outside is better

Talking about Revelation: Developing an Eschatological Hermaneutic

 I have written before about how local churches need to engage with Revelation. To some, this might be an insurmountable task.

The character of Revelation makes an auditory involvement necessary. In country terms; We need to HEAR Revelation.

Those in the company of preachers must learn to call the church to its eschatological dwelling place.  In the enterprise of the earthly church taking Revelation back, local pastors serve both as truck drivers and road crew.  We direct the energy as well as take care of the movement so that the laity can travel alongside. Intentionally preaching eschatologically means a deliberate admonition of the end that comes across as assured as the deliberate notions of beginning. Our role is to theologically play the childhood game of “connect the dots”. We are story-tellers, not date-setters.   

As pastors we must tell people about the other world,  living in the the subversive act of preached hope. Instead of romantic historical meanderings that lament morals gone amuck, we focus on preached time. Preached time creates the path to New Jerusalem.  This alternate narrative answers the question of who really is in charge.

Whenever I teach Revelation to a new group of people, I start with a question. It goes something like this; "I am going to let you make a decision as to how we will read this book and how I will teach it to you. We can either let Revelation be a book that only pertains to a distinct group of people at only one time in the history of the world or we can read it as though it has informed the church for 2000 years and will continue to speak to us."

I have never had a group take option A. Even if they are hardcore Left Behinders, the second choice just sounds better. If teaching Revelation freaks you out, let the congregation make the first choice. Present to them a basic reading strategy. It will allow you to stay away from so many testy issues.

Revelation doesn't work in a passive setting. We have to be intentional and deliberate with it, but shouldn't we with all scripture?

Related Posts:
The Apocalyptic Pastor
Preaching, Mindmapping and the Apocalypse of John
Christian Time and the End of Times

Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
As it was in the beginning, is now, and shall ever be, world without end.

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This is a repost from a blog I ran for a few years postmoderneschatology.com. I have decided to merge that content in with this blog and will occasionally post from its archives.

Contemporary Communion in Advent

This Christmas Eve we are having communion together in my congregation. I pastor and lead the contemporary service at my church and over the last few months we have used the more formal Great Thanksgiving liturgy in the United Methodist Hymnal. Due to both time and the fact I we have been pretty high church lately, I decided to use a less formal approach to communion for Christmas Eve.

The tension revolves in the sacramental conviction I have as a Methodist pastor to keep communion in line with the greater tradition of the Church. Specific words do not matter, but the greater story does. I wanted to find something brief but strong and would fit well within our service.

This Advent, my secret weapon for a few special services as been the A Christmas Sourcebook. I found this while in seminary and it has proven its worth several times over. It has plenty small bits that work well in Advent and Christmas services. It is a must buy for worship designers.

Below is what I am using to tell the story of Christ during our communion time. You can find it on pg. 23 of the sourcebook.

The grace of God has appeared, ordering salvation to all men and women. It trains us to reject the godless ways and worldly desires and live temperately, justly and devoutly in this age as we await our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of the great God and of our Savior Christ Jesus. It was he who sacrificed himself for us, to redeem us from all unrighteousness and to cleanse for himself a people of his own, eager to do what is right.

I wanted to share this great resource with you. Buy it and be ready for next Advent season.

Advent Resources: Christian Reflection Journal

On of my favorite journal publications is Christian Reflections, published by Baylor University. A topical journal, I look forward to every issue. What is really rad though.. it is a free subscription. They even post each entire journal online!

Last year I mentioned journal #37 Advent Ethics. This quarter is titled "Christmas and Epiphany." You might be wondering why I am pointing you toward a resources for Advent that is seemingly not about Advent. But the newest issue is written in tandem with last year and focuses on the "original trajectories of Christmastide and Epiphany, so we can celebrate them faithfully and winsomely today."

If our congregations struggle to really understand Advent apart from Christmas, it is up to leaders to show the differences and mark the time changes. Our worship cycle tolls the bell for when our posture changes. Advent should be Advent. But Christmas should be Christmas.

Christian Reflection #41 jumps into these issues. Read, pray and talk about the difference and how we can be leading congregations to a better pattern of worship during the Church year.

Advent 2011 Readings

Advent is my favorite season to design worship for.  Every year I combine different Advent resources I find and try to share them. Today, I was putting all of the lectionary readings into a document for my design team and I figured I would share them with you. I have a few additional thoughts in there as well. You can download this booklet Download Advent 2011 or just use it through scribd.com. Feel free to share this with others. Have a great season of worship.

 

If you are looking for even more Advent resources, check out the entire category.

