Let me begin by apologizing for not posting this yesterday.  For some reason, I sat at my desk yesterday thinking that it was Wednesday.  Perhaps I drank too much coffee, perhaps not enough.  Either way I am a day late, and I apologize.

In chapter three, “Worshipping the Correct God Correctly,” Michael Horton deals with the second commandment.  The second commandment has been at the center of much debate throughout the history of the church.  Horton does a great job of pointing out that the application of the second commandment goes far beyond the iconoclastic controversies of the 8^th and 16^th centuries.

Commenting on the focus of the reformers he wrote, “The glory of God, not the lowest common denominator of popular fancy, drove every new adventure” (Horton, 73).  The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks, “What is the chief end man?” and answers, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.”  This principle applies in worship as well.

When theologians discuss what is appropriate in corporate worship the Regulative Principle of Worship often comes up.  Depending on the circle you are in some will understand the Regulative Principle to mean that we can do in worship anything not forbidden and others will understand it to mean that we can only do in worship those things that are commanded.  As you read Horton’s chapter on the second commandment and evaluate his arguments in light of Scripture, what are your thoughts?

Let me begin by giving credit where credit is due.  Two authors have helped me to understand the biblical teaching on worship more than any others, Terry Johnson and John Frame.  I give this acknowledgement right up front.  If you are familiar with either of these men’s work, then there will be a lot that is familiar in this article as well.

At Christ Church Conway part of our vision statement is to be a worshipping community.  In this we include both public and private worship, but this article is going to focus on the public or corporate aspect of worship.

We have two basic commitments in our worship service:  1) that God is glorified and 2) that the church is edified.  These two commitments inform all that we do in our times of corporate worship by prompting us to ask certain questions about our worship gatherings.  Three of the questions that we ask when writing the liturgy are:

1. Does this liturgy accurately exalt God as the true and living God and Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world?
2. Does this liturgy clearly communicate who God is and what Jesus has done?
3. Does this liturgy lead the church into participating in worship?

The first question is one of doctrine.  If we do not rightly divide the Word of God, if we do not rightly proclaim who our God is, if we do not rightly exalt Christ as King and Lord then we are not worshipping the God of the Bible.

The second question is one of intelligibility.  If we do not make clear who our God is and what Jesus has done for his people, I am not sure that we can say we are worshipping.    Intelligibility in worship is, at least in part, what drove the Westminster Divines to write,

…because these original tongues [Hebrew and Greek] are not know to all the people of God, who have right unto, and interest in the Scriptures, and are commanded, in the fear of God, to read and search them, therefore they are to be translated into the vulgar language of every nation unto which they come, that, the Word of God dwelling plentifully in all, they may worship him in an acceptable manner; and, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, may have hope (WCF, 1.8).

Intelligibility is not a call to bow to the culture or to dumb down our doctrine.  Intelligibility is a call to preach, sing, pray, and confess who our God is in the language, dialect, and idioms of our cultural context in order to accurately and clearly communicate the reality of who our God is.

The third question is one of community.  Because of the work of Christ, all followers of Christ have equal access before the throne of God.  Clericalism should be put to bed.  Yes, there are men called by God to serve in particular capacities within the local church, but they are not mediators of worship.  Our goal is to worship as the body of Christ, not to watch a couple people worship for the body of Christ.

Sound doctrine, intelligibly communicated, by the body of Christ – that is our goal in corporate worship.

With this in mind, our services typically follow a set gospel pattern.  On any given Sunday, our service has four cycles:  Praise, Confession, Means of Grace, and Response.  This general pattern is not original to Christ Church Conway; it has been used in churches around the world for centuries.  In fact, not much or our philosophy of worship is original to Christ Church Conway.  Faithful men and women have given much thought to the patterns of worship prescribed by Scripture, and we are in the blessed position of beneficiary.

This four-cycle pattern of worship is called a gospel pattern because it lays out the gospel in general terms.

In the cycle of praise we exalt our God for who he is – the covenant keeping, holy, just creator of all things – through Scripture reading, prayer, song, and confession of faith.

In the cycle of confession we confess our sin before the holy God, acknowledge our need for a redeemer, who is Jesus Christ, and hear the assurance of pardon for all those who are in Christ.

In the cycle of means of grace we employ the biblical means of grace, Word, prayer, and sacrament that God may be exalted and we may be encouraged and built up in our faith.

In the cycle of response we praise our covenant keeping God for who he is and what he has done for his people through the collection, songs, prayer, and benediction.

This is how and we worship and why.  May Jesus Christ be praised!