Worship: Freedom of Form

Recently while meeting with a pastor friend of mine our conversation turned to worship. In the middle of our discussion about worship my friend made a rather bold but true statement: “We need to keep in mind that worship has been a neglected subject in evangelical history. We’re working against 400 years of neglect.”

While driving home I started thinking about the inward and outward dimensions of worship which must be informed and shaped by our primary focus on God.

A quick survey of the New Testament presents us with many different ways of expressing that worship commitment. Certainly the early “church practiced baptism and the Lord’s Supper. But church meetings also included reading Scripture (Col. 4:16), teaching and preaching (2 Tim. 4:2), praying (1 Tim. 2:8), singing (Eph.5:19), and giving thanks (Heb. 13:15 KJV). Paul even described the “mundane” matter of collecting money as an act of worship: “I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God” (Phil. 4:18).

However, nowhere does the New Testament prescribe a specific order of worship. That freedom of form stands in sharp contrast to the detailed worship instructions of the Old Testament. The clearest picture of a New Testament church service appears in First Corinthians 14, a passage that suggests a great degree of spontaneity and lay participation: “When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation” (v.26).

One of the greatest dangers we face in the church today happens when we are not willing to sacrifice our own preferences over the style and form of worship. What is appropriate and meaningful in the body of Christ changes as more and more people become a part of the body of Christ... We’ve got to get to the point that we can separate our preferences from our theological absolutes. That is a tough job!

I believe the essence of worship is communion with God. I also believe worship happens when our personal relationship with Christ becomes a priority. It is then that our worship is most fully alive. Worship happens when we are in the very presence of God and experience God’s grace and love in new and exciting ways. This communion with God can and does happen within various worship styles.

In most churches the most controversial question of style involves music. At Rockport we have been exposed to and have experienced worship of God with a variety of music and styles. We benefit from both the new kinds of music as well as the musical heritage found in our time tested hymns of the faith. Theology by and large, was passed from generation to generation through the hymns.

Therefore I encourage a blend of traditional and contemporary forms of worship. I find the traditional has depth; the contemporary has relevance. As I visit other churches, I find churches which are growing are churches which include in their worship of God both depth and relevance. My prayer is simple … “May Rockport be a place of worship that has both depth and relevance for the people who call Rockport their church home!

Peace,

Rev. Dr. Gordon Myers