WWII

Like Rob posted earlier, I was intrigued by Best's description of our current "worship war." He managed to accurately diagnose the issue while avoiding two extremes: he did not deny the tension that exists over worship, yet he did not blow the conflict out of proportion either. Instead, Best writes, "We are not in a worship war. Well, yes we are, but not the one some commentators like to refer to. There is only one worship war, and it is between God and Satan, each the supreme object of someone's worship, either redeemed or lost. We are self-absorbed when we use the 'war' word as a working term for the petty and overly self-indulgent skirmishes that we enter, almost always over transient, not eternal, things.(60)" By making such a statement, Best draws our attention away from what we can see to what is actually happening in the spiritual realm. He is not saying anything we have not heard before, he merely echoes Paul's words in Ephesians 6:12: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Thank you, Harold Best, for taking the timeless truth of the Word and showing its tremendous effect on the way we live right now!

REFRESHING IDEAS

I feel that the church has in the last couple decades lost its way in seeing what truly is important. We seem to be stumbling into the desert just so that we can say that we are “relevant,” or “contemporary.” We are willing to go to areas that are dry in the issues that truly matter just to attain relevancy. What a refreshing view that Best gives when he takes us away from style to, if we are going to worship, which we are, are we worshiping the best way. I love the practical ways he targets the true issue (are we worshiping the best way) explaining why he believes that the “Traditional Hymn-based Worship” is best suited for the job and doesn't spend his ink on what everyone else is doing wrong.

I have always been led into thinking that it was a war between styles rather than a war between who is to receive our worship, has that been your experience as well?

Authentic Worship and Neglect of the Hymnbook

Two things stuck out to me as I read Traditional Hymn-Based Worship. First was the treatment of authentic worship(pg. 61). Best states that we were not created to worship but were created worshiping. I had a hard time accepting this statement as I was always taught that we were created to worship. I still am not sure I completely agree with this. It seems to me that we can not worship God until we accept him as our savior. We cannot be born worshiping because we are born in sin and must receive salvation. Do I have a wrong understanding of theology or worship?

The second thing that struck me in this section was Best's explanation for why the hymnbook suffers neglect(pg. 70). It is because it is "sequestered away in sanctuaries and used only on Sundays." This makes a lot of sense to me. If the hymnbook is not valued and the people of the congregation are not taught how to use it outside of opening it up to sing on Sunday, then of course it is going to be neglected. Hymn-based worship must include attention to the hymnbook in everyday devotional aspects as well as to its use in church on Sunday. Only then will the church really learn to value instead of neglect the hymnbook.

"The Most Beautiful of all the Creatures"

In the last paragraph of "The Canticle of the Sun" Celano writes that "the sun was the most beautiful of all the creatures, the one which, better than all others, could be compared to God." This is what led Francis to say that seeing the sunrise in the morning and a fire glow at night should cause us to praise God, because without them we are blind creatures.

I got to see the sun rise over the ocean a couple times last week. I could see and feel its beauty and strength. This paragraph reminded me how much the sun reflects the likeness of our God. It lights the earth and without it we would be stumbling around in darkness.

Contemporary Response

Modern vs. Traditional

"Our job as worship leaders is to help move people's hearts...toward the truth of God..." (p. 81)

This statement seemed to directly contradict my previous post. He seemed to focus on feeling; people must feel a certain way before they can know God better, non-churchgoers must feel like they aren't jumping over hurdles. The musical argument (familiar/out-of-date vs. new/"relevant") distracts from the real core issue: the worth of a text, it's value as a teaching tool, the presented truth itself as the main focus.

Continuing this paragraph, he writes as if the "overly familiar" and the "genuine and real" cannot coexist. The pivotal problem is, as he states, "when the subtle goal of using hymns is to maintain tradition, not to deepen worship." (p. 81) You can't just do something in corporate worship because "that's just how we do it here." Everything must be intentionally selected and placed. He did concede that exact same mindless, passive lip-service occurs in contemporary worship just as often.

Does familiarity engender complacency? Or can it deepen a relationship? Depends?

"My Grace is Sufficient"

In "The Canticle of the Sun", Francis of Assisi could not sleep or eat because of infestation of mice in his home. The pain became intolerable, and Francis cried out, "Lord, help me in my infirmities so that I may have the strength to bear them patiently!" (32). A voice answered Francis telling him to be glad in tribulation because he would be a part of a great kingdom in the future.

I must admit that my background hears this story and cries out "THE LORD IS TALKING TO HIM OUT LOUD AFTER THE BIBLE IS COMPLETE? THAT CANNOT BE TRUE!" However, who is to doubt a godly Christian brother's account if it is not heretical?

This story reminds me of Paul's writings. Paul had a "thorn in the flesh" and prayed mightily that God would remove it, but God said to Paul, "my grace is sufficient" and left the infirmity. Many times, God's grace and goodness shines brighter in trials and tribulations, as we see in the lives of Francis and the Apostle Paul.

Our Treasures Are Laid Up In Heaven

There are times when we are discouraged because we do not know where God is leading us or because we are suffering while pursuing God. From our reading, we learn that Francis was in that situation. He also received great consolations from the Lord. Francis’s life showed that we are to follow the Lord by obeying God’s will no matter where it leads us. A challenge for me from the reading is that while Francis is certainly a witness for Christ, we are also called to do the same; we need to be willing to pay the price because our treasures are laid up in heaven.