Pastor Dave Ginter
 
Worship needs to be both relevant and grounded.

Relevancy keeps us looking forward.  It means that preaching must address last week’s headlines, while preparing the listener to live successfully next week. Musically, this means we embrace the latest musical styles. We always look for artists who are serving God by writing fresh lyrics to eternal truths.  

Being Grounded means we look back over the past 2000 years of Church history, embracing the best of our heritage. Preaching needs to take into account how the church historically has understood the Word of God. Teachers in both educational settings and in Worship need to understand and communicate the Bible within its historical, cultural and linguistic setting. Musically, this means we keep teaching the great hymns of the faith to our people. They may be set in a contemporary setting, but the words need to remind us we are resting on the faith and work of those who came before us.

Jesus said in John 4 when asked about worship that true worship involves people’s spirit and is founded in what is true (truth is defined as that which corresponds to reality, what really is). Therefore, not all worship is acceptable to God. For example, it’s possible to be wasting your time at church (like my agnostic and atheistic friends often claim to me, but for different reasons than they allege).  Worship that’s a waste of time and that Jesus finds bankrupt is mechanical worship, void of any real understanding of its meaning or significance. Worship that is not based on truthful propositions, not based in reality, God also rejects.  How do we know what is true? It has to be revealed by God. In the Bible we have revealed truths directing us into the worship embraced by God.

God wants us to worship in truth and with all our hearts. The heart-language of people will incorporate their musical tastes their artistic expressions and other culturally relevant ways of expressing truth. Heart-language worship always draws a people to praise God.  God adores heart-felt worship!
 


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