How We View Worship
Worship Principles in the Presbyterian Church
Understanding and Participating in the Morning Worship Service at First Presbyterian Church of Tuscumbia
When people come to a Presbyterian Church, they usually notice that the worship service is a bit different than other churches. Frequently, it is less formal than what they are used to. There is less structure than many churches and the bulletin is rather simple. For many it is more formal, with creeds and responsive readings that are foreign to them. Some people aren’t used to reading responses, like the Apostle’s Creed or the Lord’s Prayer. Another difference is our music. The hymns and tunes are sometimes unfamiliar; some seem to be very old, and some seem to be very new. So why do Presbyterians worship the way they do? This brief paper will attempt to address that question.
Historically, Presbyterians start with the Bible when they want to find out how to worship God. It is our authority for all our Christian lives (2 Timothy 3:16, 17). The Bible talks about worship more than some people realize. The key passage in all of Scripture about worship is found in John 4:23 and 24. Jesus is talking to a Samaritan woman at a well. In the course of the conversation the woman notes the difference in the place of worship for the Samaritans and the Jews. Jesus quickly deflects her aside on the place of worship and gets to the real issue. He says, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” It is a striking statement on many levels. First of all, isn’t it amazing that Jesus says that the Father seeks worshipers? Can you think of anywhere in Scripture where God is seeking something? And what is He seeking? He seeks worshipers, and not just any kind of worshipers. He seeks those who worship in sprit and truth. These twin truths have been at the root of the historic Presbyterian understanding of worship.
Worship in spirit must mean, at the very least, that worship is primarily spiritual, rather than physical. It can never become routine and dull. It must always breathe life and reach to our deepest being. Our spirits must be conscious of participating in a supernatural event in which we truly meet with God. A church that worships in spirit is always concerned not to be too bogged down in any extensive ritual that can become rote or wooden. Each worshiper must engage God and freely respond to Him. For this reason, among others, Presbyterianism has shied away from highly liturgical and complex worship. Pastors and people must learn to think through their own response to the calls of God. For example, the prayers in our church are most often spoken by a leader and are rarely read. The congregation must listen and agree with that prayer in their hearts. That simply takes more spiritual attention than recitation.
Worship in spirit may also mean the Holy Spirit must be central to the activity. The Holy Spirit must be present and called upon to lead and assist so we might truly meet with the Father and the Son. It will not be worship in spirit if the Holy Spirit is not dominant. We must call on Him to help us worship.
But worship must also be in truth. This must mean, at the very least, that we must be sincere and heartfelt in our worship. But it also means we must worship according to the truth. Christianity has always stated that the truth about God and worship is found in the Bible. Thus we believe that how we worship is governed or regulated by God in His Book. Historically, this has been called the Regulative Principle of Worship. This asserts that there must be Biblical command or example for the format and the elements of worship. In other words, when it comes to worship, we will not engage in any worship activity that the Bible does not command. We need, then, to go to the Scripture to look at those times when God met with His people. We carefully seek God’s commands, and even examples, for the structure of the worship service. Further, these examples show the atmosphere, or “ambiance” of worship, as well as its activities or elements. Many of the circumstances of worship, such as the shape of the building, or the seating, and the like, are arranged as the leaders of the church see fit. But the elements of worship are always governed by Scripture. In addition, the pattern and atmosphere of worship should be informed by Scripture as well. These principles may be found in the Old or New Testaments, but whenever the Old is used, it must be applied in the light of New Testament fulfillment. The Reformers recaptured this key principle in the 1500’s and churches in our tradition have been committed to it in one form or another ever since. God not only seeks worshipers, but those who worship His way.
Having analyzed this important key concept in John 4, we can go on and see other fundamental principles in the rest of Scripture. We will briefly mention five. For memory purposes we will say that the Bible opens DOORS to true worship. The letters stand for five key characteristics of worship that are revealed in Scripture.
First, when people met with God in the Bible there was frequently a dialogue (D) between God and man. Isaiah 6 most clearly shows this concept. In our service, each time the Bible is read we regard it as a call from God to which we should respond. God calls in His Word and we respond in prayer, song, recitation, and obedience. Worship is a dialogue or a conversation between the church and God. That is why there are several verbal responses in each service to balance the response that the worship leader or choir does for us.
