IBC Session 6: Mark Dever on Worship in the Puritans

This is a guest blog post by my favorite pastor in "the Bin," Ian Vaillancourt. Ian was a member of Grace Fellowship Church before being called along with his wife Natalie to pastor the Binbrook Baptist Church.
In fact, I will be preaching at "the Bin" this Sunday morning as they celebrate their 4000th anniversary - okay, their 167th. But that feels like 4000 in comparison to our 6!
I was not able to attend the second day of the IBC, so I asked Ian to type up his notes and share them with us. This is not live-blogging. (It's not dead-blogging either!)
--------------------------

*I hope these rough notes of Dr. Dever’s message will be helpful. I write notes as an aid to listening and internalizing, and when I wrote these, I did not know that Paul would later ask me to type them up for his blog! That, along with the occasional brain freeze (it was a long 15 hour day at the conference on Friday), explains the brevity of the notes. However, I do believe that the meat here is very good, and worth reading. I hope you enjoy! Ian.

-------------------------------------------------

- Since the center of Puritan worship is preaching, that is what Dr. Dever will be lecturing on this morning.

- He explained that the term ‘Puritan’ is notoriously difficult to define. For the purposes of today’s lecture ‘Puritan’ will refer to those Reformed English Christians who were concerned to Reform and Purify the Church in the 200 or so years after the Reformation.

- The Puritans were great preachers.

- Many people have heard of the Westminster Assembly, and the Westminster Confession of Faith, but not as many have heard of the Westminster Directory for Public Worship. This small document presents the Puritan ideal!

- Dr. Dever explained that this is a lecture, and not a sermon. On Sunday Mornings at Capitol Hill Baptist Church his messages look a lot more like the one he preached last night (on Worship in the New Testament, from Romans 12). In that message he unpacked a particular passage of Scripture and applied it to life.

- This morning’s message will be a lecture. It will not be an expository message, but a historical one. It will be primarily aimed at preachers, although he invites and encourages all non-preachers to listen in, as it is very important for everyone to hear and understand what makes good preaching.

I. Dr. Dever began with nine simple statements on preaching, preachers, and sermons, according to the Puritans. He warned that all note-takers would be frustrated because he did not have time to go slow, or to unpack these points (but he did go slow enough for me to record the meat).

1. Preaching Matters

2. Preachers are not just anyone

3. Regarding sermons and texts: texts are selected by series or special occasions. Puritans typically only interrupted a series for a ‘special message’ (e.g. Christmas)

4. Introductions to sermons must be short and related to the message

5. The structure of the sermon is: text, then truth

6. The content of the sermon: not just examining words, but whole sentences

7. Sermons should be true, biblical and helpful (all three of these characteristics are essential to a sermon).

8. Sermons should be clear

9. Every part of the sermon matters. Arguments must be solid. Illustrations must be effective

II. Controversy In Sermons

- A preacher must pick his fights carefully. He must deal with currently dangerous heresies, but not with every heresy that is around at the time, or that has ever been around. Controversy is important and allowable, only in so far is it is deemed needful. The Puritans were particularly concerned to defend the true biblical gospel against the ever encroaching Romanism in England and Arminianism in New England.

- Dr. Dever pointed out that this really reflects the New Testament way to preach. Note especially the New Testament Epistles – heresies are dealt with, but only the ones threatening the particular community. Controversies are dealt with, but not every controversy is dealt with.

III. Application is essential.

- Doctrine must never be left unapplied. A preacher must argue! William Perkins, in the earliest English Puritan book on Preaching, The Art of Prophesying, reminds preachers to remember the kinds of hearers there are. Again, this is in line with the New Testament model of preaching, especially the epistles. The New Testament authors commonly move from doctrine to application. James 1-2 in particular speaks directly at how dangerous unapplied truth is.

- Lives will be unaffected by truths unapplied!

- The Puritans believed that such application should be practical. Richard Sibbes, for example is always very practical in his sermons (Dr. Dever did his PhD at Cambridge in Richard Sibbes).

a. Puritan application deals with guilt, grace, and gratitude

- This application is not moralism – works based salvation

b. In application, deal with sin fully

- For example, notice Jonathan Edwards’ clarity on the sin of selfishness in Charity and Its Fruits.

