Is ‘worship’ a thing of the past?

What were you called when you were young? Did you have a Sunday name, one that shook you to the core when it was spoken? Perhaps over time the name used has been shortened. I much prefer ‘Bob’ to ‘Robert’. Our name may adapt, but it’s not a thing of the past.

It gives me an identity as within a community who knows of me, my name can give sufficient identification. Have we also noticed that our identity can change, as we age, in the context we find ourselves in?

What’s the Churches identity look like?

When we call people Methodist, what exactly does that mean?

We are certainly known as one ‘born in song‘; albeit there’s not much of that going on currently in lockdown. As we look at the words of the hymn or contemporary song, what exactly are we singing?

Do we agree with the song writer/composer’s theology, expressed in the hymn/song, with what we believe?

When people attend our churches, hear the services currently online, I wonder what they make of the theology, our understanding of God, in those words. Even contemporary songs, written a few decades ago, may have ‘aged’, their expression of faith may need to be considered. Our theology may change, it’s not fixed or a ‘thing in the past’. Think of slavery, or divorce.

It’s not a given.

The Songs of yesteryear may have a different theology to what we hold now.

But worship is more than song. It’s a way of life, responding to God’s love every day. Consider how many people today worship consumerism. They love that brand, perhaps Apple products. Pop into an Apple store and see how they see ‘worship’.

What does this worship look like?

I think the worship, in this period of lockdown, can enable us to see what worship can look like post-Covid. I wonder whether we can release people to worship 24/7 in their way and see this as a form of discipleship.

Our prayers are generally spoken ‘from the front‘. But what is stopping us praying right where we are, right where you are now? The Ignatian contemplative prayer is one where we speak to God face-to-face, as one who loves us dearly, as a friend. Is that the God we worship?

There’s no need for a framework, a special prayer, but words spoken, whether out loud or in our heads, or cries from our heart where words are not capable of being expressed. God understands, and hears us. Prayer can even be revolutionary. It’s not a thing of the past.

How could we express our gratitude to God when we ‘nature’ catches our eye? When the hills become alive in various colours, and we see God.

Going Back

The Chair of the District in Scotland spoke at our periodic meeting today. He spoke of ‘going back – a phrase heard so often recently.

But Jesus didn’t come back to life, but forward to resurrected life. He came to this world, not the next.

We don’t get the economy back, the Church back, or even George Floyd back. Time moves forward. The Resurrection doesn’t make anything better, as the wounds were still there, and the Romans were still in occupation. But Christ was transformed and continues to transform.

Scotland Synod, 19 September 2020

Hope

I hope that throughout this Covid lockdown, we can examine worship, for what it was, is now and could be in the future. That worship exists interwoven throughout our life, and is not constrained within the building, or only in song.