Consecration and Worship - The Prayer Used in Worship

In our worship services this week, I used the words of a prayer from The Valley of Vision (in leather or paperback), a collection of Puritan prayers. The editor of the collection, Arthur Bennett, has given this prayer the title, "Consecration and Worship." I thought it would be helpful to post the text of this prayer here, since sometimes there is so much content in these prayers, and expressed in such sophisticated (and outdated) language, it can be a bit challenging to discern upon one hearing what precisely is being expressed.

So without further adieu, here is the text from the prayer, "Consecration and Worship."

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My God,

I feel it is heaven to please Thee, and to be what Thou wouldst have me be. O that I were holy as Thou art holy, pure as Christ is pure, perfect as Thy Spirit is perfect! These, I feel, are the best commands in Thy Book, and shall I break them? must I break them? am I under such a necessity as long as I live here?

Woe, woe is me that I am a sinner, that I grieve this blessed God, who is infinite in goodness and grace! O if He would punish me for my sins, it would not would my heart so deep to offend Him; But though I sin continually, He continually repeats His kindness to me.

At times I feel I could bear any suffering, but how can I dishonour this glorious God? What shall I do to glorify and worship this best of beings? O that I could consecrate my soul and body to His service, without restraint, for ever! O that I could give myself up to Him, so as never more to attempt to be my own! or have any will or affections that are not perfectly conformed to His will and His love! But, alas, I cannot live and not sin.

O may angels glorify Him incessantly, and, if possible, prostrate themselves lower before the blessed King of heaven! I long to bear a part with them in ceaseless praise; but when I have done all I can to eternity I shall not be able to offer more than a small fraction of the homage that the glorious God deserves. Give me a heart full of divine, heavenly love.

His Faithfulness Is to All Generations...

Ok, so it's been half a year since I posted, and another half a year before that one. Let's try again.

Lindsey and I (and Jude) recently had the wonderful opportunity to attend Sovereign Grace Ministries' "Worship God" conference. We heard teaching from John Piper, Bob Kauflin, C.J. Mahaney, Thabiti Anywabwile, Keith & Kristyn Getty, and many others. We had the privilege of being led in congregational praise by 6 different teams of leaders from Sovereign Grace churches. We each attended 4 breakout sessions (or "seminars") addressing various topics related to corporate worship. It was encouraging and equipping all the way around.

The theme of the conference was "From Generation to Generation," which focused on passing on the values and skills of biblical worship to the next generation(s) of leaders and worshipers. Bob Kauflin preached an excellent message entitled "The Future of Worship" based on Psalm 78. He has posted much of the material from this message in a recent blog entry at Worship Matters. One particular portion of this message/blog I have found especially poignant and important. I'm pasting this portion of the text in italics below (and I've bolded one line of central importance):

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How many of our thoughts about music and worship revolve around what we like, what we prefer, what interests us, and what we find appealing? And how often is that attitude passed on to the next generation, who then focus on what appeals to them?

I suspect this may be one of the reasons churches develop separate meetings for different musical tastes. In the short run it may bring more people to your church. But in the long run it keeps us stuck in the mindset that musical styles have more power to divide us than the gospel has to unite us.

How do we pass on biblical values of worship to coming generations when we can’t even sing in the same room with them?

We have to look beyond our own generation, both past and future, if we’re to clearly understand what God wants us to do now. Otherwise we can be guilty of a chronological narcissism that always views our generation as the most important one. As Winston Churchill insightfully wrote, “The further back you can look, the further forward you can see.”

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I think this is perhaps one of the most important messages for leaders and worshipers of our generation(s) to hear. I place a high value on multiple venues of congregational worship being identical in both content and style for this reason (and others). When we decided two years ago at BridgePoint to hold two separate worship services with precisely the same content and style, I believe we expressed the importance of intergenerational expressions of worship.

We have Bible study groups for men and women that enable Christians of different generations to learn and grow together, each benefiting from the other in unique ways.

And yet I'm sure there is more that could be done (in any church, not just ours) to emphasize the importance of intergenerational experiences of God and expressions of worship.

What do you think? Can you think of some ways that this intergenerational dynamic of discipleship and worship could be enhanced at BridgePoint? Do you agree that this is an important message for Christians today? If not, why not?