 

Advent 2011

Ryan Adams, Worship and the power of participation

Fans of singer Ryan Adams are familar with the stories of canceled shows, pitched fits and other forms of toddlerly surrounding Adams not being satisfied with the vibe of his concerts. I love Ryan Adams, but have never had the chance to see him live. Gwendolyn Elliott did see him last week and wrote a scathing review of the concert and attenders in the Seattle Weekly.

Part of the mystique of Ryan Adams is his temperament, drug abuse and overall odd behavior. Elliott mentions how Adams has trained his fans to forget they are at a rock concert and instead sit around on pins and needles. The author describes the night like this;

"...And since when does being five minutes late to a show and talking quietly mean you're out of line--is this a rock show or catechism class?...We had to leave shortly after that. We were too determined to have a good time and wound up having a wild night--you know, the kind of night you only hear about in a Ryan Adams song."

The article isn't critical of Adams but it points out how the evening simply didn't live up to the hype because of the attitude of the fans. Her closing comment regarding how she ended up spending her evening really speaks to the idea of expected participation. The event simply didn't communicate the scenario...and it was up to her to actualize it later on that night.

Many times worship does the same thing. For the sake of formality or production we forget worship at its definition is an event involving multiple people. Yes-there are leaders (the preachers, readers, musicians, dramatists, artists...etc), but worship depends on the response and actions of the people. The beauty of a good rock show is how you are able to share the event with those around you, singing the words, responding to the band, buying merch and generally taking in the environment.

When worship leaves us feeling like nothing happened, was it really Christian worship? Have we sometimes forgotten how to respond?

When designing worship we need to create a culture that values participation over presentation! This happens when people feel what was sung, spoken and preached about actually happened. It takes the person to a new place and causes them to leave with a new life...every time. Worship exists as experience. The whole idea necessitates the work of the people.

Worship at its root is a shared event. As leaders, we need to communicate our place of leadership.

Book Review: Why Johnny Can't Sing Hymns

Months ago a friend (Matt O'Reilly) asked me if I had read T. David Gordon's book Why Johnny Can't Sing Hymns.. I bought it and threw it on the shelf intending to read it this summer. I did and I am glad that I read it. It has a really interesting thesis and I think it really asks some good questions about worship.

Gordan writes from the perspective of a media ecologist, and looks at the cultural anthropology behind how music motivates us in worship and the theological concerns that this brings up. He also writes from the lens of a Pastor, and much of his questioning comes from a practical sense of worship leadership.

The overlying theme of the book, as understood from the title, is why people today have a hard time singing traditional Christian hymns. They seem "foreign and inaccessible." (pg 11). It isn't a question of enjoyment, but the actual physical ability to sing these songs.

My undergraduate work was in sociology. One of my favorite topics of conversation revolves around the relationship between worship and culture. The first couple chapters of this book really got my guns loaded...

But after the basic introduction and explanations, I was seriously disappointed in rest of the content. When I first started grad school, a teacher carefully pointed out the necessary idea of presuppositions in academic work. The danger of presuppositions happens when one allows them to become foundational theological items and the writer assumes every reader holds the same convictions and background. In my own academic work, especially in Revelation, I quickly state what I bring into the conversation.

Gordon allows his presuppositions to drive the entire book. His thoughts regarding the use of contemporary expressions of worship borders on derogatory. He spends significant time discounting the greater sense of what is considered popular culture, not just regarding music, but many different aspects. I get the feeling that T. David Gordon is a bit of a curmudgeon.

The failure here isn't that I feel personally insulted, but I am amazed at how Gordon almost insists that proper Christian worship across the entire sphere of geography and time conform to a very narrow view of Western Protestant hymns (in non fancy language-white baptist/presbyterian songs). Worship is a unifying event, breaking the human forms and barriers of time and place.There also is an underlying theme that contemporary worship is "low-brow" or doesn't hold the cultural weight of traditional hymns.

How I might worship might not be theologically appropriate for an African-American 60 years ago or for a Swede living 30 years in the future. Worship looks different across the globe. Worship is a contextual activity. The values of our own time give meaning to how we glorify God. The ecology of music interacts with our senses in time. Gordon argues the idea that anything contemporary isn't really worth his time (pg 113), but I wonder how are we able to be a church situated in the midst of a world if we are not able to engage in it? 

There is more that I can mention, but I really don't feel the need. I have read other reviews that describe the book as sloppy theology and I agree. What is sad, is Gordon had a great idea...one that could have been really good and helpful for those leading worship. Ultimately, he promised to show why people technically had a hard time singing hymns but broke from his thesis and instead attempted very weakly to theologically explain why we should worship traditionally. Yes-we should be thinking theologically about the role of contextual expressions of music in worship, but not with this tone.