- Notice that this is again, the New Testament way of preaching. For example, Romans 1-3 gives glory to God by exposing sin.

- Dr. Dever told a story about a woman who had been attending Capitol Hill Baptist, who was powerfully effected by the Word preached. Her entire world view had been transformed. On one occasion she was in tears as she realized this! He then exhorted the preachers not to forget the powerful infusion of reality that preaching is to those who are lost!

c. In application, comfort fully

- In a time of depression caused by over-working in the ministry, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones was grateful to Richard Sibbes for providing salve for his soul. Particularly The Bruised Reed was a blessing to him.

- Notice that the New Testament books of Hebrews, 1 Peter, and Revelation were written specifically as encouragement for afflicted Christians

d. Sermons should cause self-examination

- For example, Paul is calling for serious self-examination in 1 Corinthians 11, etc.

e. Preach helpful doctrines

- One can’t preach every doctrine from every text. Choose the particular doctrine in the text that will be most helpful for the people. The truths we preach are timeless, but must be presented in the barb of our times.

Pastoral Visitation (Part III) - What You Aim For

“We must labour to be acquainted, not only with the persons, but with the state of all our people, with their inclinations and conversations; what are the sins of which they are most in danger, and what duties they are most apt to neglect, and what temptations they are most liable to; for if we know not their temperament or disease, we are not likely to prove successful physicians.” – Richard Baxter, The Reformed Pastor, 90.

The presupposition behind pastoral visitation is that it is one of your duties as an undershepherd of Christ's flock to know His sheep. A man cannot care for sheep he never sees.

When I pastored in Northern Ontario I was privileged to have an old shepherd in my church. He was old. And he was a real shepherd - known throughout that area as having the tastiest sheep and best wool! Anyway, when I used to visit Louis, I would inevitably walk out to the barn or field with him. It did not matter how slowly I moved or how gently I spoke - those dumb sheep were spooked at the sight and sound of me.

But for Louis! Well, it was love from the moment their doleful eyes fell on him. Here is the man who knows us! The one who feeds us! The one who got up night after night to feed me on my bottle! The one who cares for my wounds! The one who protects me from my enemies! The one who is going to slaughter me for money!

Okay, that last one doesn't really work, does it!?!

Even though the analogy, like all human analogies, falls flat at some point, you can still see the grain of truth. Sheep need care. And what is our calling as pastors if it is not to know our sheep so well that we may apply whatever medicine, teaching, rebuke, comfort, or protection that they need? Yes, we are to preach and teach so that the Body is built up to fulfill the work of the ministry - but I stand with Baxter (and Paul, I think) when I say that foundational to our ability to teach is our faithfulness to know and love the sheep.

Baxter understood that merely mounting the pulpit once a week then disappearing into the study for the rest would not bring about much change in this world. He considered it a part of the pastoral duty not only to study the Word of God, but to study men for the purpose of determining how best to convince them of the Truth. "We must study how to convince and get within men, and how to bring each truth to the quick..." (145)

Once we have done this, says Baxter, we must rush to the battle. "Satan will not be charmed out of his possession: we must lay siege to the souls of sinners, which are his garrison, and find out where his chief strength lieth, and lay the battery of God's ordinance against it, and ply it close, till a breach is made; and then suffer them not by their shifts to repair it again" (149).

Baxter practiced what he preached. There were few, if any, converts in Kidderminster when Baxter arrived there in 1641 and few, if any, unconverted in the town of 2000 when he left. His ministry was held together by the backbone of a personal visitation model similar to that we are attempting to describe here. He knew his sheep!

Of course, you will find some sheep easier to know than others. Didn't Paul have to egg on the Corinthians to "open wide" to him as he had opened his life to them? Sin, personality, fears, poor time management, relational immaturity and a host of other things (and combinations thereof!) may conspire against you. But don't let what is wrong keep you from doing what is right! Get to know your sheep - spiritually.

One last thing. If there were ever a reason for long and faithful ministries in one location with one of group of people, this is it. You cannot get to know your sheep in 2.6 years. That's not enough time for them to really sin against you.

Hope Has Come

Hope Has Come

My friends at Sovereign Grace Ministries are offering a free download off their soon to be released Christmas CD! This one was written by Stephen Altrogge, son of my favorite still-living songwriter, Pastor Mark Altrogge.

