Christian Year (Essentials Red)

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

I haven’t really thought much about the “Christian Year” in my life. Not being raised in the church, I didn’t even really know much about it. I knew that Christmas was about Jesus being born, and Easter was about Jesus dieing. I also knew that Catholics did something after Mardi Gras where they put ashes on their foreheads, and stopped doing something for a month, but that was just weird to me as a kid, and I didn’t get it. Obviously, now I’m a little more learned in the things of God, and I know more about Lent, and Advent, and some of the other little things between the big holidays. But it still never meant much to me, I didn’t practice it.

Reading this book, “Ancient – Future Time” by Robert E. Webber, has really started to open up my mind, and my heart, to these practices. On pages 16 and 17 in the Introduction to the book, there is a chart listing the eight segments of the Christian year, and their importance. This alone was enough to challenge me. I never knew how deep it went, and why it was so important to a lot of people. I’m only a handful of chapters in, but already I’ve learned valuable stuff that I’ve taken to heart. I’ve also decided to follow the Christian year to the best of my ability. I’ve been praying about it, and asking God for His guidance, His help, but most of all His grace.

Right now, February 27, we are in the time of Lent, and according to Webber, “Lent is a time for repentance through self-examination and renewal through identification with the journey of Jesus. A time for prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.” (Ancient-Future Time pg. 16). I haven’t reached the section in the book that further explains Lent yet, so I’m not entirely sure what all it entails, but I plan do my best with what I know.

Rescue Me [Essentials Blue(Creative Project)]

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

I really struggled with this creative project, I’ve been worrying about it from the beginning. I’ve never been able to write a worship song. I’ve written a couple songs in the past, but never worship songs. So, I was scared. A friend of mine has written lyrics for me to put to music, and we have a couple songs together.I thought about using one of those, but I felt like I was cheating myself, and her.

Just this morning, in the shower no less, I was thinking “What am I going to do about this creative project? I have to work a double today, I only have an hour break, and I have nothing…” Then all of a sudden, like a flood, words just started flowing into my head. I scrambled to finish washing my hair, and jumped out of the shower to write them down, so I wouldn’t forget them. During my one hour break, I put it to music and recorded it, and I absolutely love it. Not because it’s my song, but because it’s God’s song that I get to sing. It’s still in rough draft form, and it needs a lot of work,  but here it is, it’s called “Rescue Me”…

Verse 1
From the beginning, Your plan set in motion
From age to age
Every generation, You’ve rescued sinners
That they may do You work in this world

Chorus
And now You’ve come to rescue me
I’m Your child, Your creation
Because You love me
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
How You love me

Verse 2
You’ve set You’re kingdom, You’re Son over all
From age to age
Spotless lamb, You ransomed our souls
Paid the price with Your blood, on the cross

Bridge
We cast our crows, bow at Your throne
From here till Your kingdom comes
We lay down our lives, surrender all
Now till Your kingdom comes

The river, the tree, the church (Essentials Blue)

“For: The Institute of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt.

     What is the church? Many believe it’s where they go to get “fed” (spiritually, that is), still others believe it’s a place to get fed (litterally, that is. I mean, hey, free coffee). According to the Bible, the church, the house of God, is the place where He Himself resides. Because of His son, and through the holy spirit, God resides in his people. In us: you and me, and that guy. The church, in the biblical sense is God’s people. In the words of N.T. Write, “The church is like a river… But at the same time the church is like a tree.” (Simply Christian, pgs. 199-200). He explains that the river is fed by countless smaller rivers, streams, mountain glaciers, and other such sources of water. In the same way, the church is fed by countless cultures, languages,  backgrounds, and lifestyles. The tree starts as a single seed, end grows into a full-bodied truck, which inturn expands it’s branches in all directions. In the same way the church started from a single seed, Jesus, and grew into a full-bodied foundation in Acts, and over the years has expanded it’s branches in all directions.

     I think this imagery Write uses is a crucial point for christians today, espessially young christians today, to remember. We need to continue to be fed by all of God’s people, we can learn so much from other cultural worship, and prayer. I have an African friend, who speaks english, but his native tongue is french, and he prays in french. I mean he prays in french. I have no idea what he is saying (despite my 3 years of french in highschool),  but at the same time it reaches me, and it teaches me.

     It’s also just as important to remember to keep expanding the branches, never forget your roots, and your foundation, but always be continuously reaching outward, in every direction. Reach up, to God. Reach down, to the less fortunate. Reach left, right, forward, and back, to your fellow christians running this race with you. They’ll need your help, and you’ll need theirs.

Christian Worldview (Essentials Blue)

“For: The Institute of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt.