I would recommend reading the book as a springboard into thinking about the role of culture and worship (in some places IT IS GREAT), but don't expect the rest of the content to be of much worth.

 

Worship Wednesdays: A bit of Old and a bit of New

I like to use plenty of scripture when I design worship. Years ago, a mentor suggested learning to weave the larger story of scripture in services. Instead of leaning on one longer reading, find several related pieces of scripture and use them throughout the service. This was great advice. I want to show you one of the ways that I do this.

One of my favorite academic resources is the Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament from Baker Academic Press. This book looks at the usage of Old Testament passages in the New Testament. It does so much more than simply list, but gets into the theological reasoning behind why these passages relate. The book shows the "quotations, allusions and echoes" that are found in the New Testament. One of my favorite writers, G.K. Beale, edited the book and it is a huge resource.

But we aren't writing an exegesis paper...we are designing worship. Here is how I used the book this week when planning worship for my community.

I am preaching from 1 Peter 2:2-5 on Sunday. I knew that I wanted to use more scripture to serve as the call to worship, an additional scripture reading during the praise set and perhaps even the benediction.

1Pet. 2:2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation—
1Pet. 2:3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
1Pet. 2:4  Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and
1Pet. 2:5 like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (NRSV)

D.A Carson (who wrote the section on 1st Peter) notes three main OT reflections for my scripture; Ps. 118:22-23, Is. 8:14-15 and 28:16. These images deal with the "stone" imagery found in verses 4-5.  Peter also utilizes Psalm 34 in the language of "calling, tasting and seeing." As you see, there are plenty great images already built in the main scripture for the sermon. I wanted to enrich those images.

Ultimately, I settled on Psalm 34:5-6 for my call to worship, and took it out of the NLT.

Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;
         no shadow of shame will darken their faces.
In my desperation I prayed, and the LORD listened;
         he saved me from all my troubles.

For the additional scripture reading I chose Psalm 118:22-24, also from the NLT.

The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing, and it is wonderful to see. This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.

I made these decisions after thinking how the specific language of these pieces fit in congregational worship. I decided to save the Isaiah passage (28) for the sermon. When it came time for the benediction, I ultimately decided to use another piece from 1 Peter 2 (2:9-10) that helps continue the scriptural path Peter has laid out.

Books like these are a great resource to worship designers who design services around a sermon title and text. For churches wanting plenty of scripture in the service, resources like this book help build a strong theological thread through worship. One of my main goals is getting people participate in the narrative of scripture. This service fit the bill!

Search for resoures that help you find these larger themes of scripture. It can be a wonderful addition to your toolbox.

Re-Contemporary: The Worship Circle

The last two posts in this series focused on some pretty mainstream examples of contemporary music. But these aren't the only ones and as Julie led on her comment, different groups of people can really express themselves in worship using non-mainstream ideas that were never intended on being absorbed by the masses.

100 Portraits and Waterdeep gathered to make a simple record to hopefully encourage expressions of worship among youth and college students. If you remember contemporary worship in the late 90's...there really doesn't need to be any more information. For the folks tired of the rehashed Jesus Movement songs, Enter The Worship Circle was something completely new. The first Passion record rolled out around the same time...but it was glitzy and seemed dated. Those songs might have been new, but they didn't appeal to a generation that cut its teeth on MTV Unplugged.

This record took college campuses by storm and enabled a different style of worship that allowed folks to enage in smaller groups without the need for large amounts of production. These songs were simple, filled with scripture and easy to remember. You didn't need too many of vocalists, but if you had them they could fit in.

Now, several of these songs (most notably You Are So Good To Me) have become part of the contemporary hymnal. Your Mom knows these songs.......

Waterdeep and 100 Portraits quietly slipped off into the distance. For fans, their records still sell and the artists tour, but like a few other great worship songwriters obscurity is the reality. But I don't think they have a problem with that......

Worship needs to change people. It needs to put scripture in their heads. But it also needs to make sense inside the cultural space of the times. I remember listening to Live from the 268 Generation, and it didn't make that much sense. But I remember hearing "When the Cold Wind Blows" and having an intense spiritual experience that made sense. This music made sense for those that didn't make sense in the church.

