Worship

 Living Hope Presbyterian Church – A Philosophy of Worship

The Living Hope PCA core value on worship states: (We value) “Corporate worship that is biblical, God-centered yet engaging, both joyful and reverent, and that draws from the richness of the past as well as the freshness of the present.” With this in mind, we will hold to the following principles and approach to corporate worship.

Principle #1: Our corporate worship must be biblical. This means not only that the content of what we do in worship should always conform to the truth of scripture, but that the truth of God’s Word and the focal point of God’s Word (the person and work of Jesus Christ) should cry out for our attention in all that we do in the worship service. Note these words of Jesus: “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and in truth.” (John 4.24, ESV).

Principle #2: For corporate worship to be both God-centered yet engaging we must always remember that, just as with all of the Christian life, worship involves two way communication between God and us. “. . . worship should be dialogic. In worship, God speaks and God listens. By the power of the Holy Spirit, God challenges us, comforts us, and awakens us. And by the prompting of the Holy Spirit we listen and then respond with praise, confession, petition, testimony, and dedication. . . . A healthy life with God maintains a balance of attentive listening and honest speech. So does healthy worship

Principle #3: Our corporate worship must be a time where as a people we express both reverence and joy, despite the seeming dichotomy and delicate difficulty this presents to us. This means we will have time in worship for silent reflection, and perhaps the expression of sorrow (such as the sorrow for our own sin, or sorrow for the effects of sin that we see around us). There should also be times in worship when we are struck by the holiness or majesty of God, when we simply hold our breath out of a sense awe and wonder. We will also have opportunity to express the joy that is ours because of the work of Jesus Christ and the joy that is now his (and ours) in heaven. (“Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise.” [Psalm 66.1-2, ESV] Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” [John 15.11, ESV])

Principle #4: The worship of God’s people here and now must always draw upon the richness of the past as we connect in some way with God’s people throughout all of history. Every service will have something in it that was relevant to Christians from eras before us as they drew near to God in worship. The “communion of the saints” is not just something we should recognize on All Saints Day (also called “Reformation Sunday”); we should be aware that we are united with the “great cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12.1) who have gone before us in the work of Christ’s kingdom as we gather every Lord’s Day to worship. This connection to the past will involve our music, our prayers and confessions, our testimonies, the preaching and hearing of God’s Word, and our observation of the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

Principle #5: Our corporate worship must also connect with today’s generation as we celebrate the freshness of the present and the new ways God is working to bring the fullness of His Kingdom here on the earth. We will strive to include and involve the children and other younger members of our congregation in worship. Children are not to “sit still and be quiet in church,” but are to draw near to Jesus the Savior, who said, “Let the little children come to me. . . .” (Matthew 19.14) and “have you never read, ‘From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise’?” (Matthew 21.16, spoken to the religious leaders who were indignant over the children who were shouting praise to Jesus in the temple.) This also means we will use some music and other biblically based elements of worship that come from the more recent past or the current generation of followers of Christ. In regard to music, John Piper writes of “The mingling of historic and contemporary music. No church or service can be all things to all people. But we do not value stylistic narrowness. We believe there are affections owing to God that different tunes and different texts and different genres may awaken better than others. We will strive to be who we are without exalting our own tastes as the standard of excellence or power. We will see God’s guidance in each worship setting to be both indigenous and stretching.

Principle #6: We will celebrate the Lord’s Supper often, but without falling into a pattern that is predictable so as to dull our appreciation of this vital means of grace. The pastor and elders will seek to schedule the Lord’s Supper at least ten times per year (every 5-6 weeks, on average; but sometimes a bit more or a bit less frequently than that, depending on the season of the year and other factors of the calendar).

Several sources have been invaluable for what follows. First is The Worship Sourcebook, co-published by the Calvin Institute of Worship, Faith Alive Christian Resources (a ministry of CRC Publications), and Baker Books. A second resource is the “Philosophies and Priorities of Wheatland Presbyterian Church,” adopted February 12, 2004. Wheatland is a daughter church of Westminster PCA in Lancaster. Pastor Scott Johnston of Living Hope PCA moderated the Session of this church for eighteen months during 2003-2004. The last resource is a brief document titled, “What Unites us in Worship at Bethlehem,” written by John Piper, pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota (http://bbcmpls.org/staffopenings/WhatunitesWorship_003.htm). The Worship Sourcebook, p. 16.  “What Unites Us at Bethlehem?” A paper listing the defining marks of worship at Bethlehem Baptist church. (http://bbcmpls.org/staffopenings/WhatunitesWorship_003.htm)