Convergence Worship

Worship Style – Convergence Worship

Our good friend, Jesus, is a mover and a shaker amongst those with the least: the least amount of money, food, good health, friends, knowledge of God, and good behavior. This is what I envision "the church" should look like today. Church is not a one-hour weekly service, but regular service. I like a phrase I heard recently: “Our witness is our service.” I envision “church” as not a place we go, but who we are. We take the historic belief into the real world where we live! I envision the church service as bringing together the historic beliefs into our daily walk-of-life – convergent!

 

What is convergence worship?

In simplest terms, Convergence Worship is “…the coming together of the historic and the contemporary in worship.” Convergence worship unabashedly seeks to reclaim the biblical focus and historical worship elements that have been so vital to authentic Christian worship throughout the ages:

·         The two-fold order of Word (revelation) and Response to the Word

·         The extensive interpretation of the Holy Scriptures

·         The use of multiple types of prayer

·         The functional congregational song

·         The participatory worship through gestures and enactment, creeds or affirmations of faith

·         The Christ-centeredness of worship

·         The sense of community

Convergence worship claims an understanding that worship ties together the past, the present, and the future.

 

Convergence worship also values the expressing of the historical substantive acts of worship in culturally meaningful ways so that contemporary worshipers can more truly encounter Christ.

·         An interest in the common corpus of song

·         An interest in the visual presentation of the Gospel (visual art, dance, drama, music, poetry, banners, sculpture, architecture, stained glass, etc.)

·         A hunger for silence and quiet reflection

·         A cherishing of the Word of God read with simplicity and clarity

·         The mystical

·         A connection between worship and mission

·         Full participation in the liturgy

 

I support convergence worship because I think it’s biblically faithful and highly practical. I believe convergence worship is very useful in our world which is becoming Postmodern (people are not linked to the historic tradition and attitudes). We are living in the transition time between the modern era and the postmodern era. More and more people are particularly interested in the relationship between the past and the future.

 

Does the contemporary worshiper have anything in common with the worshiping saints of the past twenty centuries?

I think we share many things:

·         The desire for the Word/Response to the Word

·         The desire for more frequent opportunities for celebrating the Table of the Lord and the sacrament of Baptism

·         The desire for the celebrative nature of worship

·         The common story—the “meta-narrative”

 

What is the goal of convergence worship?

The goal of Convergence worship is to celebrate the God of the Tradition in a manner reflective of local tradition and culture.  It is to believe God is a God in Culture.  God is present even when we do not see God present.  It is expressed in ways relevant to the contemporary worshiper. 

 

What does it mean to reclaim historic worship and melt it with new?

To affirm the historical in worship does not require a congregation to repeat a set of ancient practices verbatim, in their ancient form. To me, embracing historical worship means:

·         To demonstrate a willingness to share in that which the historic church has always found meaning (and expressing these things in currently meaningful ways); and,

·         To make our own contemporary contribution to the historical stream of worship.

It is then that our worship expressions converge!

 

Worship progresses best when each generation (or era) makes its own contribution to the larger tradition of worship and then proceeds to express all of it in time as the various Lord’s Days transpire. Then the question is no longer that of various people in a congregation compromising so that each one is allowed their chance to sing the music they like best (blended). Instead, worship planners seek to remember the whole church at worship and when they do, the variety of expressions is not only satisfying, but also endless (Convergence)!

Convergence is a gathering of liturgical repertoire. It is in expressing the ancient and the present and the future that the worshiping church converges.

 

What are the elements of convergence worship?

In convergence worship, Revelation is the Word of God proclaimed to the Christian community with an intentional presentation of the truth about God and God’s relationship with God’s people. Think of revelation as the basic content of worship.

·         It is the time when truth is delivered.

·         This can come in many forms – ancient and contemporary.

·         Primarily it comes through the reading of the scriptures and through preaching.

·         However, revelation—the outright presentation of truth—can be delivered in a variety of ways: through congregational singing, testimony, prayers, prepared music.

A worship element functions as a vehicle for revelation when it proclaims the truth about God, matters of faith, or the Christian experience.

 

Response is the reply of God’s people to the truth proclaimed through revelation. Think of response as the prepared or spontaneous opportunity given to the people through which they can answer, reply, or react. As is the case for revelation, responses can come in many ways—in fact through the same ways: through congregational singing, testimony, prayers, prepared music, etc. A worship element functions as a vehicle for response when it provides an avenue to express what the proclaimed truth means to the worshiping community.

 

So you see various worship components can function either for revelation or response. The words of most worship elements tend to be either a proclamation of a truth about God (revelation) or an honest expression of how the truth is received by the believer (response).

 

How does convergence worship progress?

Remember, music and other expressions of worship serve the revelation and also, as response.  Worship planning should consider how each part of the experience fits the whole.

Hymns: Many times traditional hymns proclaim truth. Often they are doctrinal and poetic presentations of truths about God and/or the Christian faith. Most hymns teach, explain, and exhort believers. Consider how these hymns be paired with choruses (i.e. “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name!” followed by “All Hail King Jesus”).

