Worship As An Uplifting and Joyful Experience
As someone who came from a tradition that included a two-hour worship service which consisted of an hour plus sermon and a twenty to thirty-minute sermonette, I am struck by how differently worship is portrayed in the psalms. Although we did have congregational singing and special music, those parts of the service were often led by people of little or no musical talent (to be fair, there were some notable exceptions to this generalization). Also, the songs usually centered on a book of hymns composed by the founder's brother that often felt like we were singing the same thing over and over again. In short, worship services were mostly non-participatory and seemed formulaic in nature. Looking back, those services felt more like classroom lectures than a worship service and provided little in the way of spontaneity or joy.
What am I talking about? One only has to look at a few of the psalms to understand the point that I'm trying to make.
"Glorify the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates
and blessed your children within your walls.
He sends peace across your nation
and satisfies your hunger with the finest wheat.
He sends his orders to the world—
how swiftly his word flies!
He sends the snow like white wool;
he scatters frost upon the ground like ashes.
He hurls the hail like stones.
Who can stand against his freezing cold?
Then, at his command, it all melts.
He sends his winds, and the ice thaws.
He has revealed his words to Jacob,
his decrees and regulations to Israel.
He has not done this for any other nation;
they do not know his regulations.
Praise the Lord!" --Psalm 147:12-20
Notice the imagery and poetry - the joy and thankfulness expressed by the psalmist!
"Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song.
Sing his praises in the assembly of the faithful.
O Israel, rejoice in your Maker.
O people of Jerusalem, exult in your King.
Praise his name with dancing,
accompanied by tambourine and harp.
For the Lord delights in his people;
he crowns the humble with victory.
Let the faithful rejoice that he honors them.
Let them sing for joy as they lie on their beds." --Psalm 149:1-5
Notice the exuberance and the references to DANCING and the use of a variety of musical instruments!
"Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heaven!
Praise him for his mighty works;
praise his unequaled greatness!
Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn;
praise him with the lyre and harp!
Praise him with the tambourine and dancing;
praise him with strings and flutes!
Praise him with a clash of cymbals;
praise him with loud clanging cymbals.
Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord!
Praise the Lord!" -- Psalm 150:1-6
Once again, the joyful praise, thankfulness, dancing, and a variety of instruments are evident.
Yes, the contrast is stark. When we compare the two, from which format do you think that you and God would derive the most satisfaction? Moreover, don't you find it just a tad bit interesting that this one is found in Scripture and the other format is not present there?
Miller Jones
What am I talking about? One only has to look at a few of the psalms to understand the point that I'm trying to make.
"Glorify the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates
and blessed your children within your walls.
He sends peace across your nation
and satisfies your hunger with the finest wheat.
He sends his orders to the world—
how swiftly his word flies!
He sends the snow like white wool;
he scatters frost upon the ground like ashes.
He hurls the hail like stones.
Who can stand against his freezing cold?
Then, at his command, it all melts.
He sends his winds, and the ice thaws.
He has revealed his words to Jacob,
his decrees and regulations to Israel.
He has not done this for any other nation;
they do not know his regulations.
Praise the Lord!" --Psalm 147:12-20
Notice the imagery and poetry - the joy and thankfulness expressed by the psalmist!
"Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song.
Sing his praises in the assembly of the faithful.
O Israel, rejoice in your Maker.
O people of Jerusalem, exult in your King.
Praise his name with dancing,
accompanied by tambourine and harp.
For the Lord delights in his people;
he crowns the humble with victory.
Let the faithful rejoice that he honors them.
Let them sing for joy as they lie on their beds." --Psalm 149:1-5
Notice the exuberance and the references to DANCING and the use of a variety of musical instruments!
"Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heaven!
Praise him for his mighty works;
praise his unequaled greatness!
Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn;
praise him with the lyre and harp!
Praise him with the tambourine and dancing;
praise him with strings and flutes!
Praise him with a clash of cymbals;
praise him with loud clanging cymbals.
Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord!
Praise the Lord!" -- Psalm 150:1-6
Once again, the joyful praise, thankfulness, dancing, and a variety of instruments are evident.
Yes, the contrast is stark. When we compare the two, from which format do you think that you and God would derive the most satisfaction? Moreover, don't you find it just a tad bit interesting that this one is found in Scripture and the other format is not present there?