Easter Scripture Passage

Here's the scripture reading you heard at the front end of our Easter services last week. The voice you hear belongs to Brett Binkley, and the music was composed and recorded by me.

Easter Scripture Reading - Brett Binkley (voice), Kyle Carlson (music)



The passage is Luke 23:50 - 24:9 from "The Message."

The Best of Times, the Worst of Times...

I'm torn.

You see, on one hand, last night was a gloomy night for America. Senator (soon-to-be President) Obama's radical position on issues related to abortion (most notably his oft-stated commitment to the Freedom of Choice Act and his opposition to the Born Alive Infants Protection Act) frighten me for the future of life in our country. With one signature, Obama may wipe away three decades' worth of Pro-Life policies designed to protect the rights of the most helpless, voiceless class of Americans - the unborn. This is morally reprehensible and personally heartbreaking. So on behalf of millions of unborn Americans, I am saddened and frustrated.

On the other hand, last night was a terrific night for America. 150 years ago, American society didn't consider black men and women fully human, much less American citizens. Last night, we elected an African-American man the leader of our nation. I can't overstate the magnitude of this occasion. I rejoice with the likes of Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Jesus of Nazareth at this enormous step toward racial harmony. Racism is an evil paralleled by few others, and last night marked a huge victory for the United States of America in the war against it.

Senator McCain's concession speech was a model of humility and grace in the midst of fervent contest. It was classy and elegant and right. Senator Obama's acceptance speech was solemn, grateful, powerful - in a word, inspiring.

So you see, in many ways November 4, 2008 was a great day for the United States of America, with many glorious victories. And yet, these victories are tainted by the ominous reality of the future of millions of unborn Americans. It falls to Christians across the nation to humbly and wholeheartedly support our President, and at the same time to pray fervently for God to change his heart (and his mind) toward the unborn.

America - I give you my deepest sympathies.

And many congratulations.

WorshipGod08

I had the tremendous opportunity last week, along with my wife Lindsey, our senior pastor Tom Douthit, and our AMP Team director Jay Conder, to attend a worship conference in Gaithersburg, MD. The conference was hosted at Covenant Life Church, the flagship church of Sovereiegn Grace Ministries, and led by Sovereiegn Grace's Director of Worship Development, Bob Kauflin. Its theme was "Rediscovering the Psalms;" there were six main teaching sessions which included a generous amount of congregational singing, Scripture recitations, and powerful messages from the Psalms from the likes of Mark Dever, Thabiti Anyabwile, David Powlison, Craig Cabaniss, and Bob Kauflin. Thursday through Saturday, there were 45 seminars (each person chose five to attend) dealing with various aspects corporate worship. I'd like to share some things I gained.

I was refreshed. Throughout the conference, I was reminded of the tremendous power of the Gospel. We sang song after song celebrating God's redeeming work in Christ. We heard stirring messages from the Psalms about God's faithfulness and steadfast love. We were challenged in the seminars we attended to build our worship ministries around the central reality of the cross of Christ and its transforming power.

I was challenged. Both through the teaching and the example of other worship leaders, I was made aware of some growth opportunities (aka, weaknesses) in my own leadership. I was inspired to incorporate some spontaneity in our meetings, and to pursue emotional, as well as mental, engagement with God's truth in corporate worship. I was reminded of the tremendous need for personal purity in Christ-like character and passion in Godward emotion.

I was equipped. I was given substantial tools that I'm confident will assist me in many areas of my leadership. Some of these tools are practical things - such as how to arrange songs and use band instruments in a way that serves the song's lyrics. Some of these tools are spiritual things - such as ways to shepherd the volunteers in our worship ministry (pssst - that's you guys). Some of these tools are relational things - such as how a pastor and worship leader can (and should) successfully collaborate and serve the church together. (Tom and I attended this seminar together; we were both encouraged by the great relationship we enjoy, and challenged to nurture it.)

This is only my experience (and only a small part of it at that). Lindsey could share her own story of how she was benefitted by the conference, as I'm sure Tom and Jay could as well. I am grateful to BridgePoint for providing the support for us to attend the conference, and I pray, and trust, that the church will gain from the fruit of what we encountered in Gaithersburg.

Grace.