True Worship in the Midst of Traditions and Trends
Consider what worship services in the early church must have been like: dirt floors, stone walls, handcrafted stringed instruments, and humble hearts lifted towards God. Such services in the ancient church bore a beauty and simplicity that fostered an environment wholly fixated on Christ. Yet churches have slowly evolved, specifically in the way worship services are structured. What began in humble rooms of Hebrew homes, now inhabits massive sanctuaries with large bands and flashing lights. When comparing modern worship services to those of the early church, one can't help but wonder if certain trends in contemporary worship have turned church services into a production; a time of manufactured emotional experiences, rather than a time of turning our eyes back to Jesus and glorying in who He is. It seems C.S. Lewis had a similar concern. In his work, Letters to Malcolm, Lewis says, "It looks as if [Anglican clergymen] believe people can be lured to go to church by incessant brightenings, lightenings, lengthenings, abridgments, simplifications and complications of the service."¹ Lewis seems to condemn the distractions of these kinds of services. This provokes the question, what is God's desire for times of worship in our church services?
Though Scripture does not have a flawless "how to" guide when it comes to worship services in the context of meeting together in the local church, it does have a few things to say. We learn from Scripture that we ought to worship God; we ought to worship Him together; we ought to worship "in Spirit and truth."² But perhaps the best way to understand the ways God desires for us to praise Him is to examine the ways praise is discussed in the Psalms, as this book overflows with songs of praise and adoration. The Psalmist uses many different Hebrew words for the English "praise" or "to praise," each with a slightly different English translation. Each translation of the word exhibits different aspects of a multi-faceted concept. We will examine seven of these words used throughout the Psalms. Understanding each of their nuanced definitions will help us to see what it looks like to worship in Spirit and truth. Perhaps if we can begin to understand God's vision for what praise is, it will help us to further understand what He desires for our church services.
The first word used for praise is halal, which literally means "to praise, to boast, to shine, to celebrate, to glory," and it is the root of the word 'hallelujah.'³ The second word for praise is yadah, which demonstrates the physical response that praise entails. It is not just singing praises to God but literally throwing up your hands to worship Him. Strong's Lexicon says, "the act of yadah was not merely verbal but often involved physical expressions, such as lifting hands or bowing, symbolizing submission and reverence to God."⁴ The next word, todah, is similar to yadah, but a bit more specific. It means "an extension of the hand," especially in the context of thanksgiving.⁵ The fourth word, shabach, has to do with volume of worship. Shabach "conveys a sense of exuberant and vocal praise, often associated with public worship and declarations of God's greatness and mighty works."⁶ The fifth term, barak, also entails a physical response, but instead of having to do with lifting arms and hands, it entails a kneeling posture. Strong's Lexicon says, "the act of kneeling, associated with barak, was a physical expression of submission, humility, and reverence, often performed during prayer or worship."⁷ The 6th word, zamar, "encompasses the act of playing musical instruments and vocal singing," especially in Israelite worship services.⁸ Finally, we have the word tehillah which "primarily refers to a form of praise or a song of praise directed towards God."⁹
We learn from these words what is good and true about worship. It is good to praise the Lord (halal). It is good to have a physical response when praising him, whether by lifting hands (yadah, todah), or by kneeling in submission (barak). It is good to praise him loudly and jubilantly (shabach). It is good to praise with musical instruments and singing (zamar), and it is good to praise alongside established hymns and songs of worship (tehillah). These seven words demonstrate what is fundamentally important in a God-glorifying worship service. That is not to say that all of the other things such as the song choice, the size of the band, and the special effects are always bad, but they can easily become dangerous distractions. Lewis says, "The perfect church service would be one we were almost unaware of; our attention would have been on God. But every novelty prevents this. It fixes our attention on the service itself; and thinking about worship is a different thing from worshipping."¹⁰ Every service will have these distractions in some form or fashion. But the goal should be to structure our church services in such a way that our eyes are directed towards and transfixed on Jesus' face. Perhaps the best way to do this is to imitate what the Kingdom of Heaven will be like. At the end of Revelations, John describes the Kingdom of Heaven as a place where "no longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and the Lamb will be in it, and His servants will worship Him. They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads."¹¹ It will be bright, it will be glorious, it will be joyful. It will be us, face to face with Jesus, worshipping Him. It will not be about the kind of emotional experience we have, but about Him and our relation to Him. The local church bears a special place in this strange waiting period between Jesus' First Advent and His Second Coming. As we linger here in a time that can often feel bizarre, exhausting, and painfully mundane, churches ought to emulate the kind of undivided and glorious worship that we foresee coming to fruition upon Jesus' return.
Finally, it needs to be said that it is natural for us to have our preferences. But above all else, we ought to seek unity with one another and imitation of the Kingdom of Heaven. It is far too easy to fall into criticism of a certain type of church service. Rather than this, let us seek to worship in unity and to imitate the Kingdom of Heaven in the way we worship and the way we structure our services. With that in mind, I offer no objectively right or wrong kind of worship service, but rather, elements to look for or to avoid. Consider if the service fosters the kind of praise demonstrated by our seven Hebrew words. Consider if it imitates what Scripture says the Kingdom of Heaven will be like. Consider if it pushes your gaze away from yourself, away from this world, and towards Jesus' radiant face.
¹ C.S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer (Project Gutenberg Canada, 2004). https://www.gutenberg.ca/ebooks/lewiscs-letterstomal-colm/lewiscs-letterstomalcolm-00-h.html.
² Psalm 150, Hebrews 10:25, John 4:23, ESV.
³ James Strong, Strong's Lexicon, Bible Hub, https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1984.htm.
⁴ Strong, Strong's Lexicon, 3034, "yadah," https://biblehub.com/hebrew/3034.htm.
⁵ James Strong, Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, Biblehub, https://biblehub.com/hebrew/3034.htm.
⁶ Strong, Strong's Lexicon, https://biblehub.com/hebrew/3034.htm.
⁷ Ibid.
⁸ Ibid.
⁹ Ibid.
¹⁰ Lewis, Letters to Malcolm.
¹¹ Revelation 22:3-4, ESV.