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Principles of Corporate Worship
1.
Biblical: The first principle of corporate
worship is the regulative principle of worship (RPW). That is, the corporate
worship of God is to be conducted according to the Word of God. “The acceptable
way of worshipping the true God is instituted by Himself, and so limited by His
own revealed will, that He may not be worshipped according to the imaginations
and devices of men, or the suggestions of Satan, under any visible
representation, or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scripture” (WCF
21:1). Simply put: the worship of God is Biblical – God is the one who commands
how He is to be worshipped by His people (Exodus 20:4-6; Deuteronomy 12:32;
Matthew 15:7-9).
2.
Spiritual: The worship of God is not to be
directed, or confined, to a particular place. “God is spirit; and those who
worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). Only those whose
hearts have been renewed by the Holy Spirit are able to truly worship and
reverence God. “Externalism and hypocrisy stand condemned” (BCO 47:5).
3.
Trinitarian: Renewed and enabled by the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 4:6), the people of God enter into the
presence of their Heavenly Father (Hebrews 4:14-16) through the mediation of
the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:6).
4.
Dialogical: The corporate and public
worship of God is a meeting of the Triune God with His people. As such, the
elements (or parts) of each service may be divided into two categories: (1)
elements which are performed on behalf of God through a representative voice;
(2) those elements which are performed by the congregation through their own,
or a representative, voice. God addresses His people in certain elements: the
reading and preaching of the Word, the salutation, call to worship, assurance
of pardon, benediction, and the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s supper.
God’s people address (or respond) to God in the conscionable hearing of the
Word, prayer, song, offerings, confessions of sin and of faith, and the
receiving and partaking of the sacraments.
5.
Covenant Renewal: God assembles His
covenant people in order that they might renew their covenant bond with Him and
with one another. Though there is no biblically mandated order of worship
(i.e., no divine mandate in Scripture is given for the particular ordering of
the elements of worship), the concept of covenant renewal is manifested in
three general ‘phases’: (1) God summons His people into His presence; (2) God
assures His people of His receiving and cleansing them through Christ; (3) God
speaks to His people in the Word and sacrament, where they, respectively, hear
the voice of Christ and feed on Him – and then, God sends His people out into
the world to bear witness to their Savior.
There
may be other principles of corporate worship that we could add to this list,
but these five are rudimentary in helping us as a church to “worship the Lord
in holy array” (Psalm 29:2). These are principles that inform the planning and
leading of the worship service, and they are principles which all of us should
observe and take into account for the betterment of our corporate and public
worship when we come together as God’s people.
Worship Confusion
Please
take note of how the proper understanding and implementation of these
principles helps to counteract some of the misnomers concerning the worship
service. First, these principles help us to see that worship is more than
singing. The term “worship” has popularly been redefined to be synonymous with
singing (as in, “After our time of worship [singing], we will have the
sermon”). Yet, “the Bible teaches that the following are proper elements of
worship service: reading of Holy Scripture, singing of psalms and hymns, the
offering of prayer, the preaching of the Word, the presentation of offerings,
confessing the faith and observing the Sacraments; and on special occasions
taking oaths” (BCO 47:9).
Second,
these principles help us to see that worship is not simply a time wherein God’s
people share their various gifts and talents as they perform for “an audience
of One.” Perhaps you’ve heard that well-intentioned phrase. I imagine that
people describe worship as “performing for an audience of One” in an effort to
counteract the impetus in some churches to turn the worship service into a
talent show (where the people become the audience). The problem with using the
word “audience” to describe either God or the people’s role in worship, however,
is that it implies passivity. The truth of the matter is: neither God, nor His
people, are passive in worship.
That’s
why understanding the dialogical nature of the corporate worship service is so
important. When a pastor or elder addresses the congregation in corporate
worship, he is not simply sharing his gift of public speaking; God is
addressing His people through a representative. When the people of God hear the
Word read and preached – when they pray, sing, or confess their faith – they
are not simply speaking to (or interacting with) their fellow man; they are
addressing their Creator and Redeemer.
Only
when we understand these principles will we come to see what a glorious
privilege it is to join together with God’s people as we “enter His gates with
thanksgiving and His courts with praise” (Psalm 100:4). Only when we understand
these principles will we be able to “offer to God an acceptable service with
reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28).
“Always the same, never the same”
There
is another unspoken principle that I personally think about in planning the
worship service each week which may be summarized as “always the same, never
the same.” As the elders of the church have oversight of the worship service,
of course, we may change or adjust parts or elements of the service from time
to time (as stated above, there is no biblical mandate for the ordering of the
elements of the worship service). However, maintaining the principle of “always
the same and never the same” in our corporate worship service means that, even
as the content (e.g., Scriptures, songs, catechism) may change, the order of
the various elements and parts is generally the same from week to week.
There
are several benefits to maintaining a regular order in our worship service. For
one, God’s people know what to expect when they gather together on Sunday
morning and are thereby better able to participate. Also, God’s people are
shaped week in and week out by the order and flow of the corporate worship
service. Reciting certain prayers and creeds on a regular basis also helps
God’s people to learn the language of the faith. At the same time, the content
of the elements of the worship service changes from week to week, usually based
upon the text and sermon for that week. So, the “always the same” order of
worship gives a regular structure to our weekly worship, while the sermon text
provides the “never the same” thematic unity for each service.
Conclusion
In
coming weeks in these weekly emails, we will examine the various elements and
particular parts of our corporate worship service. And, because of this
principle of “always the same, never the same,” we will do so according to the
typical order of worship at Hill Country Church (PCA) – beginning next week
with the “Silent Preparation for Worship.”
It
is my hope and prayer that this series of pastoral reflections will be helpful
and practical for all of us, as a church. People often ask, “Why do we do such
and such in worship?” or “Why don’t we do such and such in worship?” Hopefully,
this series will help answer many of those questions. More importantly, the
goal of this series is to help us all to be better worshipers of our God – for
as Jesus said, “an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will
worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be
His worshipers” (John 4:23).
May
the Lord bless you as you prepare to worship Him well, this Sunday!
The Lord be with you!
– Pastor Peter M. Dietsch