On Thurday and Friday Jonny Baker took part in a symposium on worship at the London School of Theology. I know Jonny through CMS events and worship sessions at Greenbelt but mainly through his blog. He has been asked to be part on a panel of experts on worship that also includes among others Graham Kendrick and Joel Edwards. They are discussing the future direction of worship. To help Jonny out I left a couple of comments on this blog here - a long with a lot of other people - the gist of which Jonny tried to weave into his contributions.Jonny has outlined some of the thoughts of his fellow panellists here, some of his own contributions here, and his summary of the arguments here. I am following this with great interest and commenting on it as it goes - sometimes with more than one comment on a post. There are some very open and honest thoughts in this discussion, some of which I think are pertinent to our worship experiences in Church Alive. Of course I am not denying that we have some good times of worship - I just want to go further.
Please let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment.
3 comments:
I used to be so enamoured by worship - and went through the motions [even though I could have sworn I really meant it all - and I am sure I did, many times], with 'the best of them.'
I think some of it may have been to fit in with others, sometimes...although I wasn't bound by that...but you do pick up various phrases etc when you mix in charismatic circles for many years.
it is so hard to find words about what I have come to believe...
I just know it has to be real - He wants us to be real. It really is becoming integrated with the whole of life, as is prayer, in my life.
I am experiencing more depth in understanding His Character, I believe, and more trust in His word, in the bible, through knowing Him better...
but have not joined in with others in organised worship for a long time...
in the past I would have missed it terribly, I would have thought I couldn't survive the week without the Sunday fix.
Now I find myself spontaneously, and with all my soul, thanking God for so many things...mainly to do with my family and people I know, and what He is doing across the world...but also in seemingly mundane things...e.g. the choirs in the recent TV search for a choir...finding myself thanking God for their voices and praying for individuals in those choirs.
Being overwhelmed with love for people I've not met, on T.V. and the internet...people I wouldn't have chosen to listen to, people i would have written off 10 years ago even, as liberal, or unspiritual etc..and that leads to prayer for them...in a 'whole' way..part of all my self.
I know I am praying in faith...as it's not like it used to be where I was legalistic about it...it's more simple...no pattern or method
sorry, this is on topic really...this is worship, for me now...
I would be interested in Graham Kendrick's [current] thoughts on worship...he must have matured in many ways...
I still love some of his very early stuff though...but it's not the songs themselves I'm wondering about - but how he sees the bigger picture.
sorry, it's me again :-)
just read the comments of Graham's that were given...
God bless that man
quote:* we have an issue around event dependence vs lifestyle
mark earey, who i didn't really know, lectures at queens in birmingham in liturgy. his main critique was in response to the question 'where is jesus?' he suggested that the default for many is that jesus is encountered in singing in worship. so do we expect to meet jesus anywhere else? [end quote]
The Lord is speaking to me more and more of the Kingdom, not just the Church [which is part of His Plan to bring the Kingdom]
so how does worship translate to living in the Kingdom?...
i.e. being more and more in the world as salt and light [now we are older in Him and maybe a bit more trusting that He can 'keep us' from the 'strong influence' of those 'nasty heathen.']
Hey thanks for your comments Smudge. You have some good insights. And all these comments make my blog look a lot more popular :)
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