Miller Jones
17 comments:
I've repeated this little personal experience from time to time, but it's been a while, so here goes. When my crew and I were addressing and sorting the Plain Truth and Tomorrow's World magazines back in the '70s, sometimes the work load was pretty unbelievable. This was especially true leading up to the Feast of Tabernacles for which we lost probably ten work days as compared to a normal month's schedule. Obviously, we could not work on the sabbath, but sometimes in addition to maybe four hours overtime per day, we would work on Sundays.
One Sunday morning at 10:00 break, I decided to clear my head by taking a walk around the block. As soon as I rounded the corner, I heard the most incredible praise music coming from an old brick church which was directly across the street from the main entrance of AC Press. The congregation was primarily African American, and I just could not believe the joy and pure energy that the members were putting into those songs! I stood there listening for as long as I could without being late for work after break, and as I walked back towards the rear entrance to the press, I was asking myself, "Now why can't we have such an inspiring service as that???" The thing is, that service I briefly listened in to was not a special departure for the congregation. That's the way they sang every single week!
All I can say is that I really never found much of the music at WCG sabbath services to be terribly inspiring. "Praise ye the Lordo" just didn't cut it. In recent years, I became accustomed to the accompaniment of a live combo with guitars, keyboards, and drums at a mainstream church I've attended. It has a more contemporary, high energy feel to it that just lifts you up. You feel good going home after participating in that sort of service. Beats the heck out of leaving services wondering if you're going to make it to the place of safety!
BB
Like BB, I've related this experience on multiple occasions in the past, but it's appropriate here. Even when I was drinking the kool-aid by the gallons, I always resisted the suit coat and tie in the heat of summer. I don't know how many times I was approached by a deacon or local elder with "Lonnie, we're supposed to follow the minister's lead and wait for him to remove his suit coat." "I'm hot now" or "I'm melting" was my reply (and I didn't put it back on). I instinctively knew that God didn't want me to be uncomfortable.
As a former teacher, I understand the importance of changing things up for one's audience. Christ spoke in parables and often delivered his messages out of doors. Justin Martyr said that Scripture readings were an important part of worship services during his time. Creativity and inspiration do not equal helter-skelter! I'm convinced that God doesn't expect or want us to sit through mind and butt numbing sessions that don't even attempt to engage us - the audience.
if you're looking for an emotional high, the protestants can help...they have that down pat.
I guess you can say that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge...they commit all sorts of abominations thinking they honor God, and come away feeling great about it.
How thing "ought to go" for services I leave up to you guys!
Listening to the video I got a vision of a local administrator "Julius Quintus Publius" listening in on one of the synagogues around the 0 mark in history. A group of 200 Nubians is singing this song like this group, (by invitation of the local rabbi) who's been around as a rabbi in Marsilia, Carthage, Alexandria). Immediately Julius thinks to himself..............man I gotta tell the emperor about this......this is way more exciting than our Mithra bull thing ritual, in those damp grottoes.
Thus the history of the first service in Rome at the home of Pot Lukus
nck
"Now why can't we have such an inspiring service as that???"
Byker, there are several reasons. One is that HWA grew up among the Quakers, whose weekly service was intellectual and quiet, but unlike WCG services it was radically participatory for members who had the right to speak up and share their thoughts. HWA got rid of the member-driven aspect, but kept the quietness and the pretense of intellectualism (to the point that people were pressured to take notes, which is almost unheard of in other sects).
Another is that in order to share joyously the contents of your heart, you need a joyous heart, and you need ministers who are helpers of your joy. Spend a little time in WCG or a splinter and you quickly found that the ministers are quick to police your joy, whether trying to channel your joy in acceptable directions or whether trying to crush it entirely as inappropriate. What other denomination sings a hymn about "a melancholy sparrow" and "a pelican alone"? Whether deliberate or accidental, induced depression is a standard tool used to keep members in cults, and it was certainly found widespread in WCG and its splinters.
Worship experiences recounted here seem to be diverse. I attended WCG services for the first time in a large midwestern city. I was amazed at how loud everyone sang. It was remarkable. I was accustomed to the weak singing of the Protestant congregations that I attended one in a while with relatives. Moreover, nearly everyone in the WCG services sang. In other denominations, some people would simply stand quietly and, it seemed, uncomfortably. In my youthful naivete, I thought the volume at WCG services had to mean that there was something different and better about the WCG.
NEO,
As I said, there were exceptions to the generalization - glad your congregation was one of them. We had a man attending at Cleveland West, Mr Mark Graham, who was musically gifted - super talented! Nevertheless, the majority of the music in the congregations and feast sites which I attended was less than spectacular. Did your congregation eschew the long-winded sermon/sermonette format?