Who is the God we serve? Most everyone on this earth spend their entire life trying to answer this question. Weather it be through religion, possession, relations, etc. Human beings will always find something to worship, it’s how we were made. Luckily, the God of Heaven and earth, the God of Abraham and Isaac, the creator God, YHWH, gave us a manual to work through this human dilemma.

To start from the beginning, God created. He designed and built Heaven and earth from nothingness, then He set us humans about to take care of it. But how? Why? We’ve been charged with the responsibility to maintain God’s creation, impart His justice, reveal His beauty, and thrive on His spirit. Early in the game, however, mankind fell, we fell hard. The manual I spoke of earlier, the Bible, tells the story of God’s plan to bring us back to His glory.

Saying this is not to say that, because we fell, we no longer carry the duties God has provided us. We are not to sit about waiting for the day God’s plan comes to fruition and we can finally revel in His glory. The plan has already reached it’s climax, through the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Man, the Messiah. Because of this, we have been provided the Holy Spirit of God Himself, who knows God’s thoughts and ours, and links them, connecting earth and Heaven. The God we serve is not distant, He didn’t create then abandon, He is here, He is now, and He longs for our company, just as we long for something to worship.

During Jesus’ time on earth, He set up His church, the people of God, the body of Christ, to continue the work that He, Himself, began. In John 14:12, Jesus declares “… anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these,…” (NIV). Jesus has set the bar, and it’s our goal to reach it, and even surpass it.

Book of James (Essentials Blue)

“For: The Institute of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt.

I read through the book of James tonight over dinner. I’ve read it many times before, it’s one of my favorite books of the New Testament. There’s just something about James’ passion that resonates through me. It’s a fierce passion that just radiates off the pages, the kind of passion I long for. I want to have the kind of passion that just radiates off me, the kind of passion that people can see, and feel, in me. Reading through it, it’s as if James doesn’t know all the answers himself, but that doesn’t stop him, it doesn’t even slow him down. You can feel a righteous anger flowing through him, not towards the sinners, but toward the sin itself.

The big theme that I get from James is humble… ness. He tells us to Humble ourselves before the Lord a number of times. That can be very hard to do sometimes. Especially as someone who spends a lot of time on a stage of sorts. But that’s what’s asked of us. James also speaks of teachers of the word being judged more strictly (3:1). I think that can be applied to any leader in the church, including worship leaders. We’re to set a prime example to God’s children, it’s a big responsibility. Every one stumbles at some point or another, that’s one thing, but to cause another to stumble is just rude. I mean, wrong.

I don’t know, these posts are probably more to myself than any one else, but there here for people to read, and see what goes on in my brain cavity. It’s also interesting stuff to ponder.

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.” – James 1:12 (NIV).

Applying the Knowledge (Essentials Blue)

“For: The Institute of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt.

It’s amazing the things I’ve been learning in this course so far. From who God is, to what He does, from who we are, to what God does through us. We’ve covered a lot of ground in a very short time (and we’re only a fifth of the way through…). Of all the knowledge that’s being put into my brain from this study, two main points have really been standing out to me. One being the trinity, I’ve never doubted the fact the God is three in one, and it baffles me that people do doubt it, but I’ve never really known the importance of it.

It’s hard to deny the trinity, as I’ve said in previous posts, there’s evidence of it in the first page of the Bible. But it’s not always as easy to see the importance of all three sides of God. I’m learning )that it’s ok, though often discouraged in some denominations, to pray to all three God-heads, and it’s in fact important to do so. God the father looks after us, He is, after all, our father. Jesus, the son of God, has been given rule of this realm and Heaven, He is our king, He is our prime example in times of need. The Spirit of God has been given to us, through Jesus, to reach the Father and the Heavenly realm when ever and where ever we want. It’s all just such interesting stuff that I’m trying to process and go over in my head.

The other thing that’s been on my mind through this class is how to apply this vast knowledge of God into my worship and leading. I feel it would be a disservice to others if I tried to lead them in worshiping God without knowing and applying the materials God has provided for us. Materials such as the Bible. I’ve never even really thought about reading the Bible aloud in church, during worship. It just always seemed like it would be kinda awkward, mostly because I’m not a very good reader to begin with. But it’s an important part of worshiping God to make known the things we’re worshiping Him for. Another thing we’ve been given to share is our individual creativity. Paul talks about in first Corinthians that fact that the Spirit has given us all creativity that is to be used for the benefit of the whole church. Not just my guitar playing, half the world can do that to some degree, but I’m sure I have some other creativeness that could come in handy some day…

Digital vs. Analog Theology

In Dan Wilt’s “Essentials in Worship theology: The Nature of God” he compares theology, and the way we use it today, to music and sound. In this comparison theology is divided into two basic ideas: digital theology and analog theology. Digital theology he describes as “perfection,” trying to get everything exact, never being wrong. Analog theology is more of an artful approach, using stories of God and His glory.

