WHO IS LIKE THE LORD? (4 OF 8)
Scripture: Exodus 15:1-21
This content is part of a series.
Who is Like the Lord? (4 of 8)
Series: Exodus
Patrick Edwards
Exodus 15:1-21
Introduction
During the reformations of the sixteenth century, one of the most significant concerns of the Reformers was the worship of the church. In particular, we see them lament how late medieval Roman worship had become a ''spectator event.'' Sinclair Ferguson observes,
The service of divine worship was not an event in which the congregants were participants so much as spectators. The ''quality'' of worship was therefore measured not by the holy joy of the worshipers but by the standard of the music, the excellence of the singing of the choir, the aesthetic impressiveness of the drama of the Mass, with all its vestments, bells, incense - and, of course, its Latin. Worship was, for all practical purposes, done for you - vicariously, (Sinclair Ferguson).
I share this observation with you because of how strikingly similar this description about corporate worship 600 years ago is to what could be said of corporate worship today.
Regardless of style, whether traditional or modern, I think it is a fair critique of the American church that 'worship' is something you often come to, rather than do. Be honest with yourself, even here, how often do you 'evaluate' our Sunday morning gatherings? How often do you find yourself saying, 'Oh, I really liked those songs today,' or 'That was one of Patrick's better sermons,'? How many Sundays do we ask each other, 'How was worship today,'? My point is that, at best, we subconsciously hold a consumeristic view of the gathering and worship of the people of God. We do not have a right outlook on this engagement.
And it all stems from the reality that since Genesis 3 human beings inherently worship only themselves. Jonathan Gibson argues,
The story of human history, from beginning to end, is the story of worship. ... The first man Adam was made homo liturgicus, and everyone bearing his image has inherited his fallen liturgica ...
Series: Exodus
Patrick Edwards
Exodus 15:1-21
Introduction
During the reformations of the sixteenth century, one of the most significant concerns of the Reformers was the worship of the church. In particular, we see them lament how late medieval Roman worship had become a ''spectator event.'' Sinclair Ferguson observes,
The service of divine worship was not an event in which the congregants were participants so much as spectators. The ''quality'' of worship was therefore measured not by the holy joy of the worshipers but by the standard of the music, the excellence of the singing of the choir, the aesthetic impressiveness of the drama of the Mass, with all its vestments, bells, incense - and, of course, its Latin. Worship was, for all practical purposes, done for you - vicariously, (Sinclair Ferguson).
I share this observation with you because of how strikingly similar this description about corporate worship 600 years ago is to what could be said of corporate worship today.
Regardless of style, whether traditional or modern, I think it is a fair critique of the American church that 'worship' is something you often come to, rather than do. Be honest with yourself, even here, how often do you 'evaluate' our Sunday morning gatherings? How often do you find yourself saying, 'Oh, I really liked those songs today,' or 'That was one of Patrick's better sermons,'? How many Sundays do we ask each other, 'How was worship today,'? My point is that, at best, we subconsciously hold a consumeristic view of the gathering and worship of the people of God. We do not have a right outlook on this engagement.
And it all stems from the reality that since Genesis 3 human beings inherently worship only themselves. Jonathan Gibson argues,
The story of human history, from beginning to end, is the story of worship. ... The first man Adam was made homo liturgicus, and everyone bearing his image has inherited his fallen liturgica ...
There are 22224 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