Pastoral Visitation (Part II) - Scheduling the Meetings

(Post one is here.)

For the longest time, the greatest hinderance to making "elder visits" was finding a time to do it. My co-elder and I had the best of intentions, but we could only seem to muster a visit here and a visit there kind-of-thing.

At one of our FRPS meetings, a brother shared how his pastor organized these visits. It was quite simple - but revolutionary to me! We adapted his model to this:

1. We elders meet and plan a block of time where we will perform elder visits with members.
- we try to put this in a not-so-busy period (i.e. not during December and the Christmas rush!)
- and this "block of time" mentality means we know we will be out a lot of nights for several weeks, but not for an endless period of time... that really helps when you have small kids at home and it helps us to prepare for that time in prayer

2. We determine the specific nights or days (right down to the start and end times) of when we will be able to meet.

3. We either:
a) Carry around a sign-up sheet for members to sign up for one of these specific times, or
b) Have one of us call members and ask if they are available for any of these specific times.
- lately it has been the second option as we are trying to systematically get around to all of our members

4. We meet with the members!

The advantages to this type of organized visitation are many, some of which I have already listed. Other advantages include:

1. Your members know that you are "making the rounds" and that you will eventually get to them.

2. Members struggling with particular issues know they can request a meeting time and be offered a specific date and time.

3. You get to spend time with "non-issue people" - meaning those foundational folks that never squeak or swerve, are at every service, and would never think of adding to your duties by asking for a visit! Those folks still need close shepherding and this method makes a way for you to get with them in their homes one-on-one.

4. Your members see some of your shepherding and this can be very comforting to them, even if they are not the ones being visited this round.

There are more benefits, but I will leave off there.

Next time I will try to post on what we actually do in a visit.

Pastoral Visitation - Part I

Just got back from our first "elder visit" of this fall schedule. What a great night, spent in meaningful and encouraging conversation with a young couple in our church.

I used to pray like mad that I would be able to visit like this, but it always seemed so difficult to make it happen. Now, I cannot imagine pastoral ministry without them.

I think I will blog more in the coming days on how we go about doing these visits. Tonight, I just wanted to whet the appetite of all you pastors out there! This is a good and necessary thing!

I Love Mats!

Mats with teammate Bryan McCabe

I am not the Leafs fan I once was - I decided to get a life! But I sure enjoyed watching my man Mats Sundin get his 500th career NHL goal to beat the Calgary Flames in overtime last night.
Who cares about the rest of the game!?
I know he hasn't brought Lord Stanley to Toronto (yet), but 500 goals in 15 seasons isn't so bad. Especially on the Leafs!

And a hat trick to boot!!

Walter Says You Really Ought to Go to Church....

Grace Fellowship Church: Walter on Going to Church:

Here is some timely advice for this Sunday!

"Now, I know you city-folk get to hockey games all the time, but for me, this was a rare occurrence. So, I didn't want to miss a thing! It was a great game that ended up tied with Montreal with 5 minutes to play! But wouldn't you know that right around that time, those two large coffees, one pop and a hot chocolate all got to impressing on me the need to take a trip to the little boy's room. Finally, I could take it no longer and dashed down the aisle and out the door and back again as fast as my old legs would carry me... only to hear a giant cheer as I rounded the corner to re-enter the rink! I had missed it! The winning goal! Montreal - losers again! Just like me!

Now, it seems to me that is the thing that nearly almost happens on the Sunday you miss gathering with your fellow saints. The Sunday God chooses to come down, is the one Sunday you pick to convene a meeting with Pastor Pillow and Deacon Sheets! But the way to never miss the blessing is to always attend the fellowship.

You might think of church meetings like a series of meals. Mrs. Walter is more than a fine cook, but every once in a while she tips the cow and raises the roof. Some new recipe or even an old recipe comes together in such a way and at such a time that we are faced with a banquet we'll not soon forget. But if you skip dinner that noon to fix the spindle on your hay rake you miss the meal where your wife makes Martha Stewart look like a short-order cook. You've got to be there! Same with church."

IBC Session 4: Mark Dever "Worship in the New Testament"

Mark introduced 9Marks ministries.