The entire premise of a "worship service" is man made. No where in the bible did they say "worship service" or that anything resembling the formulaic and repetitive nature of the "event" people call "church".
So you simply can't complain about ANY "worship service" from any church, they are all wrong.
So if you want to tell people what is wrong with their religion based on fraudulent non-biblical idea, you are definitely in the "blind leading blind" category.
On the musical end, thats because the black church brought the "boogie woogie" concept of the walking bass line into their hymns. Nowadays it seems an odd notion to not have one in music, but look at Dwight's sheet music. Left hand parts that seem to have been written for a tuba.
I would love to have been sitting in Robert Randolph's church. The church couldn't afford an organ, so Robert and his uncles played an electric steel guitar (sacred steel) for the praise music. After having "discovered" secular music, Robert went on to play with Eric Clapton and other secular guitar greats. The dude is just awesome!
BB
It would be instructive for everyone interested in the truth to go back to the bible. Read what is described when people met. Everything from Jesus reading the scriptures (was not on the speaking schedule) to people bowing down to their faces (looks like Muslims) to simple readings of the scriptures. (ie, teaching what is in the bible based on reading it, not just a few verses).
Was there singing? Yep, by choirs mostly, but only in the old testament that I could find.
Please consider that:
Singing at Church is OLD TESTAMENT ONLY.
Anonymous 2/12 @ 8:17 said "Singing at Church is OLD TESTAMENT ONLY."
According to the Gospel of Matthew, after taking the bread and wine, Christ and his disciples "sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives." Matthew 26:30
"Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening." Acts 16:25
Paul advised the saints at Ephesus to avoid drunkenness and said that "singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts" would be a much better use of their time. Ephesians 5:18-19
He also advised the Colossians to "Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts." Colossians 3:16
Yes they sang. But not organized at church. No commandments or instructions for organized singing. Its a man made tradition.
Again you people take wonderful advice and turn it into lame human traditions.
Of he say where when and how to sing? No. He did not. Did he say to see only at the man made worship service? No.
Modern Christian singing is based on catholic and later protestant traditions. Not the bible.
Go sing its good and right. But there is no commandment from god or Jesus on this in the new testament. Only Paul's suggestions.
For people who hate Paul's other teachings about the law its amazing how you will all jump through hoops and twist his other words around to suit you.
Anonymous 2/12 @ 1:00 and 1:04,
"Yes they sang. But not organized at Church."
Who do you think that Paul was addressing in his letters? Are you aware that he intended for his letters to be read aloud to the entire church?
"No commandments or instructions for organized singing."
I think the quotes from the epistles to both congregations suggest when (among yourselves) and how to sing (with thankful hearts) - sure sounds like instructions to me!
"Only Paul's suggestions."
James wrote to the saints among the twelve tribes scattered abroad: "Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises." James 5:13 Again, sure sounds like he's telling them when it's appropriate to sing!
And whoever wrote the epistle to the Hebrews concluded the letter with these instructions to the saints: "Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name." Hebrews 13:15
It sure sounds to me like the human authors of the New Testament (acting under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) thought that singing was an important component of worshiping God.
"Modern Christian singing is based on catholic and later protestant traditions." Are you suggesting all Catholic and Protestant traditions are tainted and that nothing that those groups do was inspired by Scripture?
And, just for the record, I enjoy perusing Paul's teachings about the law, I just don't think that most folks understand what he's saying because of the complexity of some of the concepts he presents and their own prejudices regarding the subject of law and grace!
Finally, my original post and my subsequent comments as part of this thread demonstrate that singing was an important part of worshiping God in both the congregation in the wilderness and the New Testament Church. If the purpose of your comments was to imply that the Armstrong traditions of long-winded sermons and sermonettes are just as valid as the traditions referred to above, please tell us where do you find those traditions in Scripture? Are you suggesting that Herbie (or substitute any of the so-called current "leaders" of Armstrongism) was on a par with Paul and James?
Singing is a joyful and often spontaneous expression of emotion. Unless you are phoning it in, there is considerable passion behind it. We as humans tend to emulate outstanding examples. HWA and the ACOGs regulated and stifled the human spirit, and always managed to disparage the oustanding examples set by people outside of the organization. Unfortunately, such attitudes often became racist, because as a race, black people are the most imitated and copied people on the face of planet Earth. HWA simply could not stand that! He even made Nimrod (supposedly the author of paganism) into a black man, although it would be difficult to know much of detail about Nimrod from the few sparse sentences about him in the Bible.
BB
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