1:15-17)
Worship Design, then, must begin with the goal of lifting up the clear revelation of God in the person of Jesus Christ; as we lift him up, he will draw everyone to himself. There are historical practices that have been used to help bring people into this cycle of seeing and responding. We’ll talk about the first element next time.
Question for Thought: How can the things we say and do in the corporate gathering better position people to see?
Comments
blog comments powered by Disqus