7 Greatest Worship Texts: what Scripture says about leading
By Hughes Oliphant Old

1. The Ten Commandments and Worship: Exodus 20:1-11

Foundational to any study on worship is our understanding of how God wants to be worshiped.  The first commandment makes clear that our worship is to be exclusively worship of the one true God: the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. To none other than this God are divine honors to be given, for God demands of us exclusive devotion…. Answering the question as to which is the first and greatest commandment, Jesus taught us that the first commandment is to love God with all one’s heart, all one’s soul and all one’s mind. As Jesus saw it, the first principle of worship is that worship above all should be out of love for God

2. A Song of Redemption: Psalm 105:1-6

In the worship of the ancient Temple at Jerusalem, Psalm 105 had an important role. Every day it was sung at the immolation of the morning sacrifice. It is not surprising therefore, that it tells us some important and basic things about worship. Central to the worship of God’s people in every age is the rendering of thanks to God for His mighty acts of creation and redemption. The whole of Psalm 105 is a recounting of God’s saving works

3. Fulfilled in Your Hearing: Luke 4:16-30

The story of Jesus going to the synagogue in Nazareth, his home town, tells us about a most important principle of worship: God is glorified when the Gospel is preached

A strong emphasis on preaching is not some innovation brought in by the Protestant Reformers. The ministry of the synagogue was strongly weighted toward the reading and preaching of Scripture long before Jesus.

4. “In Spirit and in Truth:” John 4:24

Surely one of the touchstones of our thought on the subject of worship should be those words of Jesus: “…a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and truth” (Jn 4:23-24). These words were spoken to the woman of Samaria, a fact very significant in understanding this statement.

Surely part of what is meant is that Christian worship should be in contrast to the worship of the Samaritans. Samaritan worship was notoriously contrary to God’s Word. True worship, above all, should be according to God’s Word.

5. Fellowship through the Holy Spirit: Acts 2:42

Acts 2:42 sums up very briefly what was included in the worship of the earliest Christian Church. It tells us that after the surprising events of Pentecost when several thousand people were baptized into Christ, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42, RSV).

One gets the impression from Acts 6:1-6 that more was involved in the ministry of the Word than simply preaching and teaching. Following well established Jewish tradition, a good amount of time each week day was given to corporate study. At such times one would go over the teachings of Jesus, discuss their meaning, and commit them to memory. This was how the Apostles handed on the oral tradition of the words and works of Jesus… through study, sacred meals/communion and prayer

6. The Service of Daily Prayer: Acts 4:23-31

A very early, specifically Christian service of worship that we read about in the Acts of the Apostles is the service of morning prayer to which Peter and John went upon being released from prison (Acts 4:23-31).

The interesting thing is that the two Apostles knew where to find their friends that morning. They were at prayer, no doubt in the home of one of their number. From a few bits of information provided by the story we get the impression that it was a typical service of Morning Prayer like those maintained every morning in a Jewish synagogue or a devout Jewish home. Having been inspired by the Word of God in the psalms they sang, the early believers poured out their prayers and supplications that the Church be faithful in its ministry of teaching and preaching, and that God in His providence would confirm the testimony and witness of the Apostles with signs and wonders. Finally the prayer was concluded in the name of Jesus. This is what it is to pray in the name of Jesus. It is to continue the prayer ministry of Jesus, to intercede with the Father for the salvation of the world.

7. Worship as Heavenly Reality: Revelation 4-5

One of the most complete descriptions we have of a service of worship in our Bible is the one in Revelation. The book contains numerous acclamations, doxologies, and ascriptions of praise. They are particularly prominent in Revelation 4 and 5.

First there is the acclamation, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being” (Rev 4:11). Then a bit later we hear another acclamation, “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God… (Rev 5:9).”

Just like He did long ago at the beginning of His earthly ministry, it is Christ who opens the scroll of both the Law and the prophets. At the end of Revelation, once again the Scripture is fulfilled in our hearing. What the Law and Prophets prepared us for in the Old Testament will finally have found its fullest expression. In a manner much fuller than the Garden of Eden, the dwelling of God will be with men, and the saints from throughout all the ages will share in that heavenly worship, that sweet communion, forever.

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 Illuminate Me
Jeremy Armstrong

Sharpie-scribbled transparencies were once the masters of projected light in the church. Up on the screen, lyrics were available to all, and we were freed from the grips of the book, which kept our heads bowed at all times. But unless we were artists, images usually weren’t part of the equation. Enter, PowerPoint. When we clicked that orange “P” for the first time, most of us were unaware of the ramifications. “Oh look, here’s a cool program, now I can type in my lyrics.” That’s where it started. Then we clicked around and chanced upon the “insert” command in the drop down menu, and to our delight found that “add picture” did just that.

Life would never be the same. Time began to drain away; hours on hours slipped into nothingness as page after page of images drifted across our screens. Then we moved forward—stock motion footage, countdown clocks, and mini movies. We began contemplating the social/spiritual impact of IMAG, and toying with the possibility of bigger projection options that could transform our sanctuaries into fully encompassing worship environments. 

But it all started somewhere. It started with a single image. But more than simply the image, it was in the subtext of what the image implied. It was in the question that the image evoked: “Is this good for this song?” Because that question engenders more. What makes a picture something you say, “Yes” to? What should I say, “No” to? Should I put a dove or a cross next to the lyrics of his song? What makes a good background image? 