Confessions: A confession of sin/assurance of pardon (The assurance of pardon is nothing less than a proclamation of the truth about God’s grace) might be paired with such songs as

“Change My Heart, O God” or “Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God”. Possibilities for assurance of pardon following confession might include, “Grace Greater Than All Our Sin” or “Just As I Am”, stanza 4. 

A prayer for illumination might include: “Thy Word” or “Wonderful Words of Life”.

A call to prayer: “Be Still and Know That I am God” or “Be Still, My Soul”.

 

How can we make the best use of convergence worship?

1.      Be exposed to traditions of worship other than our own.

2.      Be open to the active presence of the Holy Spirit.

3.      Be focused upon the celebration of an event.

4.      Be sure to set aside time exclusively for worship.

5.      Be participatory in order to experience worship.

6.      Be aware that the rule of prayer is the rule of faith (faith comes by doing worship).

7.      Be careful to include the opportunity to experience divine action and human response.

8.      Be insistent to use the arts as a vehicle for worship.

9.      Be aware that space communicates.

10.  Be inclusive of many musical styles.

11.  Be aware of the power of drama.

12.  Be free enough to use the body in worship.

13.  Be committed to the evangelical possibilities that lie within the Christian Year.

14.  Be convinced of the power of sign and symbol.

15.  Be attentive to the symbolism of baptism.

16.  Be hungry to recover the presence and power of Christ through the symbols of bread and wine at the table.

17.  Be in a spirit of celebration and thanksgiving when worshipping (i.e. the Lord’s Supper).

18.  Be open to the recovery of the practice of laying on of hands for healing.

19.  Be sensitive to the way in which authentic worship relates to all areas of the church's ministry.

20.  Worship is itself a response to the Word of God made flesh.

21.  Worship is an action verb and should not be considered a noun.

22.  Like most verbs, worship has both a subject and an object: we are the subjects and God is the object.

Simeon

“There was a Man by the Name, Simeon …”

 

There will come a time when neither you nor I are in this world. We do not know the date, but we know it will happen – maybe when we are young, maybe when we get old. This became even more real two weeks ago as a shooter killed 20 children and six adults in a school. 

·         What is there that you would still like to accomplish before that time comes?

·         Maybe you would answer the question light-heartedly, saying you’d like to win the lottery (just once!), or sky-dive, or walk on the moon.

·         But others of you may be more thoughtful: perhaps you’d like to write a book, or visit Norway, or shoot your age in golf.

I asked my mama that question once, in 1984, shortly after my dad died. Sitting in the living room, I posed the question to her: “Mama is there anything you’d like to do while you are still able?” Her response did not come immediately, but she finally said “Yes, there is; I’d like to visit Ireland.” She has always been interested in Ireland and England – she has countless books on the countries.  I regret, by her choice, my mother is not going to go to Ireland.  She had tickets and a trip planned once, but turned them in. And yet, that experience has alerted me to the fact that a life without regret might include making a list of the things which I might want to do in my life before my life is over.

 

 

There are two more parts of the Christmas story – one today and then one next week. Our story today is about two people who had only one wish before they died – one thing they wanted to see happen before they left this world for the next.  There is a man in Jerusalem whose name is Simeon.

·         He is a very righteous Jewish man.

·         He has been promised that he would not die until he sees the Messiah face-to-face.

 

This event occurs on the eighth day of Jesus’ young life.  As a young Jewish male, Jesus is being dedicated to God through circumcision. Mary and Joseph, being in Bethlehem, only a few miles from Jerusalem, have brought him to the Temple for his dedication to the Lord. Jesus appears to Simeon in his mother’s arms. Simeon responds by telling God that it is now okay for him to die; he has met the Savior face to face.

 

But that’s not the end of the story.  The story continues with a woman named Anna; eighty-four years old, and she too is looking for and speaking of this Savior who is to come.

·         The Bible says that she never left the temple;

·         She stays there day and night, fasting and praying and eventually seeing this One whom God has sent to redeem Israel.

·         Again, God brings them together at the right time, and Anna prophesies that this child would redeem Israel.

·         All her years of watching and waiting and fasting suddenly came to an end, as she tells the people in the Temple who this child is.

 

We see in these stories of Simeon and Anna, evidence that the religious life is not a brief sprint, as we sometimes presume, but it is a marathon. And this is the most significant aspect of Simeon and Anna; the legacies they left behind. Rather than asking “what would you like to do?” perhaps I should be asking “how would you like to be remembered?” What do you want your legacy to be? What shall we write as an epitaph on your tombstone? What should be written on mine?

·         “There was a man named Mike …”

·         “There was a man named Terry….”

But notice: Luke does not leave these stories in isolation – he connects them to something taking place almost twelve years later … Why? Why place these stories together? Listen, "(Jesus') parents went every year to Jerusalem at the feast of the Passover."  Did you ever notice that part I just read, "Every year"?  Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem every year for Passover. 

