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Re: [Worship] wl/pastor relationship

On Wed, 1 Oct 1997, Matthew P. Potts wrote:

> That depends on your definition of worship.  We could include what some
> refer to as "worshipping with our lives" (I consider it loving God, not
> necessarily worshipping Him) in the definition (I'm guilty myself).  But
> if we do that, anything we do that's good or for God can be considered
> worship, and we have removed much of the meaning from the word
> "worship".  A sermon is directed to people, for people - who preaches at
> God?  Worship is directed to God.  If we worship God, and not people,
> how can a sermon be considered worship?  I realize that I may be
> restricting the use of the word worship more than most would consider
> "normal usage", but that is my point (intention).
> 
> > very opposite of the servant model of Christ.  We might even wish
> > to re-consider what "worship" means:  see Amos 5:20ff!
> 
> I think a biblical examination of the word worship is in order here.  I
> looked up Amos 5:20 and couldn't find any reference to worship.  What
> does the "ff" mean?

The "ff" means "and following".  (Never read a single Bible verse:  always
take the context, especially with such passages.)

The whole of Amos' message, is highly uncomfortable but I suspect the
twentienth-century Western church desperately needs to hear it (indeed it
could be "prophetic" to us, to use (or abuse) a trendy word).

I give the words and reference from memory, so the exact reference may be
slightly wrong:
  "Take away from me the noise of your songs ... I detest your religious
   celebrations [worship] ... Let justice flow like never-ending streams"

The wordings differ across versions:  but the overall context of Amos, as
you'll see, demands that we concentrate on the overall message and not
become ensnared in lexical pedantry.  (It is a totally different style of
writing from, say, Romans.)  For those of us accustomed to word-by-word,
verse-by-verse analysis this may be tricky.  It may help to forget, for
the moment, that is the bible, and simply to read the little book of Amos
as though a secular "short story". 

As I read Amos, in its context and our context, it is a plea to those who
call themselves (ourselves) the worshipping people of God, to demonstrate
that worship through our lives, through social justice, through fair
trade, through compassion for the poor.  It is an exceedingly angry book: 
it is also holy scripture for us. 

> So let's discuss what the _word_ worship really means.  Not how it is
> practiced or implemented, but just what the word means.  I offer one
> definition for scrutiny:
> 
> 	Worship is the artistic expression of love for God.
> 
> Maybe someone can lookup many of the contexts inwhich the word "worship"
> is used in the bible, to help clarify the definition.

I suspect that Amos would say to us: "if worship is not 'worship with our
lives' then it is not worship at all".  Correct me if I mis-represent him.
(Actually, I suspect I have mis-represented, by dilution.)

[ Please, Matthew, don't take this personally!  It would be grossly wrong
of me even to think of judging any one person in this list, and even more
wrong to do so publicly to the list.  Rather, I am concerned and worried
about overall modes of thinking which, perhaps implicitly and
subconsciously, lure us corporately to divorce "Sunday worship activity"
from Monday-Saturday lifestyle. ]

                           David Lee, Director of Music,
                           St. John's, Nevilles Cross, Durham, UK
                                http://www.dur.ac.uk/~dcl0tdl/tdlmus.html

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