Worship

[revdrew61]

See also the thread “a universalist theology of worship” under Gregory’s Corner. Robin started that one off by pointing out the wonderful universalist theology of Matt Redman’s song “There is a louder shout to come” - even though young Matthew is not a universalist as far as we know!! We’ll be singing that one in our evening service at St George’s Barcelona tonight.

[SLJ]

Here’s another we frequently sing at church: youtube.com/watch?v=W2D0g4Kizto

Hillsong – This is Our God

Your grace is enough
More than I need
And your word I will believe
I wait for you
Draw near again
And your spirit make me new
And i will fall at your feet
I will fall at your feet
And i will worship you here

Your presence in me
Jesus light the way
By the power of your word
I am restored
I am redeemed
By your spirit i am free
And i will fall at your feet
I will fall at your feet
And i will worship you here

Freely you gave it all for us
Surrendered your life upon that cross
Great is your love
Poured out for all
This is our God

Lifted on high from death to life
Forever our God is glorified
Sovereign king
Rescued the world
This is our God

And i will fall at your feet
I will fall at your feet
And i will worship you here

And i will fall at your feet
I will fall at your feet
And i will worship you here

Freely you gave it all for us
Surrendered your life upon that cross
Great is your love
Poured out for all
This is our God

Lifted on high from death to life
Forever out God is glorified
Sovereign king
Rescued the world
This is our God

[corpselight]

To those of you who still attend a church that teaches ETC, What things within the Sunday morning meetings do you find that causes you to want to worship? I was listening to Francis Chan’s Crazy Love and all the reasons that he gave to worship were found in nature, yet it has been my experience that the church has taught that God can only be found within the boundaries of the Christian church.

this reminds me of a genius Simpsons quote:

“Reverend Lovejoy: Uh, this is very sad news, and it never would have happened
if the wedding had been inside the church with God instead
of out here in the cheap showiness of nature.”

lol

i find most songs these days appear to be Universalist in scope, though the people singing don’t seem to notice.
personally i have a HUGE problem with “worship music”. it really puts me off. i can feel the attempts of the composers to manipulate my emotions into a state i recognise personally as false: a feeling that mimics a Spiritual experience but is really just “warm and fuzzy”.

however, i’ve gotten over this a bit lately, and have been able to focus more on the lyrics. i’ve been lucky to go to churches where you get the odd Hillsong or Deleriou5? song, which IMO is awful LOL (though i do like that Mighty to Save), but they also write some of their own.

i prefer the old hymns…i find the lyrics generally deeper and more full of thought and poetry. this is simply my feeling…but there are loads of “Jesus is my friend and it’s all sappy and lovey dovey blah blah” songs, but i’ve been lucky to mostly avoid those: mostly.
also some hymns have unintended childish humour… it’s worse when the vicar gets the joke too and is also trying not to laugh. but i won’t get into that

for me, the ideal worship expression is meditation…and i can do that wherever, whether travelling with my CD player blasting black metal, or if tending to my pets, or writing, or playing guitar, or even just talking with people about how great my God is. but the real focused stuff…for me, it’s found in reflection…and often nature plays a big part in that.

hmm i wonder if with all these strange tangents i’ve managed to stay on topic at all…

[SLJ]

When it comes right down to it, I think true worship is to do the will of God – whatever that may be for you at the time. “Present your body a living sacrifice, which is your spiritual service of worship.” Without that, everything else is just talk or fuzzy feel-good stuff.

Sonia

[corpselight]

I know this is an odd question to ask…But how exactly does one worship?

I’m not a “Mary had a little lamb” Christian when it comes to alot of the academic stuff, like theology, or in life-application of verses, which…I suppose is really just the applied continuation of the academic stuff. But when it comes to expressing “worship” I can’t seem to really “get it”, atleast when it comes to what I think of worship, all the singing, dancing, arm waving, eye-closed stuff, shouting amen, praise the Lord, etc. Not that I don’t love him of course, I very much do! I just have a hard time not being…uh…“puritan”?

I’m a very happy, and expressive person, artistic, and talkative, and even singing occasionally - except when it comes to worship, and that bothers me a little. Even at a youthful pentecostal church I used to attend I wasn’t all that into clapping, dancing, and jumping, or running…I felt really awkward…Went to my grandparents Church of Christ (no musical instruments) for a week - spiritually bored to death, and I still felt awkward, especially because I didn’t like the denomination at all. And then went regularly to a Baptist church for a while. I would sing, but I felt supremely fake doing so. It just wasn’t “enough” so to speak, then again I didn’t feel very welcome either. I didn’t go to church all that much as a kid, but I studied Christianity from a very academic point of view - it wasn’t until recently (the past four or five years) that I really got into a deep personal relationship, beyond the realm of what was more or less just Theology.

But in light of this, I don’t really know how to “worship”, I can pray - but I find myself kind of drab and stiff when it comes to certain things. Lately my prayers have been;

“God I want to learn how to have fun with you! I want to be childlike again, where everything was both learning, as well as play!”

“I want to stop the religious, the theological, the separation of sacred from secular, I want to live in to be a real Christian where you are more than just my prayer life, or studies, and where my relationship with you is not just religion with the relationship spliced in.”

“I’m so tired of theology, my facebook page is nothing but theological posts, and I feel like I have such little variety that I am boring even, and have no actual life beyond trying to “learn how to live”.”

“I don’t want to make religion everything about my life, but I also don’t want to make everything about my life “religious”. I want to be genuinely spiritual!”

And…pardon this next one…but I did actually pray this…But I think God might have gotten a giggle out of it…lol

“Father! If I fart I want it to be spiritual!”

But I suppose what I’m trying to say is, even as a Universalist, I find it difficult to worship God in a childlike way, or expressively. Anyone have any advice? And has anyone had this kind of experience? Or is it just me? lol

Hi Lefein, i can identify with this! it’s really hard to worship in Spirit and in Truth…and worship being an act of love, sometimes it’s hard to understand how to express or articulate it. but God knows your heart…
i suggest just starting with brief bits of worship, telling Him you love Him and reminding yourself how great He is. the odd bouquet of flowers won’t go amiss either
i’ve decided “musical worship” just isn’t for me…it’s largely because i’m a musician, and i analyse EVERYTHING about music, and also feel like i’m not singing well enough etc… and none of that is helpful to worshiping. so i do try, and sometimes i manage for a second or two to touch God but really my best worship is reflective. so if i am not trying to show people that i’m “joining in” and just think about the lyrics, or some Scripture, or make up my own thing in my head…that seems to work better.

hope some of that helps…but i don’t fear for you…your desire to be all worshipful and loving with God proves that you already are! even the thing that drives you into theological study is that love…i think that’s pretty clear to anyone reading your post.
so keep worshiping and don’t feel discouraged! God has you where He wants you!