In some ways, Enter the Worship Circle (circle 1), provided the best response of worship music to the post-grunge era. These were the youth and young adults that had been listening to Fiona Apple, Alanis Morissette, Alice in Chains, and a host of other artists that were experimenting with an acoustic sound. Dave Matthews, Phish and other jam bands also promoted a similar aesthetic. Folks that were new to church didn't neccesarily jive with what was considered to be appropriate for contemporary worship.

How is our current worship affected by the cultural trends of those who are coming to Christ? Are we expecting people to be transformed into the new social space of "christian consumption" or are we designing and creating worship that speaks out of their cultural experience?

 

Contemporary Influences part 2: Livin' On A Prayer

Atmospheric Intro
Lightly Instrumented First Verse
BIG Sing Along Chorus
Second (and 3rd) verses get more anthmatic each time.
Key Change to Make Final Chorus Even Bigger

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You could call this a template for the modern worship song. Pull out a live version of "How Great Is Our God" or "Mighty To Save" and you will easily find it. But the worship writers in Brentwood, Tennessee didn't figure this out first. It wasn't planned out at a design meeting for the Passion conferences. Louie Giglio and Chris Tomlin didn't dream it up during the early stages of One Day.

My friends....this template comes from New Jersey and was perfected (and somewhat invented) by Jon Bon Jovi. That's right, 1980's hair metal drives modern worship. I first thought about this a few years ago and brought it up to a few people. We couldn't find an earlier of example to describe what now is considered normal in worship songwriting.

If you couple this template with another HUGE 1980's influence, you can easily describe most worship that you find at big conferences and many churches. Here is my equation.

Bon Jovi (Livin On A Prayer) + U2 (Where the streets have no name)= Your Grace is Enough.

 

Culture drives how worship is delivered. Our bodies are tuned to accept and acknowledge certain types of music as appropriate to draw a response. "Pop" worship works just like pop music. It provides a vehicle that is accessible to a large amount of people. While I don't prefer this type of worship, I can worship through it. As much as I claimed to despise Bon Jovi in the early 90's (I was more of a Soundgarden guy), you will catch me rolling down the window to a few songs. It appeals to the senses.

The context of pop worship allows for it to be consumed by a cumulative mass of people. We can get into a discussion of if this is actually good, but we have to acknowledge the cultural appeal. You can theoretically enjoy Worship Music as a genre if you are not a Christian. Aesthetics matters in worship design, because the musical vehicle needs to make sense for who the worship is designed for. Consumption strategy is both a blessing and a curse.

These songs provide a place for human involvement. U2 nailed the songs that peoples spirits want to sing. It isn't an overindulgent rock star singing about women or substances, but a body of people acting out hope together. These songs were meant to get people singing.

When worship is designed for small specific groups of people or is used as an identifier by a specific culture of Christians we might see different forms of expression. The next few posts in this series will look at some more outsider perspectives.

Contemporary influences Part 1: Southern California

Last week I started reflecting on the origins of what we consider to be contemporary worship in hopes of really defining what "contemporary" means. I wanted to take a couple of posts to look at a couple of major movements/influences in contemporary worship.

It is impossible to look at contemporary worship (that is explicitly congregational) without mentioning John Wimber and the Anaheim vineyard congregation. I have described this before (see The Vineyard Model), so I want rehash it out. I searched pretty far for some examples of this congregation, but wasn't able to find a great example from their first few years. What I did find was a video highlighting worship at several conferences a few years in the future.

 

What is interesting in the video (in the earlier segments) is the absence of screens or lyric sheets. I have had some great conversations with Dr. Lester Ruth about this congregation and the lack of lyrics can be considered a key component. Where many complain about the repetition in contemporary music, these simple songs allowed for a great engagement. If you want to listen to another track that does fit our time period in question, I blogged about the first Vineyard recording here. All of these songs fit inside this boundary.

To see how this style of worship still appears, lets check out the infamous Saddleback Church.

This fast fowards us 30 years into the future, our own current time. While the songs might be more complicated and require a screen to view the lyrics, the music still sits well within the Southern California beach culture. This was a noted quality with Wimber and the sequencing on Rick Muchow fits the paradigm.

Southern California has provided a musical (and theological) outline to both the early contemporary movement as well as how large churches "do" worship in congregational settings. These influential churches branded and marketed their worship to churches all across the world and led the way in the contemporary movement. It would be safe to say that without their songwriting, instrumentation and innovation as far as order of worship we might not have the contemporary church now. The success of these congregations engaging with God in this manner mainstreamed contemporary worship and gave permission to existing traditional congregations to begin new services.

I imagine this music might not appeal to everyone. But I don't want to start ripping apart some examples that have existed for decades. Lets just note this as we continue to think about how we can best continue to define contemporary worship.