Theology of Worship Midterm

God —> Gathered Worship/Church —> World (5)

1. Worship as a response

2. Worship as sacrifice

3. worship as transformative

4. worship as unifying

5. worship as sending

what does it mean to be human? (4)

1. primarily desirers not thinkers

2. education less about message more about habit-forming worship

3. rituals/habits shape out imagination

4. 1. aim/invention 2. target 3. habits 4. liturgies

Liturgy

From 2 Greek words: Leito (public/people) and Ergos (that works)

Def: work of the people

Subliminal

Limin (threshold) Sub (under)

Def: below the threshold

Modalism

The triune God is not 3 distinct persons, but one person in 3 modes (water in 3 forms)

Arianism

Christ and the Spirit are creations of the Father (sun - creates light and heat)

Partialism

Father, Son, and Spirit are not distinct persons but are different parts of one God (1 clover: 3 cloves 1/3)

Tritheism

Father Son and Spirit are 3 independent beings (2 separate gods)

Trinitarian Worship (3)

1. God moves toward the church

2. The church moves toward God

3. God moves within the Church

3 wowow phrases:

1. gathered worship, the church participates inthe community of the triune God as the Body of Christ

2. Church worships corporately, it participates in teh community of teh Triune God in a way that cannot be experienced individually

3. participation of the church in the Triune community entails a joining in love and community and task and mission of the Trinity

Figurehead

easily seen, inspires confidence in God and the leaders

Host

helps the worshippers feel at home and part of what is going on

Articulator

helps put into words what people are thinking and feeling to create a bond

protector

understanding people

s unnamed anxieties and fears, giving them security

Worshipper

spends time with God - practices discernment

President

one who presides over and events so as to facilitate worship

Prophet

ability to convey to the people the heart of God

Why go to church (6)

1. Learning, fellowship, prayer

2. sharing: redistribution of goods in community

3. a place for the desperate and lonely

4. location of encouragement and spurring

5. where we become the body of Christ

6. counter-cultural location of transformation

Why is the liturgical year important? (2)

1. way Christian’s mark time

2. reforms us according to God’s story

Advent

1: 4 weeks leading up to Christmas (preperation and anticipation)

Christmas

12 day season (dec 25-jan 5) (incarnation and birth of Christ)

Epiphany

“ordinary time” jan 5 - day before ash Wednesday (focus on the revelation of Christ).

Lent

40 day season of repentance

Holy Week

Concluding week of lent: Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday

Easter

50 day celebration of the resurrection of Christ

Pentecost

“ordinary time”; 50 days after easter, till advent (celebration of the gift of the spirit and the birth of the church)

What does the liturgical calendar do for us? (3)

1. draws us deeper and closer to God

2. Gives us a sense of stability within the story

3. keeps our lives in tune with the triune God

Creation as Sanctuary

The language of Gen. 1-2 is liturgical (rhythm, pattern, ritual)

Creation was the tabernacle for Adam and Eve

Creation as Participation in God’s work

God calls Adam to help tend to his creation

Creation as containing the image of God

perfect, very good, and complete

Creation as a starting point and target

Eden is where it began, and we want to get back there

Creation as relational and fragile

God invited mankind to share responsibility

Creation has boundaries and divisions which makes it susceptible to chaos

Genesis 1: Ordering Creation

Forming: separating, providing boundaries

Filling: ordered, according to kind

Genesis 2: Caring for creation

Caring/cultivating: God is intimately involved in the care of his creation

Inviting: God invites humanity into his work

Genesis 3: chaos unleashed

The fall

Worship is only possible through mediation

This is the beginning of the intimate connection between worship and obedience in scripture