One of the longest sustained treatments of worship is in Romans 12 and following. This presents the gospel in action… practical issues of living the Christian life.

The key issue of worship is not drums or stained glass, etc. [Mark read Romans 12]

To worship God correctly is what starts off this chapter. The nature of worship is offering your whole self to God as a living sacrifice. That may be the most important point in this message – the offering of your self. When we restrict worship to church buildings and singing songs then we miss the point. The NT does not use the word worship the way we do in English. You can avoid a lot of trouble in your church if you define worship for your people the way the bible does – offering yourself as a sacrifice.

It is our “self” that is to be offered. The whole of us being offered always and continually. We are called to gather publicly – and we can call that worship (although the NT never does). Our public worship (in this sense) includes all kinds of things like singing, giving, preaching, etc.

Worship as it is described in the NT is the whole of life. You cannot limit worship to one event on one day of the week. It encompasses everywhere we are, every day of the week, everything we do with everyone we know. That is the nature of worship.

Why do we worship? “Therefore,” said Paul, “in view of God’s mercies…” chapters 1-11 are about divine initiative and human response. Worship should be a delightful activity because we delight in the God that we worship! Consider how this God has loved us! Consider the songs we have sung today!

There can be some worship that is not holy and pleasing to God – otherwise Paul’s instruction is pointless. Cain’s offering was not acceptable. The Golden Calf was an idol of YHWH – a visual image of the real God. They did not worship God as He had revealed they should.

How do we know we are worshiping God correctly?

Do you worship God?

Let’s look at these features in Romans 12 as a test of our worship.

Ten questions to test for true NT worship of God:

1. Are you being transformed?

12:2 – Paul specifically cautions Christians from being conformed to the pattern of this world because we are no longer of this age. “Be transformed.” To reflect more and more the Lord’s glory and likeness. It happens by mind-renewal – God’s supernatural work through the Word of God as worked by the Holy Spirit. True worship is the furthest thing from being a mindless activity. Every part of us is to be affected, so that we may know how to please God. We need humility in discerning God’s will… not just what we feel is right. Preachers – teach your congregation that humility is a fundamental part of following God!

2. Are you thinking about yourself soberly?

12:3 – Paul exhorts us to not think too highly of ourselves. We have a tendency to think too highly of ourselves. Do not be greater than you are – a Christian. It recognizes what you have in common and what is the special gifting of you – God gets all the credit for both. There is nothing to boast of. “What do you have that you did not receive?”

Peg our value by God’s own standard – the gift given us in Christ. Your status in Christ is so much more important than any status in this world. The world will never tell you that!

Like the Iraqi information minister during the American invasion – we deny what is real and around us. It is not our wisdom and diligence that brought about blessing in yoru life!

3. Are you using your gifts?

12:4-8 – If you have a singing-only concept of worship, this will sound strange to you. True biblical worship is not demanding to have gifts that you do not already have. You fail to worship God biblically if you fail to use the gifts God gave you to build up His body.

:4-6 – There is an analogy of the one body with many different contributing members. Paul assumes the people he is writing to are converted. When some people’s preferences are violated, they go their own way, not God’s. Yet God, in His incredible love, He took on flesh, lived a perfect life, died the death we deserved, and God raised Him from the dead to show to all that His sacrifice was accepted. God calls on all men to call on this Jesus to be saved. People who have done this are converted. That is to whom paul writes.

For example, there is teaching, encouraging, giving, leading, showing mercy, etc.

And these things in God’s way – we are not to be mercy-martyrs… “this is costing me something!” – rather, generously! It all goes back to the gospel.

The best way to identify your gifts is to serve in your church in a way to meet needs. Gifts are so you can bless others, not so you can experience release! 1 Corinthians 13 makes clear that the gifts from the Spirit are all about love and the building up the body.

“The worship was good today” – do you mean you were tickled or do you mean you were inconvenienced by loving another.

Your gifts are not a heavenly identity card – they are to serve others.

4. Are you loving others?

12:9-10 – So many conversations about worship are so Satanically-ironic. The talk is all about me and what I want. Do not mistake that I am saying intense personal godliness is bad. I am saying that true worship necessarily includes love for others. The quality, direction and nature of love.

