FINALLY, BRETHREN . . . (aspirations for our corporate worship from 2 Corinthians 13:11)

Church, Uncategorized, Word and Worship

WORSHIP NOTESVolume 21, No. 1 (January 2026) Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace;and the God of love and peace will be with you. (2 Corinthians 13:11) Rejoice . . . . . . may your worship be full of joy and satisfaction in the greatness and goodness of God. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but […]

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WORSHIP IN CHURCH HISTORY: 3. The Middle Ages (c. AD 400–1500)

Church History, Reformation

WORSHIP NOTES Volume 20, No. 1 (January 2025) Welcome to the 20th year of Worship Notes! After jumping ahead in our survey of Worship in Church History, in order to deal with the Protestant Reformation in October, and then focusing on Christmas after that, we go back to deal with the Middle Ages. Rise of Priesthood, Saints, Mariology The Patristic-Age debates concerning the true nature of Christ and the need

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Giving Grace

Church, Uncategorized

WORSHIP NOTES Volume 19, No. 6 (June 2024) Preferring One Another in Love Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. (Romans 12:10) Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:11) So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being

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Some Descriptions of Worship: Old and New

Church, Communion, Word and Worship

WORSHIP NOTES Volume 18, Nr. 2 (February 2023) Jewish Roots While we do not have a lot of historical information about worship in the very earliest churches, we can observe that there were influences from Christianity’s Jewish roots: both from the synagogue (especially the practice of the reading and expounding of the Scriptures) and from the temple (especially the remembrance of the once-for all sacrifice of Christ in the celebration

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Principles of Worship Change

Biblical vs. Cultural, Church, Traditional/Contemporary Debate

WORSHIP NOTES Volume 17, No. 1 (January 2022) The “worship reformation” of recent years has led many churches to make changes in their worship styles and practices. That is no small matter, and the way is full of potholes and pitfalls. Therefore, how we go about it (if at all) may be more important (and say more about us) than the results. Here are some suggested principles to help guide

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The Challenges of Worship in the Church

Biblical vs. Cultural, Church, Culture, Traditional/Contemporary Debate, Worship Wars

WORSHIP NOTES Volume 15, No. 2 (February 2020) An enduring question underlying most of our debates, discussions and dissensions about worship is: How can we be biblically faithful in our worship,and yet culturally relevant in our own particular setting? Two issues in particular make this question difficult to answer: CHALLENGE ONE: The virtual silence of the New Testament The startling truth is that the pages of the New Testament contain

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The Importance of Worship in the Church

Christ and Worship, Church, Communion, Death of Christ, Edification, Glory of God, Gospel, Holy Spirit, Praise

WORSHIP NOTES Volume 15, No. 1 (January 2020) Among (undoubtedly) others, the following are some of the key purposes of corporate worship: 1. Worship in the church honors the Father. This is the ultimate purpose of corporate worship, an end in itself. It serves no higher purpose than this; it is a means to no other end. (“Worship is the only Christian activity that is an end in itself,” John

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The Pastor and Worship

Church

WORSHIP NOTES Volume 11, No. 2 (February 2016) THE PASTOR’S VITAL ROLE IN THE WORSHIP LIFE OF THE CONGREGATION Worship is central to the identity and the life of the body of Christ, including of course corporate worship, as Eduard Schweizer affirms: “Public worship is clearly and openly the place in the congregation’s life at which it manifests itself as the Body of Christ.”[1] Similarly, William Willimon states: [Corporate] worship is the

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