Worship Old and New Review

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Worship Old and New ReviewSeveral years ago I asked a youth minister to define worship. The "worship movement" was taking off, and I was a little bit uneasy about the emphasis of emotion over depth in the songs I was hearing. He didn't give me an answer and seemed a bit offended at the question. Oddly, I had no clear definition of worship myself, other than the stock phrases "to bow down" or "to exalt".
Most evangelicals believe in worship. They understand the vague concept that worship means to put God first. But that is about it. And the pattern of worship in many evangelical churches has shifted with the times. What was once and order of service that emphasized three songs and a sermon is often a pattern today of a half hour of contemporary music and a motivational speech. Reverence and awe in worship have, as a result, been lost. Many evangelicals sense something is missing, but can't put their finger on what it is.
Robert Webber has spent many years researching worship with a very calm, balanced and, yes, evangelical spirit. Though he was once a Bob Jones University student and is now within the Episcopal tradition, this volume can be embraced by Christians of virtually any denominational background.
Webber gives us Biblical basis not only for worship attitudes but worship practices and bolsters that Biblical foundation with historical background. He explains where certain practices came from, how those practices were understood by the early church and how understanding of worship has changed across history. What this allows us to see is that Worship has not been entirely static, yet there has been a consistent pattern, one that should be reclaimed even within Free Church evangelicalism.
And there is a gentle patient spirit to the tone. He critiques some recent trends without demeaning those who have embraced them. And he suggests ways Free Church evangelicals and others can adopt a historical pattern of worship without necessarily abandoning cultural relevance or their denominational roots.
The two keys I found most helpful are his suggestion that historic Christian worship has a simple structure where the people of God gather, participate in the ministry of the Word, celebrate salvation in the ministry of the Lord's table, and then are dismissed to live the gospel. This is a recognizable pattern of worship practiced for 2000 years, but is not a straightjacket that prevents creative ways of keeping the pattern fresh.
Webber also has a brief recounting of the history of the word "sacrament", the sealing of an oath or covenant, and how it gradually changed to sacramentalism in the course of the history of the Roman chruch, a shift which caused Evangelicals to react and reject the word sacrament altogether. His simple description and recounting of the history can help restore a sense of reverence to worship as Evangelicals reconsider God's role in the Lord's table and Baptism. Is there anything objectionable in Evangelical thinking to see the Lord's Supper or baptism in the context of the renewing an oath or covenant between God and man? I certainly hope not. And while it may not solve old conflicts between Protestants and Catholics, it can lead to fruitful discussion of differences.
By taking a look at history and biblical roots of worship, I think Webber has done a great service in gently suggesting there is common ground between denominations based in common practices of the whole church across history, if we take the time to see it. It is a gentle stroke on behalf of deeper faith and greater unity and should be welcomed.
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