Quality – real and sincere. From the heart. A community of mutual love is the goal. Folks have come to CHBC and been converted by seeing love in action there. The love of the church is strange in this world and is a powerful call to God.

Direction – a love for the good, not evil. Do people around you think of you as being attached to what is good? Are you inseparable from good?

Practice – by a devotion to honour others more than yourself. 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 is not a rhetorical trick. Paul is identifying evidences of God’s grace in their church – then came a lot of chapters of blistering correction! But the love he shows there is genuine, not fake. I pray we would become better students of God’s grace in each others lives. Let it be your strategy to find good in your fellow church members.

5. Are you persevering?

12:11 – the kind of Christian life that only includes occasional prayer and assumes a pass on suffering is really no Christian life at all. It is not that you have a higher Christian life and normal Christian life. You have Christians and not-Christians. God brings us to the boiling point spiritually. It is a steady boiling enthusiasm.

We need to persevere in joy and hope (:12).

We persevere in tribulation. You cannot endure around suffering – you must endure through suffering.

We may hear stirring stories of God’s grace, but they do not eliminate the need of any one of us from having to suffer.

We persevere in faithfulness in prayer. Perseverance is the grand mark of real believing. It is not just about having our emotional senses pleased.

6. Are you sharing?

12:13 – This is not hard theology. If you want to be a Christian this basic impulse to share should be typical of you. Why would you not share when God has given you so much? Share with God’s people who are needy (1 John 3). We have a special obligation to one another in Christ. You share the burdens of others in your church.

We are also to share with strangers – to pursue loving strangers.

7. Are you blessing?

12:14 – Bless those who persecutor you. God’s charity is to be reflected in our blessing of those who are our enemies. We pray for and say good things of them. This is not a natural response. Isn’t this what Jesus said? Isn’t it the way God has treated us in Christ?

8. Are you sympathizing?

12:15 – We are to care about the success and trials of others.

9. Are you being humble?

12:16 – No pride or conceit. Be of the same mind toward one another. (Philippians 2). It is not so much me agreeing with you as us agreeing with Christ. That brings harmony. Have you ever noticed how much harmony comes from humility.

We are not to be proudfully standoffish. The Roman church had members of Caesar’s household and slaves in it. But this is profound! It means, don’t stick with those that you feel most comfortable with.

The whole concept of a Saddleback Sam goes against this. It may be okay as an in-between evangelism strategy, but that cannot be the goal of the church.

God associates with the humble – so must we.

What kind of Christianity is it that befriends people on a worldly status. Canadians have a kind of genetic humility, I know. But apply this to your own hearts. “Do not be conceited.” Twice he has said essentially this.

10. Are you overcoming evil with good?

12:17 – Taking revenge is being overcome by evil. As far as it is possible and as far as you can, make peace. We live in a moral universe and justice can be left for God. Deuteronomy 32 says God will take care of revenge. Besides this, there are benefits of not taking revenge. This quotes Proverbs 25 – treat your enemy as someone in need. Cause your enemy to blush, shame him by giving him food and drink.

The summary command: Overcome evil with good. Do not be overcome by evil.

There is worship.

It is a lot more than getting into a song or two. Living sacrifices have one problem – they often crawl off the altar. There is no passivity in the Christian life. You cannot claim inaction as the golden key to living the Christian life and pietize it by calling it “abiding in Christ.”

Isn’t this chapter a great prayer list for you yourself and for other members of your congregation? We are worshippers by nature – who are you worshipping this evening? Have you been shown that you worship your comfort, your ideas, yourself? Or are you worshiping the God of the Bible?

I pray we all worship Him in a way that truly brings Him pleasure.

Prayer.

IBC Session 3: Roger Bergs "Choosing Music for Corporate Worship"

Note: I was absent for the first half of this lecture.
----------------------------------

We can’t navigate a music and text without some form of meter. Catholics, and other ancient religions use chanting – but it flat-lines emotions and makes it nearly impossible for the congregation to join in.

Metrical Psalms

You might sacrifice the sense of the text if all you do is try to sing the English words. To put them into metrical sense like Isaac Watts. Watts was the inventor and perfector of English language Psalter. He gave a NT sense to the Psalms. But now you are in the realm of interpretation… and that means error might creep in.

