Worship is… Recognizing the Priesthood and Ministry of all Believers

Dear Worshippers,

We continue our journey through the core values of our worship this week with the tenth value, Recognizing the Priesthood and Ministry of all Believers. As I keep saying, you may be surprised that none of the things the Elders have adopted as core values of our worship are necessarily music-oriented. Actually none of them deal with elements at all, but rather with the essentials of worship. They are more the why than the what of worship, if you will.

Contrary to those who prefer churches where worship feels more like a performance by those on stage, we desire to be a worshipping body, with each person engaged in the drama that is corporate worship. Danish philosopher–theologian Sǿren Kierkegaard spoke of worship as a drama and criticized the noninvolvement of many in his own church. He “insisted that in true worship the members of the congregation are the actors, the ministers and [other worship leaders] are “prompters” and God is the audience.”*

In the most earnest sense, God is the critical theatergoer, who looks on to see the lines that are spoken and how they are listened to…The speaker is then the prompter, and the listener stands openly before God. The listener, if I may say so, is the actor, who in all truth acts before God.

With this drama in mind we offer that worship is… Recognizing the priesthood and ministry of all believers. There are any number of Scriptures that speak to this value, but here are the ones we have adopted for inclusion in the philosophical document:

Love your neighbor as yourself. Mark 12:31

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. I Peter 2:9

But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: "When he ascended on high,
he led captives in his train
and gave gifts to men."(What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4:7-16

What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church. I Corinthians 14:26

This follows the previous value, engaging the whole person, intentionally. We are commanded to love the Lord, and part of the way that finds expression is to love others. As we declare our praises together, our preference for one another is one of the most significant things that can communicate the love of God. In our services of blended worship, traditional and contemporary are brought together in an attempt to give every worshipper a voice for their praise. While you may not like one song, there likely will be something else that you will. In that moment you have the opportunity to embrace God’s heart by preferring others, instead of yourself.

Each of us brings something unique to the life and ministry of our church, and accordingly to the worship service. God’s desire is that we would each find our place in that body of believers and use our talents and gifts to minister to Him and to others. We each have a role to play in this drama as the kingdom of priests that will bless the Lord and His people as we discover and exercise those abilities while pursuing unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God.” [Ephesians, see above]

One of the best examples of this ministry in corporate worship is when we pray in small groups. This gives an opportunity for each worshipper to make a unique contribution to the experience. While not everyone will desire to pray, some will. The requests that are shared also give some the opportunity to express, gifts of mercy or helps. Others may speak wisdom into a situation in conversation after the service has concluded and we are enjoying “The Fellowship of Faith”.

“That the church may be strengthened.” That is how the last passage ends. The point of the priesthood and ministry of all believers is this. Let us listen to the “prompters” and each of us strive to find our role in the great drama of worship that plays out every time we gather. May God be pleased with our “performance.”

Stay tuned…NEXT WEEK…Worship is…Acknowledging the Universal Church.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

*Don Hustad, Jubilate II, p. 315