Then it hits you. Background image. This visual worship issue wants to challenge that entire notion: thinking of our images as backgrounds. Sure technically speaking in lyric projection, they are backdrops. But in a more poetic, more aware, more progressive understanding, nothing is background in worship, especially in the visual realm. The pictures we add to the lyrics, the podium the pastor uses, the brightness of the lights, the clothes we choose to wear, to the Starbucks cups on the floor next to the drum kit—these things are all part of the full presentation. And they are all illuminations. Unless they aren’t; then they are distractions.

The term “illumination” is borrowed from the early church. Starting at around the 5^th century, religious books that included visual art were not referred to as “illustrated” or “painted”; they were “illuminated.” (Read more about the art of illumination in Stephen Proctor’s article in this issue.) It’s a holy work, with a holy purpose. It is more than an illustration; the visual art is a prayer designed to inspire a prayer, it is an illumination. And visual artists in the church are the new illuminators.

The visual art we present in church is more than decoration. It is more even than “art.” Our visuals are nothing less than illuminations of the living Word of God, inspired by the breath of his Spirit, made complete by the interceding presence of the Son. If nothing else, this issue of Worship Leader is here to remind us that nothing we do on a Sunday morning is “background.” We don’t play background music; we don’t have background images; we don’t even use background singers. These things are the many layers of the devotional arts, and all of it can be an orchestra—prayerfully and skillfully coordinated to clear the way for worshipers to engage the presence of God. We illuminate him with every aspect of our service of worship. Or at least that is our hope.

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Building a Visual Team
Craig Detweiler

This article was originally published in the July 2008 issue of Worship Leader magazine.

It is tempting to consider feature films the vision of a single director. Sure, hundreds of people work on a production, but we call it a Hitchcock movie or “A Paul Thomas Anderson Film.” Frank Capra was the first director to get his name above the title (as in Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life). We tend to associate horror with Wes Craven, gangsters with Martin Scorsese and quirky comedies with Wes Anderson. But even the most popular filmmakers like Steven Spielberg and George Lucas understand the value of collaboration. The Indiana Jones series pooled their talents to generate thrills, spills and adventures.

The media minister who wants to create enduring videos must build a strong team. Filmmaking is an inherently collaborative art. It may begin with an individual’s idea. But you need actors, crew, and musicians on the same page, contributing to the overall effect. A gifted cinematographer can make a boring set look beautiful. If we fail to pay attention to sound, we will regret it throughout the post-production process. We need additional eyes and ears to make a solid short film. 

Tag Team

To achieve excellence, we must develop creative partners. The next generation of filmmakers understands that two brains are often better than one. Consider the success of dynamic duos like the Coen brothers and the Wachowski brothers. They provide a sounding board for each other throughout the process. “Is this funny?” “Is this dramatic?” “Do you believe that?” Filmmaking duos range from the urban dreams of the Hughes brothers to the artsy European cinema of the Dardenne brothers. Mark and Jay DuPlass make low budget films like The Puffy Chair and Baghead. If they’re not laughing behind the camera, they know the audience won’t snicker either. Christopher and Jonathan Nolan have created mind-bending films like Memento, Batman Begins, The Prestige and The Dark Knight. They always explore the dual nature of humanity, how we underestimate our capacity for evil. As King David needed Nathan to set him straight, we need someone to give us perspective—like a creative collaborator.

Not all of us have media-savvy siblings. It may take awhile to figure out with whom we can work with for hours at a time. But when a gifted screenwriter like Paul Schrader teams up with a visual stylist like Martin Scorsese, their combined gifts are greater than their individual talents. Dark classics like Taxi Driver and Raging Bull resulted. We may also want to team up with those who disagree with us. The Exorcism of Emily Rose was co-written by Biola film-school graduate Scott Derrickson and his skeptical partner Paul Thomas Boardman. The frightening courtroom drama presented both sides of the argument for a supernatural realm because both opinions were present throughout the process.

Heads and Tails

My feature documentary, Purple State of Mind was created as a fair fight. My agnostic partner on the project, John Marks, had veto power every step of the way. We often forget that a profound Christian author like G. K. Chesteron sharpened his thoughts through a friendship with the atheist playwright George Bernard Shaw. We need an outside perspective on the truth we seek to communicate.

The cost of cameras and post-production has allowed for unprecedented independence. We need fewer resources and people to make a short video or even a feature film. Yet, we still need a venue and an audience. Even independent filmmakers turn to the studios to distribute their movies. In church media, the pastor and staff often must sign off on a project. This is not interference. They have a responsibility to the congregation. Media ministers are called to serve the final arbiters of art—the public. Movies are made to communicate. When a video works, it becomes a truly moving picture.

How do we create more effective media for churches and communities? Show it early and show it often. Allow enough time for rough cuts. Polish that rough diamond until it sparkles. The final collaborator is the audience. They’ll let you know if a song, mood, or performance isn’t working. If they consider the concept unclear, it is. If they find it funny, it is. Movies are made to be seen and heard. We cannot accomplish our goal without the communion of others. We must involve the audience in every stage of the creative process—from concept through completion. 

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Apply it:

Invite someone who has a different perspective than you to help you make your next short film. Let them have as much say in the ideas and finished work as you have.

Use an audience for every aspect of your next creative process. Run the concept by people and get their input, then have others join in every aspect until completion.