Other Hymns

These are based on specific texts, without using the exact language. Colossians 1:15-20 is a prime example of this as it is then put into hymn form as “Come, Let us Worship the Christ of Creation.”

Corporate Singing: Word of the Father Everlasting

Narrative passages into versified form: While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night (Luke 2). Romans 10:14-17 is versified into How Shall They Hear the Word of God (sung to the tune Huron Carol – Canada’s great hymn contribution!).

Hymns of Human Composition

They deliver biblical truth, or response to God, or build up the faith. An example, “All My Hope on god is Founded.” All the lines justify themselves by using many different Scriptures and putting them together thematically. Systematizing Truth, you might say.

Take various threads of Scripture

It used to be that the ministers of the Word wrote the texts of hymn. They chose the hymns. Then musicians set these things to music! We need a return to this.

A Well-Written Tune

Peruse the composer index of any hymnal and see great composers, but they had their works used in part only. They did not write hymn tunes. There were men like Lowell Mason who wrote lots of tunes that we sing. Townend, Getty, and the like are men like this – writing singable tunes. Must respect the limits of congregational range.

Choosing Music

One hymnal. A hymnal and another book or two. Or limitless on powerpoint or bulletin. You must still use discernment in choosing what is sung.

Discussion of types of prayer in worship. Every prayer has a form and content that is appropriate for where it falls into the service. The same is true with songs. We need to think through these choices carefully. If you would not be speaking what the hymn says at this point in the service, then don’t sing it!

Order of Worship

Revivalism worked like this: music was the opening act for the main guy. Music is not a warm-up act to get people into the frame of mind. Choice then, is all boiled down to personal preference. If your content of singing is optional, why would anyone listen to the preaching?

Identify the principle theme of the sermon. A theological angle and an anthropocentric angle.

Limit new tunes to one per service at most. Resist the standard to equivocate to sub-standard hymns. “If I Were a Butterfly!”

People need to understand what they are singing. Introduce a song, but you have to know it and understand it first to do this correctly.

People have to sing. The musical accompaniment must not be so loud that you cannot hear voices around you.

All of this takes time and a degree of talent.

We finished with “Crown Him with Many Crowns!”

IBC Session 2: David Barker "Worship in the Psalms"

Bono said, “To kiss the heavens, you have to learn to kneel…”

This presentation is a summary of a couple of decades of thought. Petersons says, “Worship must come under the criticism and control of the revelation on which the Church is founded.

For several decades worship has been the divisive mantra of the church. People have been trying to find “meaningful worship.” The theologian of the community must guide public worship. Pastor dons the mantle of priest, prophet and sage in the New Covenant context. Too often we have passed off this responsibility to musicians who may or may not be theologically informed.

Col 3:15

The reference to “Songs” at least included the OT Psalter. New Covenant church worship needs the Psalms for it brings order to the chaos and trouble in our churches.

Who is God?

Who are the worshipers?

A Whisper of caution in our worship.

Some preliminary suggestions.

1. Who is God in the Psalms?

God is King – this is the clearest picture of God in the Psalms. Other metaphors include, shepherd, judge, warrior, lord – all the royal functions of ancient Near Eastern kings. YHWH’s kingship pervades the Psalter. At the literary centre of the book, 7 Psalms (enthronement Psalms) all point to YHWH as King. This is a providential and deliberate design on the book (93-99). Further, 7 are there – a number of totality and completion. This is followed by the doxology of Psalm 100 – enter His royal gates and courts with thanksgiving and praise.

Worship, therefore, is entering the throne room of God. We approach the “throne of grace…” When we engage in worship, we learn who we are, where we are and who God is as we open the Psalms.

2. How do we respond?

The Psalms are a unique Biblical genre. The Psalms speak for us, whereas most of the Scriptures speak to us. This does not lessen the authority or the inspiration of the Psalms. The Psalms are answering God (Peterson). They give us our words when entering the throne room. It gives the church a common form of prayer.

