This week in my congregation we have been discussing the question, “What is Worship?” I asked our Tuesday night Bible study class to list what is and what is not essential for Christian Worship. Is the choir essential? Must we celebrate Holy Communion to constitute worship? Is it Worship without a sermon? Children’s Moment? As a United Methodist, our Articles of Religion state that worship is when the word is proclaimed and the sacraments shared, which gives my fellow United Methodists pause since traditionally we celebrate communion once a month (which is a tradition is wish would see it’s sunset).
During Open Space, our Young Adult worship service, we discussed this further in light of the lectionary Gospel reading this week, The Transfiguration. The Disciples’ mountain top experience is one of the few records of a theophany (manifestation of God) in which the Godhead (The Trinity) seems explicitly present. After reflecting on our discussions this week, I would like to offer you a definition of Christian Worship. Let me know what you think.
“The activity of the Godhead may be understood as The Father, The Son, and the grace which binds them together, or as Saint Augustine puts it, ‘The Lover, The Beloved, and the Love which they share.’ Economically, the work of the Trinity is adoration, the abundant grace of The Father reciprocated by the love of The Son. When Christians gather for worship, they gather as the body of Christ in the power of The Holy Spirit to both adore God The Father and to receive God’s blessing, an outward and visible sign of the work of the Godhead. Although Christian worship varies in order, length, style, and emphasis, Christian worship is a manifestation of The Trinity–God the Father bound to the body of Christ in shared adoration.”
In other words, when we gather together for Christian Worship, we become an outward and visible sign of The Trinity. With this understanding, worship is essential to the Christian experience. It is not simply another “program” the Church offers, it is what gives the Church its identity. This makes me pause before picking some abstract background for the lyrics of a given song. It causes me to meditate on the order in which we gather. It means that I don’t select a song because it’s catchy. Those who organize worship must understand the depth of the work to which they have been called. Worship is a manifestation of the Trinity, a vision of the Kingdom which is at hand and has yet to come into fruition.
How do you define Christian Worship?
I have little argument with what is being said. I understand that the Doctrine of the Trinity is a model of the Godhead. “C’est non pip!” Historically the church has confirmed a trinity of co-equal persons. A model where the trinity is described as the Father, the Son, and the relationship between them seems to deminish the person-hood of the Holy Spirit. Does the Holy Spirit being the agape shared between the Father and Son not make the Holy Spirit less co-equal?
Great comment, and to answer your question, maybe. A couple of thoughts. Augustine in his suggestion that the Trinity is the Lover, the Beloved, and the love that they share, is in line with the Western Church and the Nicene Creed. The “filioque” clause of the Nicene Creed, saying that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father AND the Son may hint at subordination. However one question to think about is the significance of identity and relationship. My identity is greatly shaped by my relationships. I’m not sure what constitutes “I” independent of “the other.” Theologically, the “I” of the Christian faith, my identity, is formed in the waters of baptism and the “I” is no longer me, but Christ himself living within me in the power of the Spirit. So, the Spirit being that which is shared between Father and Son might not necessarily mean subordination because it IS what hold the Trinity together. My Orthodox brothers and sisters may have a different understanding, but one thing is true . . . “C’est non pip!”