This current school year has witnessed me undergoing a dramatic change in my worship habits. As our (my wife and I) lives become busier and we our time together becomes more valued, we have looked at our schedule and make necessary changes to accommodate our desires. For instance, every month I have one weekend where I have events Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to be followed by a weekend with nothing outside of Sunday school allowing us to break from our mold of being structured around church and be spontaneous in our marriage.
Another change we made this year was in our worship schedule. After spending the majority of my worship services in a contemporary/praise style, we opted for the 8:00am traditional liturgy. Why? Because for the very reason that it begins at 8:00am, which means that we can be home by 11:00am and have 5 or 6 hours together before I have to head back for a youth event as opposed to getting home at 1:00pm and having to turn around in a few hours.
While this started out as a desire to better manage our time, I have developed a strong taste for traditional worship over the last 6 months. I really appreciate the dependable foundation that liturgy provides in the midst of a week that often resembles no order or uniformity. Walking into a worship Sunday morning and knowing what to expect provides a great metaphor for the our God, Jesus Christ, who never changes and never leaves me regardless of the turbulence I experience. The familiarity that comes with a traditional liturgy brings with it a peace in knowing that something is reliable each week.
This desire for traditional liturgy is not just one of convenience and comfort, but it is also nurturing to the soul and my faith because of the frankness of the words used. There is not sugar-coating of anything in regards to my sinful condition and the forgiveness through Christ. I dig the theological integrity.
In reflection upon my years of worship, I find that I’m drawn to worship regardless of style, but do prefer certain styles at different times of day. I love the traditional liturgy in the morning as it provides structure that I might not be able to provide by myself early in the day. The hymns, filled with deep theological thoughts, are quiet and peaceful for the soul. Rather than focusing on how I feel in the moment, it challenges me to think about my faith and God in ways that extends beyond feeling.
The praise style worship is one that is dear to my heart and probably one that I find most attractive from a musical standpoint. Pulsing baselines and clean acoustics provide a beautiful melody of sound to delcare the Christ through song. Some of my favorite songs grew out of this style of worship. I also enjoy the break from liturgy and hearing a pastor teach the Word. It’s helpful to hear their thoughts and the way they may challenge me to incorporate it into my daily life. I find that I’m at my best towards the end of the day when I there is nothing left on my schedule for the day besides slipping in to bed. I am better at focusing at this time without anything ahead in my schedule to cause worry. This time of day is also when I am at my best in terms of reflection and examination of my life.
Let’s finish with a simple thought: I love worship. I love different styles and see the advantages and contentions of each. And really the style doesn’t deserve as much conversation as the object that we are worshipping. If you look at all these different styles, the one consistency is God being the focus. As Jesus tells tells the woman to “…worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24) we would be wise to allow this charge to guide us in our acts and criticisms of worship.
Christians must put more attention on the Savior as opposed to the musical instruments. We must do more to build upon the foundation of Christ that we all proclaim rather than getting hung up on our personal tastes for doctrines that carry no impact on our salvation. I challenge you to see the beauty in worship, glorification, and honor of a holy God. May we cease to criticize others that are different celebrate the joyous unity in Jesus Christ of different who all share in the brokenness of sin and the redemption of the Savior.
