Worship Values Part 3

I’ve Been Thinking About  Values

(Essentials Green)

“For: The Institute of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Green Online Worship Theology Coursewith Dan Wilt”

 

The next worship value that I will look at in this series of posts is Kingdom Expectation.

 

This is an interesting and essential value to consider. Sometimes I wonder if those gathered at church come with a Kingdom Expectation and to some extent, I think this is a big issue in a church gathering. At times people undoubtedly attend to ‘watch’ and be entertained, as opposed to really participating and worshiping. How often do we go to church without any prior preparation of our hearts and minds with an expectation that we will encounter God and be transformed? I wonder if our community truly expects the signs of the kingdom to occur in a communal setting. I know we truly expect the presence of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, but maybe not the outward signs of the Kingdom. The exciting thing to see in our community is lives changed and transformed. This is obviously happening. In my considerations I have come to realize that the thing about Kingdom Expectation is to not be disappointed if we don’t see or hear outward physical signs of this during our gathering. We don’t actually know what the Spirit is doing in people’s hearts and minds. That’s why as worship leaders and planners we MUST be faithful and expect God’s Kingdom to come during our gatherings.

 

So what do we really expect to happen in our worship gatherings? Looking at the understanding of the Kingdom portrayed in the gospels and Acts is a great place to start. But do we expect all that to happen at our gatherings? After all God’s Kingdom seems to be about restoration, healing, renewal… Should we expect all of these facets in every service? Dan Wilt suggests these ‘realities’ that accompany Jesus in the New Testament:

 

“Hearts are filled with courage, bodies are healed, relationships are restored, the fearful take courage, the proud are humbled, the hungry are fed, the demonized are delivered, the children are accepted and embraced, the mentally ill are restored to their right minds, swords are beat into plows, and the lion lies down with the lamb.” ¹

 

Maybe our expectation should be more holistic in regards to life, not an expectation for just Sunday but for everyday in all our activities? The expectation of the Kingdom may well link in to Romans 12 and the holistic approach to worship found in this passage.

 

 “Jesus communicated to the rabble of society that the Kingdom of God was literally ‘within their reach.’ In other words, where Jesus is, there is the rule and reign of God. We see this every time he walks into a village and brings healing, hope and forgiveness.” ²

 

Maybe from this idea, a correct focus would be that we expect Jesus to be present during our gatherings.

 

I was really challenged by this statement from Dan Wilt:

 

“However, if all we do is tighten up a finely oiled set of songs, liturgies or creative expressions of worship, and never expect the Spirit of God to actually do something transforming in the lives of those who gather, then we may be unwitting participants in the deadest of dead religion.” ³

 

As a worship leader I prepare with the expectation that God’s Kingdom will be active and present in our gathering. I don’t want to be part of a dead religion. I also pray that lives will be restored and renewed as a result of our gathering. I think it is vital to have this expectation as it leads to faithful preparation and particularly to prayer, which is often something that isn’t considered in the expectation process. Worship leader Brian Doerksen describes the worship leadership role as a “sacred responsibility” ⁴ and it is vital that we realize this and approach the role appropriately. As Wilt suggests in the quote below, our desire must be that all those gathered will have an intimate encounter with our Great God and as a result experience a transformation within. Let’s prepare for great things and expect great things from God as we gather!!

 

“When we gather to worship, we expect every time that each individual, as well as our corporate community, will have an intimate exchange with the transcendent God.” ⁵

 

 

(1) Dan Wilt, essentials*green: Online Studies in Worship Values & Spiritual Formation – Online Course Text (New Brunswick: The Institute Of Contemporary & Emerging Worship Studies), p.18

(2) ibid, p. 17

(3) ibid, p. 18-19

(4) Brian Doerksen, Sacred Responsibility (New Brunswick: The Institute Of Contemporary & Emerging Worship Studies), Video

(5) Dan Wilt, essentials*green: Online Studies in Worship Values & Spiritual Formation – Online Course Text (New Brunswick: The Institute Of Contemporary & Emerging Worship Studies), p.19