3. What are the voices in the book of Psalms?

We often fail by spending too much time on our awe and wonder of God. Complaint, praise, petition all are spoken in Psalms. Brueggemann’s model is that of orientation-disorientation-re-orientation sequence.

a) The voice of Orientation

Hymns of praise form the core of this grouping. Doxology, praise – these are the response of a well-ordered world. (33:1; 113). There is no tension to resolve according to Brueggemann! But praise to God places us totally outside of ourselves. We dismiss other gods as nothing. We evangelize when we doxologize. The praise of God brings order out of chaos in creation. Praise must correspond to praxis, so there is an ethical dimension to this.

Praise is an act of audacity and implicit trust; we address the Creator and we abandon ourselves to His way.

It is doubtful when we gather to worship that we are orientated correctly.

b) The voice of disorientation

The lament songs, form the largest category of the Psalms! In my own life, the lament songs became real to me while my life lay in a coma and near death. Most heard voice of the Psalmist is not the voice of praise, but the voice of lament. These voices are real. “How long…?” The words of lament would certainly catch people’s attention.

In our worship, we need to be truthful about our lives and sufferings. We need to bring the voice of lament into public worship. These lament Psalms were not meant for some kind of private piety. Why don’t we sing them now?

These Psalams are religious: not in the polite sense, but in the real sense. They lament, but they are not Psalms of resignation! They end with a vow to praise, a confidence in worship of God. These are authentic voices – they make us uncomfortable. As Baptists who have abandoned liturgy, what do we do with Psalm 88:18? But the reality is we gather as disoriented people, who need to express this to God. These are living realities.

c) The voice of re-orientation.

Christians have hope! Primarily these are thanksgiving songs. (105, 106) Songs of trust, the celebration of YHWH as king, royal Psalms, wisdom Psalms, etc. These Psalms are less declarative of God and more descriptive.

These Psalms take us into disorientation, then bring us out. They articulate the most critical voice of worship for the church.

Our worship leaders assume we are ready to worship – while we are not! All of life needs to be brought into the throne room in all of its facets.

4. Entering the throne room with courage and care.

Do we come with impunity or petulance? We need to recall Psalms 1 and 2 – they are the gateposts to get into the Psalter. All of the Psalms except these two have an introduction. “Blessed” starts Psalm 1 and ends Psalm 2.

Psalm 1 brings us to attention, and Psalm 2 calls us to adoration of the “anointed one.” This is not to dull the impact of passion and pathos in worship (see Psalms 3-7 which are all lament Psalms). We come boldly to God by bringing all of life into the presence of God.

5. Concluding with a new tehilllim (ending).

The Psalter has 5 endings or five doxologies. The final expression of Torah is always hallelujah!

6. Some suggested responses

a) Bring the Psalms back into the worship life of the community of faith. Not lines, phrases and ideas that are there, but all the words as they are. We need new music to get these ageless voices of the Psalms into the church in new and fresh ways.

b) Lets come to a new and better understanding of what it is to bring all of life into the worship of God. That ACTS prayer formula is not sufficient. Read those lament Psalms with the passion with which they were meant to be read.

c) Understand that the task of worship is to bring a new orientation – a reorientation! People are saying, “Give us some hope.” So we need to begin where they are.

Conclusion

Bonhoeffer said: “Whenever the Psalter is abandoned, an incomparable treasure vanishes from the Christian church. With its recovery will come unsuspected power.”

Lets revel in the unsuspected power that comes when we speak to one another in PSALMS.

Questions:

1. The Scottish Psalter – do we need it? How do you pray or sing imprecatory songs?

The Psalter is a stylistic thing – use it if you your people are good with it. “New song” means that it reaches the community. Maybe drums or Bono are needed?

Imprecatory Psalms: the most difficult part of the discussion. Calling for curse is rooted deeply in the Abrahamic covenant. This is the foundation of the discussion. While it was the voice of the people to sing these songs, but it was often the anointed king or priest of God that sang the imprecatory Psalms. As far as we embrace the Abrahamic covenant we can embrace these Psalms. We can sing these against those who are arrayed against God… but understanding the move into the New Covenant.

2. The difference between expressing lament, then accusing God.

We need to be very careful of using the Psalms our final statements of theology. Psalms are full of metaphor, hyperbole, etc. Words like “abandon, forsake” etc – this is the stock and trade of lyric. These words are not intended to be calculated systematic declarations.

3. There is a distinction between Israel and the church. Israel was a mixed multitude, but the church is made up of Christians alone.