Secondly, and related to dialogue, is that worship is orderly (O). Both 1 Corinthians and Colossians, in their discussions of worship and church life, call for order. There ought to be an atmosphere of order and peace, not chaos and confusion. Order also means Biblical order. The call/response format of worship proceeds with a Biblical and logical progression from praise to confession of sin, to thanksgiving and supplication, to new obedience and resolution. There is predictability about it’s general format. This insures the worshiper can anticipate and participate in the dialogue.
Next, the service is chiefly an offering (O) of God’s people. The Book of Psalms, which is the hymnbook of the ancient church, demonstrates that from start to finish. “Give to the Lord the glory due His name; Bring an offering and come into His courts” (Psalm 96:8). All our responses are offerings unto the Lord. There are offerings of praise, thanksgiving, obedience, and, yes, our tithes. We need constantly to see that worship is a matter of giving God what is due to Him. We do not come primarily to get, but to give.
Worship is also reverent (R). There is never a casual, flippant, or wild scene of worship in Scripture. When men and women come into the presence of God, there is a sense of God’s grandeur and holiness. He is seen as high and lifted up. From the Old Testament (such as Isaiah 6 or Nehemiah 9) to the New (such as Revelation 4 and 5), we see the same sense that God is to be worshiped in reverence and awe. True worship is a solemn and joyful event.
Finally, worship is simple (S). As was hinted at earlier, the service should not be so diverse that it loses its logical flow. Our forebears believed that simplicity follows the New Testament pattern. Not only do we not add what is not added in the Scripture, but we also do not make what is ordered in Scripture too complex, ornate, and tedious to follow. Biblical elements in a simple dialogical format satisfy the spiritual heart.
With all this in mind, let us now look at the common elements of a typical Sunday worship service at First Presbyterian Church.
- THE PREPARATION
- THE CALL TO WORSHIP
- THE HYMN OF PRAISE
- THE PRAYER OF ADORATION
- THE READING OF THE WORD
THE PREPARATION
Preparation for worship begins by getting to bed at a decent hour on Saturday night. Sleeping late and rushing to get ready will never prepare a heart for the solemn duty of the Lord’s Day. We recommend coming to church (and getting up!) early enough to take the rush out of the morning. Once you arrive, we believe the best preparation is a quiet reflection on the privilege of coming before God with your brothers and sisters. Though we always like to greet our friends and neighbors in the annex, when we step into the sanctuary we ought to clear our minds and focus on the glorious task at hand. “Bibles should be read and prayer should be said.” As the music begins to play, complete silence should come into the sanctuary. “But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him” (Habakkuk 2:20). At First Church, there is a key attribute of God, such as love, holiness, mercy, or power, for example, written at the top of the worship service bulletin. There are 22 attributes that are used twice a year and are keyed to the sermon. Meditating on that attribute is a good beginning to worship.
Usually the announcements and an official welcome come at this time. These are necessary in the life of our church, but are not really a part of the worship service. That’s why we place them at the beginning of the day before the actual call to worship. We ought to listen attentively to them, but quickly transition back to the prospect of worship as soon as they are finished.
After the announcements there is either a short musical interlude, a choral call to worship, or an introit to signal the opportunity to refocus on worship. The introit is a brief hymn to set our eyes upward. In any case, our ability to worship properly begins long before the call to worship. Good preparation is so important if we are to worship God rightly.