 

                Travel is so easy for us today that we forget how difficult it used to be.  I mean how many in this church traveled hundreds, if not thousands of miles this past week?  It will take the mission team just over a day to travel half-way around the world to Cambodia on January 24. Joseph and Mary traveled from Nazareth to Jerusalem every year for the Passover.  When we read that, we may think of Joseph taking a couple of days off work, hopping into the city for a night or two, and returning home.  It wasn't like that.  It wasn't like that at all.  Remember, travel to Jerusalem is an eight-day journey from Nazareth––each way!  Mostly it was walking!  They walked.  They spent several days in Jerusalem observing the Passover, and then another eight days getting back home. 

·         Three weeks away from home! 

·         Three weeks on the road! 

·         Three weeks sleeping wherever they could!  

·         Three weeks eating the simple fare that they could carry with them! 

·         Three weeks without a paycheck! 

·         Three weeks of extra expenses! 

Luke says that they did that every year! Not occasionally! Not once in a full moon. I am sure that this trip to Jerusalem is the closest thing to a vacation that Joseph and Mary ever got.  It cannot have been much of a vacation. 

                Why did they do it? 

·         Simeon – waiting at the gates. 

·         Anna – waiting at the gates. 

·         Mary and Joseph, yearly, headed to the Temple. 

Joseph and Mary went every year.  Scripture indicates a good Jew should make one pilgrimage to Jerusalem, but they loved God so much that they were willing to go above and beyond the call of duty observing Passover. 

                I believe Luke wants to tell us what kind of people had influence in Jesus’ life.  They are people devoted to God.  That makes sense, doesn't it! 

·         God would not have chosen Mary had she not been that kind of woman. 

·         Joseph would not have been in the picture had he not been that kind of man. 

·         God chose them, God chose Simeon and Anna because they are the kind of people who would take Jesus to Jerusalem every year for Passover. 

 

                It made a difference!  Jesus grew up in a family that is devoted to God, and it makes a difference for him.  Jesus is human, and he needed the nurture that his human family offered.

·         When he came from heaven to earth, he accepted the limitations of human flesh. 

·         He began life as a helpless infant. 

·         His parents had to diaper him. 

·         He caught colds. 

·         He got ear aches. 

·         He experienced all the miseries and all the joys of a normal Jewish baby. 

·         And he grew. 

By the time he had grown into a twelve-year-old boy––very different from the helpless infant of the manger.  He was bright!  His insights amazed people!  But Jesus wasn't finished growing yet.  Luke tells us that this twelve-year-old boy grew in wisdom––and he grew in stature––and he grew in his relationship with God––and he grew in his relationships with other people. 

                Even as a very bright twelve-year-old, Jesus had lots of growing yet to do.

·         He did that growing in a family who journeys to Jerusalem every year for the Passover. 

·         He did his growing in a family who goes beyond the call of duty to honor God. 

·         He did his growing in a family who helps him to develop strong ties to his Heavenly Father. 

Life in that kind of family made Jesus strong.  It prepared him for life.  It prepared him for death.  It prepared him for whatever he might face. We will see that in a few weeks.  On February 17, the First Sunday in Lent, we will see Jesus begin his ministry.  Do you remember how Luke continues to describe the story?  Jesus begins his ministry with the temptation in the wilderness! 

·         Satan tries to get Jesus to make bread from a stone.

·         He tries to get Jesus to take the easy way and to worship Satan.

·         He tries to get Jesus to jump-start his ministry with a spectacular stunt.

But Jesus passes every temptation.  He counters every temptation with scripture. 

                Where did he learn those scriptures?   He learned the scriptures from Mary and Joseph in their home.  He learned the scriptures in the synagogue, where Mary and Joseph took him to worship––and to learn.  He learned the scriptures in Jerusalem, where Mary and Joseph took him every year to observe Passover. 

                So when the test came––Satan's temptations––Jesus is ready.  When the test comes, Jesus passes it with flying colors.  He is able to pass the test because he had grown strong in a family that goes to Jerusalem for Passover every year––in a family that goes beyond the call of duty to honor God––in a family that worships in the synagogue every Sabbath––in a family that gives thanks at the dinner table––in a family that prays together––in a family that told him about a man named Simeon and woman named Anna. 

                What does that have to do with us?  It gives us a model of a family.  It gives us a model for growing strong kids.  It gives us a model for growing kids who can handle temptation. 

·         It is NOT a kid-centered family. 

·         It is a GOD-centered family. 

Parents in kid-centered families think that they need to give their kids everything.  No, give them yourself.  Give them your time.  Give them your love.  Give them your faith. Do what you can to help them to adopt good values.  Do what you can to help them to learn that God is their loving Father––and that Jesus came to Earth to save them––to save them from ordinariness––to forgive their sins.

                Jesus didn't grow up in a KID-centered family.  He grew up in a GOD-centered family.  He grew up in a family that sacrificed nice-to-have things so that they could observe Passover in Jerusalem every year.  Growing up in a family like that made Jesus strong.  It gave him the strength to resist temptation once he was on his own.

                Someone put it this way:  To discover what you are to leave behind – our true place in life, we need to discover, not WHO we are, but WHOSE we are.  Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple when he was eight days old and then again, year-after-year. I helped Jesus to learn WHOSE he was––to whom he belonged. Only then could Jesus know what he wanted to do before he died.