Worship is . . . about Remembering

Looking at Deut chapter 5, Moses gives the 10 commandments to the people

5:12-15
The command here for the Sabbath is to "remember" that He is the one who brought them up out of Egypt.


Looking at Luke chapter 22, Jesus instructs his disciples

22:19
Jesus says to "do in remembrance"


I'm amazed at the significance given to the activity of "Remembering"

Don Sailers in his book, Worship and Spirituality: Spirituality and the Christian Life

In worship, prayer, and the life of discipleship and godliness, remembering with the Scriptures over time and in all circumstances is precisely to turn in a new direction. We live, feel, intend, and understand the world differently because a shared biblical memory elicits emotions oriented toward the mystery of God. Entering the patterns of redemptive memory with the people of God is to risk conversion.

What is your response to what he calls "redemptive memory"?

Worship is . . . Transformational

In my last post I talked about the key component of Spiritual Formation being Accountable Relationships.

In his book, Liturgical Spirituality, Philip Pfatteicher identifies

5 Characteristics of Spirituality:

1. always a Response to what God has done
2. is essentially God Dwelling within us
3. is Cultivated within the church, the community of believers . . . intensely personal, but not individual” and is social.
4. marked by Growth and Development as the normal state of a healthy life in Christ
5. the goal is nothing less than the Total Transformation of the human person

Do you think worship should be Transformational? And, why?

The Bible talks alot about obedience. Note John 15.

What does obedience have to do with worship? And,

What does worship have to do with transformation?

Worship is . . .

Over the next few weeks I'll be posting to this Blog. I will present a short amount of material and then respond by asking questions and/or give some of my own thoughts on it. To start, I'm just going to ask some questions . . .

In his book, The Divine Embrace: Recovering the Passionate Spiritual Life, Robert Webber describes a key componet of the process of Spiritual Formation as . . .

‘a process that takes place within accountable relationships over a period of time for the purpose of bringing believers to spiritual maturity in Christ.’ . . . It is a ‘process . . . over a period of time’ within ‘accountable relationships . . . for the purpose of . . . spiritual maturity in Christ.’

There is something about this statement that makes me want to say, 'Amen' and 'wait a minute' all at the same time. While I certainly agree that within community spiritual maturity happens,

1. What about one's individual relationship with Christ and 'Quite Time'?
2. Does that not count for in the process of being formed spiritually?
3. Then again, how much 'acountability' can actually happen in accountable relationships that lead to spiritual formation/maturity?
   

In today's society where we see relationships being torn apart (marriages, friendships) particularly in the church, how can we expect to experience 'accountable relationships' when the track record is so discouraging?

Spiritual Formation through Worship Leading

I’ll be continuing this blog studying Spiritual Formation through Worship Leading. This will be a place where comments, questions and discoveries can be posted on Christian Spirituality. Each posting will deal with issues related to our Spiritual Formation as Christians specific to the topic of Leading Worship.

I’ll be using this blog as a tool for my Master’s Thesis.

My Thesis will focus on Accountability through Mentoring primarily using various internet tools. I will also be developing my blog on Worship Issues as part of my study and as an opportunity for you and others to share insights on broader worship issues.

Feel free to agree/disagree, comment, savour and join me on this journey of Spiritual Formation.

Emotion, Intellect and Connection

This past week a fellow Storyteller from my church's Storyteller's club asked me . . .

Something like this:

"What emotion do you work with
or try to express when you tell a story?"

This was just an initial question to get some discussion going but, I've been thinking more about it and thought I'd put some of them down as they come to me.

I need to give this some more thought and would appreciate your thoughts on this one.

Here's what I'm thinking so far . . .

I suppose there are many emotions that I work with but, I think it is more than emotion. It has to do with the intellect as well. Somehow the two come together to make the story connect with the person in the audience. This doesn't happen automatically. It takes work. I have to know my audience, perhaps (in Biblical Storytelling) know the audience the story was originally told for. I need to figure out what things I need to do that will engage their thinking and emotions. I am not there to manupulate their thinking but to lead them into the story. This has to do with leading and facilitating people . . . hopefully more on this later.

I can't explain this in just the few words that a posting like this offers but, from my previous postings on Internalizing, Reflecting on the Beatitudes, and On Remembering I'd like to make a connection between learning and leading.

Remembering in Worship

In my last post I mentioned a bit about remembering in worship.

As I've been contemplating Psalm 139 I've been thinking . . . as I recall what God has done in my life and His power in creation and creating me . . . how important it is to be reminded.

I tend to forget things that are not right in front of me so I have to build reminders into my daily schedule to be sure to accomplish the work that I am intended to do.

. . . task lists are important !

I remember better when someone else describes for me how they experienced the same event that I was part of.

. . . others are important to expand my appreciation for God's work in my life !

Discussion on past experiences often help me reconsider the consequences of personal actions or involvement.

. . . community discussion is vital for evaluation !


I find family insights helpful in remember acurately. Things like . . . "O, remember when . . . it wasn't quite like that . . . it was like this" - they bring clarity to how I remember it.

. . . family keep us honest, help clarify how we see and how to express our memories better !


God knows me far more and better than anyone. I can trust him because he made me.

. . . God will help us remember what he has done for us !


Journaling is a great way to remember details. For a non-detail writer like me . . . journaling still jogs my mind about what I was thinking at the time I wrote it.

. . . there is something about the written word that captures thought and memory !


This is just a start to recording some thoughts on Remembering as I look at Psalm 139.

I've been fascinated by "memory" and remembering in worship. It's a big part of it.

On Remembering - Psalm 139

Over the past week I’ve been reminded several times of the importance of Remembering. To remember is to recall to memory, to reflect on past experience, consider once again – at least that’s my understanding of it. I’m sure it is much more than that. Click here to see the meaning of Remember according to dictionary.com

I’m amazed at how we so quickly forget things. Throughout the Bible are numerous occasions where people were to remember what God had done and who he is. Take for example Nehemiah’s prayer 1:8 and again in 4:14. I keep coming back to these statements to remember for they are essential to our faith. How important it is for us to remember – remembering is part of our worship and important to our spiritual growth.

I like how Robert Webber puts it

“Worship is the context in which our relationship with God is continually re-established, maintained, repaired, and transformed. Anamnesis (memory).”

For the full article, click here

This is just an introduction to and the reason for choosing Psalm 139 as my next

“story to internalize.”

It brings to mind God’s power/involvement in my life and the life around me.