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Neither praise nor worship have a style. They are to be spontaneous, unrehearsed, and not synchronized with the way anyone else praises and worships the Lord. . .The most important thing is that we praise and worship the Lord when we come together. The thing to keep in mind is that His spirit flows more freely when worship is done spontaneously and freely. – comment on the Ponder Anew Facebook page
This is a common refrain from those who find liturgical worship too formal, rigid, or rote:
Worship must be spontaneous or it doesn’t count. (The author commits two errors. Error one is that the above quote is typical of all people who oppose the liturgy. Error two is that this particular person said that non-spontaneous worship doesn't count.)
Biblically, we need look no further than the heavenly liturgy recorded in Revelation 4 to see this is clearly not the case. (Why do the Doctrinal Police so often fail to quote Scripture?
Re. 4:8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”
9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: 11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
Is there anything here that resembles a liturgy? Is there any hint of something congregational happening here? Is there any indication that this passage is prescriptive for how churches should structure their worship?
But let's read farther. Look at Re. 5:9-10:
And they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”
Now we have some congregational singing, and they are singing a NEW song.)
Historically, referring specifically to corporate worship, pervasive spontaneity is an aberration. (An appeal to history. This is not making a biblical case.)
It isn’t the norm much of anywhere until hints in the revivals of the late 19th century, (Waait. The liturgy arises out of the Catholic Mass. The early church knew nothing about any liturgy until the Roman church began taking over. The reformation simply adopted the form, which continues to present day.)
followed by the birth of the full blown Pentecostal movement on Azusa Street in 1906. (Waaait. Would the author like to tell us the nature of the Psalms when they were first written? Was David engaging in liturgical singing? Or was he spontaneously worshiping?)
Historically, referring specifically to corporate worship, pervasive spontaneity is an aberration. (An appeal to history. This is not making a biblical case.)
It isn’t the norm much of anywhere until hints in the revivals of the late 19th century, (Waait. The liturgy arises out of the Catholic Mass. The early church knew nothing about any liturgy until the Roman church began taking over. The reformation simply adopted the form, which continues to present day.)
followed by the birth of the full blown Pentecostal movement on Azusa Street in 1906. (Waaait. Would the author like to tell us the nature of the Psalms when they were first written? Was David engaging in liturgical singing? Or was he spontaneously worshiping?)
By the middle of the 20th century, most Protestant denominations had a charismatic renewal movement taking place somewhere within its ranks. Later, the wholesale adoption of so-called “contemporary worship music” brought an uncomfortable mix of derivative jesusy commercial music and charismatic informality into both evangelical and mainline Protestant worship.
Combined with a culture in which formality and decorum are increasingly spurned, the church has grown to accept raucous energy and pent-up emotion as being a legitimate movement of the Holy Spirit. (Broad generalizations are unseemly. And the author provides us with no documentation that the Holy Spirit isn't moving in these churches. Further, the author offers a false choice. Emotion and energy do not exclude the Holy Spirit.)
But this is fraught with error. (That is, now that the straw man is set up, the author is going to knock it down.)
The early church, its liturgical norms already as old as ancient Israelite custom, understood the irrevocable connection between corporate prayer (liturgy, gathered worship) and personal and collective Christian ethics. This connection was captured in the maxim lex orandi, lex credendi, “the rule of prayer is the rule of faith.”
Because corporate liturgy is a time of disciplined prayer, it is important that what we pray is refined, elegant, and elevated in structure, verbiage, and tone. Extemporaneous expression, even with the best intention, creates apertures in our liturgical architecture through which human error enters our worship. Though off-the-cuff, impromptu, and ad hoc language and structure is now the norm in American Christian expression, we are certainly all the poorer for it, both in character and ethic. (Notice the author has yet to appeal to the Bible. Thus he can spout this nonsense about elevated structure and elegance as if it is somehow superior to pray this way.)
Furthermore, because gathered worship isn’t about our expressions of touchy-feeliness to God, (An undocumented claim, and a puerile assertion.)
but about God’s formative work in us through word and sacrament, it stands to reason that an ethos of seriousness and sobriety should guide our personal and collective worship. ("Stand to reason?" How about something from the Bible?)
That isn’t to say that emotional response is off-limits. Not at all. But while present, they must be held captive underneath the anticipatory reverence for what Almighty God is offering His people. (The author just can't seem to not spout off. He makes all these hostile declarations as if they are self evident truth. But he provides us absolutely no documentation or basis for his assertions.
As such, from here on out we simply shall summarily reject them.)
Worship based on personal expression is me-worship. (Rejected.)
It is a self-absorbed, self-referential exercise. (Rejected.)
It is like the immature utterances of a group of small children, each intent on dominating the conversation. (Rejected.)
It is an exercise in human futility. (Rejected.)
Me-worship values casual, familiar, extemporaneous conversation. (Rejected.)
