Acts of Worship
by Steven W. Manskar
In Guide for Covenant Discipleship Groups Gayle Watson defines acts of worship as the “means of grace we exercise together … the ministries of Word and Sacrament that … build each other up in the body of Christ.” She adds, “The main reason Christians participate in acts of worship is to glorify God and open ourselves to God’s grace. The focus of worship … is far more important than the benefits we might derive from it” (Gayle T. Watson, Guide for Covenant Discipleship Groups, (Nashville: Discipleship Resources, 2001), 14). Worship is an essential part of the church’s public witness to the good news of God in Jesus Christ. It is, quite simply, what Christians do.
Rev. Watson reminds us that worship is more what we do for God than what we do for ourselves. She understands that North American culture too often insinuates itself into the worship practices of the church. An example of this is the frequently stated desire of church members to “get something out of worship.” The individualism and narcissism of the dominant culture is reflected in the church where the congregation is treated as though it were an audience expecting to be entertained, comforted, and served. In such a culture pastors and worship leaders find themselves striving to feed the expectations of a consumerist culture that gives priority to the wants, desires, and expectations of the consumer. The focus of worship, then, becomes the individual members of the congregation/audience.
If the church wants to be faithful to its mission to make discipleship of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, then it must resist the temptation to conform to the expectations of a consumerist culture. This presents a significant challenge to pastors and worship leaders. Part of the challenge is figuring out how to shift the focus of worship back to God, where it belongs.
This is one of the places where the so-called “Wesleyan Quadrilateral” comes in handy. Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience point toward the ritual of the church as the means of grace that helps to keep the focus of worship on God and God’s acting in the world in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our ritual, found in The United Methodist Hymnal and Book of Worship, is a rich resource for worship that contributes to disciple formation.
A quick look at “A Service of Word and Table I” found in The United Methodist Hymnal on pages 6-11 will reveal that our ritual is steeped in Scripture. The basic pattern of worship parallels the movement of the risen Christ’s encounter with Cleopas and his companion on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:13-34. Like Cleopas and his friend who encountered Jesus on the road, the people come into worship to meet Jesus today. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are read and interpreted and prayers are offered for the church and the world under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The invitation to the table is given to all. The bread and cup are taken, blessed, broken and shared. The risen Christ is made known in the breaking and sharing of the bread and cup. After receiving the body and blood of Christ, the people are blessed and sent forth to serve with Christ in his work of preparing this world for the coming reign of God.
Our ritual is part of the living tradition of the church. In it Christians practice and experience together the anamnesis, or way of remembering, Jesus commanded when he said “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). When their worship is routinely shaped by the pattern of word and table Christians re-present “God’s mighty acts of salvation” recounted in Scripture in the present through their lives and witness in the world. This way of remembering prepares Christians to follow the way of Jesus Christ in the world when they go to work the rest of the week.
The church gets into trouble when it allows the culture to determine the form and shape of its worship. Pastors and worship leaders must resist the temptation to be “relevant”, “popular”, and “cutting edge” on the culture’s terms. When we give in to such temptations, the church’s worship becomes little more than a mirror image of what the culture says is important for the moment. If the church is going to be a faithful witness to Jesus Christ in the world it needs to be as strange, unsettling, and challenging as he is. Our ritual is both ancient and contemporary. When the church embraces, teaches, and practices its ritual, worship becomes a converting, justifying, and sanctifying means of grace.
Steven W. Manskar is the Director of Wesleyan Leadership for the General Board of Discipleship.
Recommended Reading
A Disciple’s Journal: Daily Bible Reading and Guidance for Reflection
This journal will help you connect the inner spiritual life with the actions of Christian discipleship and help you maintain balance between works of piety and works of mercy.
Available from Discipleship Resources at www.UpperRoom.org/bookstore or (800) 972-0433 for $12.00.
Blueprint for Discipleship: Wesley’s General Rules as a Guide for Christian Living
Methodist Christians sometimes exhibit the most unchristian attitudes and behavior. People notice. And it's reflecting badly on the church, but we can — individually and collectively — correct the problem.
Available from Discipleship Resources at www.UpperRoom.org/bookstore or (800) 972-0433 for $13.00.
Opening Ourselves to Grace
This four-video, six-week Bible study presents a clear and contemporary understanding of Wesleyan spiritual practices.
Available from Discipleship Resources at www.UpperRoom.org/bookstore or (800) 972-0433 for $24.00.
Upcoming Events
WesleyanInstitute
October 22-24, 2009
Holman United Methodist Church
Los Angeles, CA
www.WesleyanInstitute.org
Wesleyan Pilgrimage in England
May 11-20, 2010
With Paul Chilcote, Steven Manskar and Anita Wood
gbod.org/WesleyPilgrimage/
Recommended Reading
The United Methodist Way
This 20-minute Flash presentation shows how following John Wesley's rules in both doctrine and practice leads to transformed lives and a transformed world.
Download for use in your church
Covenant Discipleship web site:
www.gbod.org/smallgroup/cd
Andrew Thompson’s blog:
www.genxrising.com
Kevin Watson's blog:
http://deeplycommitted.com/
Dan Dick's blog:
http://doroteos2.wordpress.com/
John Wesley’s Sermons
http://gbgm-umc.org/UMHISTORY/Wesley/sermons/
Duke Center for Studies in the Wesleyan Tradition
www.divinity.duke.edu/
wesleyan/texts/
Methodist Review: A Journal of Wesleyan and Methodist Studies
www.methodistreview.org
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