Wisdom from a Tool & Die Worker

I learned an important lesson this week from conversing with a tool & die maker.

He told me that his tool & die work needs to be as precise as a brain surgeon's -- requiring accuracy within a thousanth of an inch. But even with all of that necessary precision, his work can be made very complex (applying various mathematical formulas) or kept very simple, depending on who trains the workers. It would vary from instructor to instructor.

He went on and applied his observation to theology. "Keep it simple," he said. "For those who are not in full-time ministry, if theology is made too complicated, sometimes we feel like giving up. So I always try to keep things simple."

To clarify, this wasn't an anti-intellectual speaking; he is a Bible teacher at Wayside Cross Ministries, an outreach to the troubled and needy in the Fox Valley area. His task involves training desperate men to be disciples. But even though teaching the Bible requires precision, we don't need to lose people in the process. "Just keep it simple, keep it simple."

His words are very valuable in a study worship. At some points, we don't think about worship enough; at other points, we over-complicate it. We vary from both extremes, but we need to arrive at a balance.

We should always strive to be precise with our worship (gauging through "spirit and truth"), yet worship need not be complex. The differentiation between precision and complexity is an imporant one.

We should never be sloppy with our worship. Jesus teaches that God the father is Spirit, and He is searching for those who worship Him in "spirit and truth." (John 4) We need to be right on with our heart and head. There is no excuse for error.

On the other hand, we do ourselves a disservice by over-complicating things, like fragmenting over music styles, debating the use of liturgy, fighting about which songs to sing, and other such arguments. Complications get us off track, and make some people want to give up.

So even as we study worship in depth, let's not forget: Worship is simple. It is about enjoying and glorifying God. That, before anything else, is what it all comes down to.

A Metaphor of Combustion

Why do some people worship and others not? Where does the desire to worship come from, and what keeps worship going? What makes some worship "red hot" with passion, while some worship seems dull and lifeless? These are just some of the questions we have about worship.

To answer some of these questions, as cerebral as it may sound, it is helpful to explore the structure of worship, since worship is more than just a one-step process. As John Piper explains, we can deconstruct worship into several parts, using combustion as our metaphor. There is fuel, fire, a furnace, a flame, and heat. Consider how understanding each of these specific parts can help you worship in an even greater way.

“The fuel of worship is a true vision of the greatness of God; the fire that makes the fuel burn white hot is the quickening of the Holy Spirit; the furnace made alive and warm by the flame of truth is our renewed spirit; and the resulting heat of our affections is powerful worship, pushing its way out in confessions, longings, acclamations, tears, songs, shouts, bowed heads, lifted hands, and obedient lives.” (John Piper, Desiring God, 82)

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Fuel: A true vision of the greatness of God
Fire: The quickening of the Holy Spirit
Furnace: Our renewed spirit
Flame: Truth
Heat: Powerful worship

A Dangerous Assumption

Possibly the most dangerous assumption for American Christians is that God always accepts our worship.

If we sing a worship song, we think that God will hear us and be pleased. Or, stated even more bluntly, we think that a few songs will appease God for another week, at least until we sing a few more songs next week. God will always hear and enjoy when we sing.

The message of Amos 5:21-24 is drastically different. Consider these harsh words from the God we worship: "I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." (ESV, italics added)

This was an instance in Biblical history that teaches us an important principle about God's character. Not only does He sometimes "not listen" to our melodies, but sometimes He hates and despises our music. Sometimes He would rather not be sung to at all.

To be more accurate, God never uses the word "worship" in this passage. The reason for this is that the Israelites weren't worshiping; they were missing it all together. They had the noise of songs and the melodies of harps, but were not worshiping.

You see, at the same time that the Israelites were enjoying their music, they were continuing on with a long list of offenses, including injustice (2:7), incest (2:7), impurity (2:12), opression and drunkenness (4:1), and deceipt (5:1). Numerous times, the Israelites were reminded of how they had turned "justice into bitterness" and had trampled the poor. (2:31, 5:7,11) Unfortunately, the Israelites responded with complacency -- strumming away on their harps and improvising new melodies (6:5).

Applying this to our lives, when we worship God, we must face reality. We must ask ourselves tough questions before we sing. Are we living lives of justice? Are we honest and pure? How does our worship relate to our everyday life? How are we treating the poor and helpless? Are we living lives that are pleasing to God?

As difficult as it sounds, only when we sort through those issues will God truly delight in our worship.

Lower Level Worship

The purpose of this blog is simple: to contemplate worship as Jesus taught (John 4) and to apply His teachings to everyday life. This is an effort to develop a living, breathing, practical theology of worship. Part of this journey will involve re-examining what it means to glorify God.

To start, as you have probably heard, our English word for "worship" comes from the Greek word proskuneo, and our first step should be to examine the original connotations of the word. A First Century reader would have read proskuneo with these connotations in mind: "to kiss, to prostrate oneself, to revere, to adore." These pictures would have been the first to mind, not connotations of contemporary music, stained glass, worship CDs, or hymnals.

Our English language has very slightly shifted the original meaning of proskuneo. In English, the word means "worth-ship." Naturally, based on that definition, some of us think of worth-ship as singing, music, or raising our hands. Some of us believe that worth-ship includes other forms of creative arts. Still others of us have view worth-ship as a lifestyle of glorifying God. All of these are headed in the right direction.

But I find it meaningful to return to the most original definition of the word. When we strip our cultural influences away, we find that it all begins at the bottom. The New Testament's most basic depiction of worship is a kiss, a kneeling servant, a reverant posture. It is a picture of delightful submission. We are reminded in Revelations that worship is most perfect when every knee will bow.

We know from the Psalms that worship can take many forms, including clapping, shouting, and other bolder expressions. However, I would argue that first to mind should be humility, gratitude, and submission. Then, only after recognizing our rightful place in relation to God-- on the lower level -- do we really find boldness, hope, empowerment, and confidence. Once we know who we serve, then we can sing.

It seems natural, then, to start at the lower level.