Ways to Hear the Word of God in Worship – Scripture

Given the clear precedent for the reading of scripture in wor-
ship, and given the importance attributed to scripture as the
“Word of God,” it seems curious that in a number of evangelical
churches the weekly reading of scripture is limited to a few verses
heard immediately before the sermon. By contrast, in other wor-
ship traditions one might encounter an Old Testament lesson, a
Gospel lesson, and an Epistle reading in the same service, as well
as the reading or singing of a psalm. For settings in which the
reading of scripture in worship is minimal in current practice, the
inclusion of additional readings would be appropriate. The use of
a lectionary can provide helpful guidance to the inclusion of a
wider scope of scripture readings.

Furr, Gary, and Milburn Price. The Dialogue of Worship. Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, 1998, p. 9.

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14 Signs that Worship Renewal is Needed

14 Signs that worship renewal is needed:

1. Passive congregation that lacks enthusiasm/joy
2. Guests are not welcome or drawn into the community
3. Cerebral worship oriented exclusively toward teaching
4. Evangelistic worship oriented exclusively toward conversion
5. Weak communication in leading and preaching
6. Long sermons that lack application
7. Communion is infrequent and tacked on when used, often looking like a funeral
8. Classroom formation seating
9. Lifeless singing and limited range of music
10. Structure of order
11. Christian year not followed
12. Use of the arts shunned
13. People not involved in responses/antiphons/passing the peace
14. Senses are not engaged in worship

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Wounded Eucharistic Prayer

From FreshWorship.org:

lift up your hearts
we lift them up to god
lift up your heads
we lift them up to god
lift up your voices
we lift them up to god
lift up your hearts
we lift them up to god

we praise you for your unswerving love for us
though we are fragile
though we are wounded
though we are broken
you have never stopped loving us
and you have never forsaken us

greater love has no one than this that they lay down their life for their friends

you take what is broken and transform it through your death and love
what once was hurt
what once was friction
what left a mark
no longer stings
because grace makes beauty
out of ugly things

so we join with the angels singing
holy holy holy
holy holy holy
lord god almighty
lord god almighty
heaven and earth are full of your glory
heaven and earth are full of your glory
hosanna in the highest
hosanna in the highest

in your last meal with your friends
before your betrayal
you took the bread and gave thanks
you broket is and shared it saying ‘take and eat. this is my body broken for you’

christ’s body is broken
we are christ’s body, we are broken
may christ’s broken body nourish you in all the right places

you took the cup of wine, gave thanks and shared it saying
‘drink this, my blood shed for you’

christ’s body is wounded
we are christ’s body, we are wounded
may the blood that flowed from christ’s wounds heal you in all the right places

send your holy spirit on us
heal our brokenness
by showing us our place in your community of faith
great is the mystery of faith
christ has died
christ is risen
christ will come again

this is the table of christ
today it is literally made of our brokenness
a sign that christ welcomes us all as we are
there is no need to pretend and no need to hide

so gather at this table
not because you are whole
but because you recognise your need for healing
not because you are good enough
but because you recognise these gifts of god

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A List of Vital Historical Elements Which Have Contemporary Interest in Worship

Vital historical elements which have contemporary interest in worship:

1.    The 2 fold order of Word/Table
2.    Extensive reading of the Holy Scriptures
3.    Multiple types of prayer
4.    Participatory worship through gestures and enactment
5.    Creeds or affirmations of faith
6.    The Christ-centeredness of worship
7.    The God-ward nature of worship
8.    The sense of community

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How to involve laypeople in planning worship.

• Encourage feedback from the congregation.
• Ask individuals the question, “What helps your heart soar in worship?”
• Form a team of laypeople to design/implement a special service or season of services.
• Start a blog and invite the congregation to interact. Use posts to describe upcoming services and facilitate discussion about worship.
• Teach a class on worship design with the goal being to have the class plan a service that will be used.
• Form a team of laypeople to compose the prayers of the church.
• Create a worship “audit” team to analyze all the aspects of the worship service (worship booklet, ushers, visual presentation, sound quality, etc.).

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Chick-Fil-A interview

This is a video I made back in 2007 for Grace that was used as part of our weekend services. The series was about Sabbath, and the need for balance in our lives compared to the 24/7 culture we live in. We thought it would be interesting to get Chick-fil-A’s take on it from the business world.

We ended up giving a bunch of “free sandwhich” cards away at church – that Chick-fil-A gave us. And we even had a person in our congregation start working at Chick-fil-A after this service. It pays to dialogue with the community/businesses around you.

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