Both of these methods have a great deal of advantages, but they also have their faults. In the music world, digital sound takes everything you want from the music, and nothing you don’t. I’ve heard bands come out with awesome CD’s, topping the charts, multiple number one singles, blah blah blah. Then you go to their concert to see them live, and you’re thinking “Who is this? This isn’t the same band on the CD.” The digital world turned them into something they’re not. The same came be said about digital theology, you can take everything you want out of the scriptures, and nothing you don’t. But doing this, it can become very easy to twist the scripture into something it was never meant to say.

On the other hand, analog sound takes the good with the bad. It adds a challenge for the musicians, it takes a lot more work to put out a good CD, but in the end all that hard work will show through in your live performances. Now, layer that over the theological world. analog theology takes the good with what we perceive to be the bad. The hard words from God are still relevant today, and it may take more work for you to find the true, good meaning in it. But in the end your hard work will begin to reveal itself in your life, through Gods favor.

Just a thought… (essentials blue)

“For: The Institute of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt.

I’ve been reading a lot on the trinity today (part of this weeks assignment), and quite a few provocative thoughts came to me. Most of which I can’t remember, but one stuck with me, and I’ve been meditating on it all day.

In the first chapter of Genesis there is already evidence of the trinity. Verse 26 says “Then God said ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness,..’” (Genesis 1:26, emphasis added). God is speaking of himself in the plural, this can also be noted in the original Hebrew, but the main significance, I feel, in this statement by God is that we were made in His image. God is trinity, so man is a trinity. Every person was created in three parts: body, soul, and spirit. In an article titled “The Divine Dance,” Berten Waggoner discusses the importance of incorporating all the parts of God, because, like I mentioned in my previous post, people learn more theology through worship than through preaching.

Just as it is important to remember and teach all three parts of the triune God, it is equally important to remember and care for all three parts of the triune man; body, soul, and spirit. One cannot function properly without the others, and without one, the others cannot function properly. And in my opinion, the most neglected is the spirit. Most every one takes care of their body, we bathe, we dress ourselves, etc. Most everyone takes care of their soul, without which we lose sense of who we are. But we can easily lose sight of our spirit, thinking that’s God’s department, He’ll do it for us. In a sense he does, David the psalmist declares, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10 – NIV), but he goes on to say, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” (Psalm 51:17 – NIV). We have to come to God with a broken spirit. We have to humble ourselves down, and let God shape our spirit. A little later on, James and Peter confirm this by saying “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5 / James 4:6 – NIV) which is almost a direct quote from Proverbs 3:34: “He mocks proud mockers, but gives grace to the humble.” (NIV)

I guess what I’m trying to say is, try to take care of you spirit as much as you take care of your body and soul. Make sure to keep yourself open to Him, keep yourself useable. “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.” (James 4:10 – NIV). That’s all I have. Goodnight.

Hard work for the people of God (Essentials Blue)

“For: The Institute of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt.

In Dan Wilt’s “Essentials In Worship Theology: An Introduction,” on page four, he discusses “.. two types of theology at work in the world today.”* Embedded theology and Deliberative theology. Both of which I believe everyone has, but more often than not, one of them greatly outweighs the other, for better or for worse. I know for me and most of my life, embedded theology was all there was, I was raised by atheists, so theology didn’t exist, it wasn’t real. That never really worked for me, though. I’ve always believed in a “higher being,” but I had nothing to base that belief on, so I didn’t worry too much about it. Then God called me to The Vineyard (You might even say he called me to His Vineyard), and my feelings we finally able to be turned into knowledge. I could finally develop my own deliberative theology. With this course, I’m hoping to expand that theology, and I hope to apply it to my future song writing.

“Theology and the way we think about God in church is shaped more by the songs we sing than the sermons that we listen to.” – Brenton Brown (Theology And The Worship Leader)

That opening statement by Brenton Brown in the video “Theology And The Worship Leader” struck a chord deep in my soul. It rang true, but I’ve never really thought about it that way. I’ve wanted to be a worship leader sense the day God called me, but for a long time it was nothing more than playing music for God, and for God’s people. With that statement being put into such plain words, I realise it is so much more than the music. It’s the meaning behind the music. It’s the words we sing, the stories we tell, and the feelings we portray. I always just thought it was something fun to do with my life. Turns out, it’s actually going to be a lot of work if I want to do it right…

*Roger E. Olson, The story Of Christian Theology (Downer’s Grove, III.: Intervarsity Press, 1999) 11.