True worship values planned, refined, elegant speech, carefully crafted to write God’s message on our hearts. (Rejected.)
True worship prays truly. (An empty statement with no meaning or information. Rejected.)
Me worship creates good feelings and calls them God’s presence. (Rejected.)
True worship calls us to let go of our reliance on our false god-positives, and to take God’s word that the Holy Presence is not just with us, but is closer than we could ever imagine. (Another nonsense statement. Rejected.)
Some of you reading this will think it’s a stretch. I don’t. (What "it's" is the author referring to? "It's" a stretch?)
I think careless, casual, impromptu worship is the greatest scandal in the American church. (Ah, a bonafide opinion! Before were solemn pronouncements. Now we finally get to the crux of the issue. His opinion is fact that everyone should accept without question. He's right, charismatics are wrong. Simple.
Let's see what else Scripture has to say about worship:
It’s time for us to grow up, church.
It’s time for us to submit our personal stories to God’s grand story played out in historical, liturgical worship.
For even now, the heavenly host is worshiping God together with the age old hymn, which we are graciously invited to join:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
Combined with a culture in which formality and decorum are increasingly spurned, the church has grown to accept raucous energy and pent-up emotion as being a legitimate movement of the Holy Spirit. (Broad generalizations are unseemly. And the author provides us with no documentation that the Holy Spirit isn't moving in these churches. Further, the author offers a false choice. Emotion and energy do not exclude the Holy Spirit.)
But this is fraught with error. (That is, now that the straw man is set up, the author is going to knock it down.)
The early church, its liturgical norms already as old as ancient Israelite custom, understood the irrevocable connection between corporate prayer (liturgy, gathered worship) and personal and collective Christian ethics. This connection was captured in the maxim lex orandi, lex credendi, “the rule of prayer is the rule of faith.”
Because corporate liturgy is a time of disciplined prayer, it is important that what we pray is refined, elegant, and elevated in structure, verbiage, and tone. Extemporaneous expression, even with the best intention, creates apertures in our liturgical architecture through which human error enters our worship. Though off-the-cuff, impromptu, and ad hoc language and structure is now the norm in American Christian expression, we are certainly all the poorer for it, both in character and ethic. (Notice the author has yet to appeal to the Bible. Thus he can spout this nonsense about elevated structure and elegance as if it is somehow superior to pray this way.)
Furthermore, because gathered worship isn’t about our expressions of touchy-feeliness to God, (An undocumented claim, and a puerile assertion.)
but about God’s formative work in us through word and sacrament, it stands to reason that an ethos of seriousness and sobriety should guide our personal and collective worship. ("Stand to reason?" How about something from the Bible?)
That isn’t to say that emotional response is off-limits. Not at all. But while present, they must be held captive underneath the anticipatory reverence for what Almighty God is offering His people. (The author just can't seem to not spout off. He makes all these hostile declarations as if they are self evident truth. But he provides us absolutely no documentation or basis for his assertions.
As such, from here on out we simply shall summarily reject them.)
Worship based on personal expression is me-worship. (Rejected.)
It is a self-absorbed, self-referential exercise. (Rejected.)
It is like the immature utterances of a group of small children, each intent on dominating the conversation. (Rejected.)
It is an exercise in human futility. (Rejected.)
Me-worship values casual, familiar, extemporaneous conversation. (Rejected.)
True worship values planned, refined, elegant speech, carefully crafted to write God’s message on our hearts. (Rejected.)
True worship prays truly. (An empty statement with no meaning or information. Rejected.)
Me worship creates good feelings and calls them God’s presence. (Rejected.)
True worship calls us to let go of our reliance on our false god-positives, and to take God’s word that the Holy Presence is not just with us, but is closer than we could ever imagine. (Another nonsense statement. Rejected.)
Some of you reading this will think it’s a stretch. I don’t. (What "it's" is the author referring to? "It's" a stretch?)
I think careless, casual, impromptu worship is the greatest scandal in the American church. (Ah, a bonafide opinion! Before were solemn pronouncements. Now we finally get to the crux of the issue. His opinion is fact that everyone should accept without question. He's right, charismatics are wrong. Simple.
Let's see what else Scripture has to say about worship:
Ps. 33:3 Sing to him a new song; play skilfully, and shout for joy.
Ps. 40:3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.
Ps. 96:1 Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.
Ps. 98:1 Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.
Ps. 144:9 I will sing a new song to you, O God; on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you...
Ps. 149:1 Praise the LORD. Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints.
Is. 42:10 Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth...
Re. 14:3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders.Not much here about any liturgy.)
It’s time for us to grow up, church.
It’s time for us to submit our personal stories to God’s grand story played out in historical, liturgical worship.
For even now, the heavenly host is worshiping God together with the age old hymn, which we are graciously invited to join:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
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