Greetings in the Name of God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit! I am writing this brief article at the beginning of the three central days of our faith – the three days that include our Lord’s suffering, death, burial, and resurrection. I implore you to linger within these days, [...]
Worship matters! In the preface to his book "Stones For Bread" A. Daniel Frankforter rightly states "that every community of Christians is called, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to discover how it can acknowledge the reality of God with sincerity and integrity."
Frankforter laments that while America's churches have given a "lot of attention (if not always thought) to their worship practices", the renewed interest has not necessarily come "from the vitality of a worshiping community" but are instead reforms "adopted as marketing strategies for combating the waning popularity of shrinking congregations. Worship is easily corrupted when it is treated as a recruitment device, for that shifts its focus from honoring God to pleasing those who profess to honor God."
Because worship matters, Dr. Jim Smith, pastor of the Rona Community Church in Fairborn, Ohio who received his doctorate at the Robert E. Webber, Institute for Worship Studies, he will be the major contributor to the important addition to the Let God Lead Us website. We are delighted to have him as part of the LGLU team.
Resurrection Sunday
Greetings in the Name of God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit! I am writing this brief article at the beginning of the three central days of our faith – the three days that include our Lord’s suffering, death, burial, and resurrection. I implore you to linger within these days, [...]
The Basic Movement in Worship – A Few “Nuts & Bolts” (3)
Greetings in the Name of God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit! To begin with, let’s quickly review: 1) The basic movement of God is: God always moves/speaks first. 2) Since God always moves/speaks first, our worship services need to incarnate this truth by designing them to reflect it. 3) If [...]
The Basic Movement in Worship – A Few “Nuts & Bolts” (2)
Greetings in the Name of God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit! If you have read my previous four articles in Let God Lead Us, then you know that I have been building the case for our corporate worship beginning with a biblical “Call to Worship.” Since God always speaks/moves [...]
The Basic Movement in Worship – A Few “Nuts & Bolts” (1)
Greetings in the Name of God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit! I want to again thank you for reading these thoughts on some matters within worship. Your responses have brought both encouragement and direction – so, please, keep them coming. As I have reread my previous articles, I have [...]
The Basic Movement in Worship – Revelation & Response