THE CALL TO WORSHIP
THE HYMN OF PRAISE
THE PRAYER OF ADORATION
THE READING OF THE WORD
- THE PRAYER OF CONFESSION
- THE ASSURANCE OF PARDON
- THE CONFESSION OF FAITH
THE PRAYER OF CONFESSION
In Isaiah 6 the prophet saw an incredible vision of God seated on His throne. There were amazing physical phenomena and striking heavenly creatures. When Isaiah saw these creatures declaring the holiness of God, he immediately cried, “Woe is me, for I am undone! For I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts.” This was a shattering, but morally logical, response. It should be the response of every spiritually awake person. We must confess our sins. Though true believers never ought to fear losing their heavenly standing, sonship, justification, or eternal forgiveness when they sin, our sins do affect our fellowship with God. We lose fellowship, power, usefulness, blessings, growth and the ability to worship when we sin, and we need to cleanse ourselves of the stain of disobedience. In our service the confession most frequently takes the form of an opportunity for silent prayer followed by the pastor leading in a prayer of confession. Sometimes the confession can be in song. Sometimes we confess together with a prayer from the Bible (such as parts of Psalm 51) or a traditional confession from church history. The purpose of this part of worship is to regain our fellowship with God, enabling us to worship freely. “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.” (Psalm 66:18)
THE ASSURANCE OF PARDON
THE CONFESSION OF FAITH
- THE OFFERING AND THE PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
- THE PRAYER OF INTERCESSION AND SUPPLICATION
- THE SECOND HYMNS
THE OFFERING AND THE PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
Some believe that the collections of tithes and offerings are not to be placed in public worship because reference to money demeans the grandeur of worship. But others, including myself, believe that the climatic response of worship is the collection of the offering. Why? Like Isaiah 6, we, too, have heard the words of forgiveness which have atoned for our sin. The logical and moral response is “Here I am, send me!” We offer ourselves to God as instruments of His will. The collection of the tithes, which has been used in gatherings of believers since the beginning of the New Testament Church (1 Corinthians 16:1, 2), is a symbol of this offering. How we use our money is an excellent indicator whether “Here am I, send me” is a reality in the heart! Offering is never paying God, buying grace, or currying favor with God or the church. It is an obedient response to a saved heart. We give because we love. We love because He first loved us. The ushers collect all the gifts and bring them to the front, usually as the congregation sings a traditional chorus. The Gloria Patri is a confession of faith in the reality of the triune God and His eternal worth. The Doxology is a more recent composition which admits God is the origin of all our blessings here and praises Him for them. Both are fitting songs by which to offer the whole church’s gifts to God. When the ushers arrive the pastor leads in a Prayer of Thanksgiving, when we once again remind ourselves that God has given us all we have, and deserves all we are.
THE PRAYER OF INTERCESSION AND SUPPLICATION
THE SECOND HYMNS
- THE READING OF THE WORD
- THE SERMON
- THE HYMN OF RESPONSE
- THE BENEDICTION
THE READING OF THE WORD
The “fourth call” from the Scripture is usually found in the context of the sermon. It is not a call to praise, confession, or pardon. This time it is a call to believe and do. A proper response to the reading itself is with the traditional “This is the Word of God” by the pastor met with the “Thanks be to God” by the congregation. This puts the congregation in the frame of mind that God will lead them in His Word.
THE SERMON
THE HYMN OF RESPONSE
THE BENEDICTION
After the Service
Unlike the beginning of the service, where silent meditation is appropriate, the end of the service will see a mixture of responses. Some may want to prayerfully sit and ponder what God has been saying to them. In spiritual worship it is not uncommon to see people praying alone or in groups in the pews after church. Most normally, however, the pianist will play a postlude as we leave the sanctuary. After a reasonable period of fellowship, we gather in our Sunday School classes.
The Roles
- THE ROLE OF THE PASTOR
- THE ROLE OF THE CHOIR
THE ROLE OF THE PASTOR
The worship leader in the Presbyterian church is in a unique position in Christian worship. He stands between God and the congregation in the dialogue of worship. He represents God to us as He reads the Scripture. But he represents us to God when he prays. Not only does he lead in these ways, but in Presbyterian worship, the leader normally gives sentences between each element of worship to ensure context and continuity in the dialogue that is worship. Historically, this job has been given to ordained teaching elders, or pastors. Certainly ruling elders and other laymen can and do take part. But part of the teaching and preaching ministry of the pastor is the leading of worship according to the Word and Spirit. The original Westminster Directory of Worship (1646) encourages the pastor to direct the service, especially in the area of leading in prayer. Preparing to lead worship is both related to and similar to preparing to preach. Dr. Robert Godfrey says, “By the call of God and the congregation, the minister is set aside to these important tasks in worship. . . .In his leading role the minister leads the worship of God in a way that keeps the worship faithful and expresses the unity of the people in their meeting with God.”
THE ROLE OF THE CHOIR
Conclusion
Sometimes we just “go to church” and don’t think about what we do. I suppose it is possible to get some benefit from worshiping with God’s people whether we are aware of what we are doing or not. Nevertheless, wouldn’t it be so much more beneficial if we knew what we were doing and why we were doing it? I trust this paper assists you to worship in a knowledgeable way. But even more, I pray it helps you to worship in a deeper, more godly, and more spiritual way. There may be no greater obedience to God than for you to worship Him in spirit and in truth. May God help us to give unto the Lord the glory due His holy name!