Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Worshiping Worship?

Here is D. A. Carson on the topic of worship and the futility of songs that talk about worshiping more than God. His example is a bit dated, but if you're singing about how much you "just wanna" worship/love/embrace, and not about God, well, this applies:
This point is acknowledged in a praise chorus like "Let's forget about ourselves, and magnify the Lord, and worship him." The trouble is that after you have sung this repetitious chorus three of four times, you are no farther ahead. The way you forget about yourself is by focusing on God--not by singing about doing it, but by doing it. There are far too choruses and services and sermons that expand our vision of God--his attributes, his works, his character, his words. Some think that corporate worship is good because it is lively where it had been dull. But it may also be shallow where it is lively, leaving people dissatisfied and restless in a few months' time. Sheep lie down when they are well fed (cf. Psalm 23:2); they are more likely to be restless when they are hungry. "Feed my sheep," Jesus commanded Peter (John 21); and many sheep are unfed. If you wish to deepen the worship of the people of God, above all deepen their grasp of his ineffable majesty in his person and in all his works.

We do not expect the garage mechanic to expatiate on the wonders of his tools; we expect him to fix the car. He must know how to use his tools, but he must not lose sight of the goal. So we dare not focus on the mechanics of corporate worship and lose sight of the goal. We focus on God himself, and thus we become more godly and learn to worship--and collaterally we learn to edify one another, forbear with one another, challenge one another.

Source, originally from Worship by the Book

No comments: