Introduction: The worship of many churches today can be divided into two parts: praise and preaching, although God has guided other elements for worship; and in many churches, this moment of praise becomes entertainment. In the article Three Dangers of?Of worship [link], Matt Merker talks more about this danger and proposes solutions:
3. The moment of praise can foster a culture of entertainment.
- Third.
- The moment of praise can foster a culture of entertainment.
- This danger is ironic.
- Of course.
- Because one of the purposes of the moment of praise is to unify a group of chants around theological content.
- But I’m afraid that often what the congregation Experience singing during a moment of praise is not a new appreciation of a biblical theme.
- But a show-like journey through an exciting sequence of songs.
While I am not against creativity and emotion in public worship, I believe it is possible to prioritize the emotional response that comes from music to neglect biblical truth, rather than enlighten it. of Christ does not remain rich in us as we sing, so something must change in the way we sing.
As Neil Postman argued in Having Fun to Death, “entertainment has become the dominant discourse of our time. Although the Church must recognize this fact, she should not capitulate to him. Our services should not resemble a television show or a television show, even if these modes of discourse define how postmodern man experiences the flow of ideas, instead, we have the opportunity, in our services, to shape a different type of discourse, one that begins with God’s self-re-unveiling. Our cult, contemporary or traditional, More or less liturgical ?, must escape man-centered experience and embrace the transcendent God.
So if the moment of praise can help people worship, appreciate, and understand our holy Creator more, use it without blinking, but if in your church the moment of praise tends to place more emphasis on the group’s ability than on the excellence of the Redeemer, something must change.
How can we resist the tendency of the moment of praise to slowly lead the church to one?
Do your best to make sure the congregation can hear everyone’s chants. It is a basic biblical principle, because Paul urges believers to speak among themselves, with spiritual psalms, hymns, and chants (Ephesians 5. 19). way to cultivate an atmosphere of joy and involvement with letters.
Being aware of the presence of others in collective worship and how the volume and expression of their own song effectively encourage others helps prevent self-centeredness. In practice, this may involve lowering the volume of the orchestra or orchestra and asking musicians to focus on a simple and tasteful accompaniment, rather than a complex or technically loaded display.
Provide a structure that helps interpret praise through music. For example, instead of starting the service with the lights off and a guitar solo full of effects (which looks too much like a show), start with a call to worship the Word of God or a short prayer.
Before the song begins, ask the sect leader to give you some instructional words or exhortations to put the songs in context. This interpretation of what is to come is of great value not only to believers, but also to the unbelievers, who may not know what to do with the music they will hear (see 1 Corinthians 14:24 on the priority of making worship understandable to non-believer visitors) Yes, it may seem a little stagnant and strange to have these little comments before singing. The breakdown of worship is a good thing, because it compromises the spirit of the congregation and inhibits the passivity that promotes the culture of entertainment.
Also, keep the lights on. Gloom, smoke machines and projectors cry out that attention should be on the musicians who come. On the contrary, is the light on and a modest platform?even excluding musicians aside, if possible?conveys the idea that what really matters here is not the choir or the worship group, but the content of the songs and the participation of the entire congregation.
Think of silence as a friend, not an adversary. If there are quiet moments between singing and prayer, or between offering and sermon, it is not a disaster. After all, it’s a Christian gathering for worship, not a television production. In fact, allowing moments of silence in transitions can renew people’s mental palate and allow the church to reflect on what has already happened during the service. Also use planned moments of silence for reflection and prayer. believers and silence before the Lord is very countercultural in our noisy and distracted time.
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Do you see two other dangers (and solutions) of the?Moment of praise?Matt Merker notes:
This article is part of the 9Marks Journal
Translation: Vin-cius Silva Pimentel. Review: Vin-cius Musselman Pimentel. © 2014 Faithful Ministérium. All rights reserved. Website: MinistryFiel. com. br. Original: Cult of the Three Dangers of the Moment of Praise.