Nuances in Worship

There has been a lot of discussion in the last few decades about the nature of Christian worship. Why do we worship? What is the purpose? What is the function of worship? How do we identify a meaningful worship experience? If someone cries is, that meaningful? The short answer is that I have always considered worship both a foretaste and a dress rehearsal for the kingdom of God. That is to say that when we worship, we experience just a sample of what the feast of heaven is like. There are many theological underpinnings to this notion. Just who is welcome in the kingdom of heaven? How are people received? I think that worship that emphasizes the radical hospitality that Jesus demonstrated in the gospels is probably on the right track. But, worship is also a dress rehearsal for the kingdom. That is to say that worship must not only point to an eschatological future. It must also acknowledge that we have not always been faithful to the calling of God's kingdom. Therefore, we must rehearse what life in the kingdom is like. This means that worship presents a narrative to people that shines the light of the gospel onto the cultural narrative that the people are familiar with. A stated value at Light of the Canyon is that worship must be meaningful and relevant to our context. This means that both what happens in worship and how it happens should be planned with our community in mind. Last week, we opened worship with a great story that fit the theme for the day. The story was "The Three Trees." Our Children and Family Ministries Corrdinator, Minnie August, did a great job artistically interpreting the story as I read along. It was a very moving experience for the folks. Check it out.