In Jon Wilson’s Why Church Matters, which explores Christian practices that make the Church what is (supposed to be), the first major practice is worship. He’s got three interesting themes to give us a nice topic for discussion:
My question: How much time has been spent in your spiritual formation instruction or in catechetical instruction or in discipleship instruction on teaching (1) what worship is and (2) how we are to worship? Here is the community-shaped spiritual discipline at its center and I wonder if we are doing the job. Any thoughts? How significant a role do the following three themes play in your perception of worship?
Second, worship is warfare. As in spiritual warfare. Jon doesn’t hold back and he’s unafraid of those who think spiritual warfare is politically incorrect. “We are engaged” in “the struggle not to allow the enemy to determine how we think about God, ourselves, or the rest of creation” (31). How often do we think of worship in this cosmic context?
Third, worship is witness. Have we gone private on worship? Or, do we take our worship into the public arena? Parks… public venues … etc. When seen, worship is witness to the majesty and redemptive work of God. He suggests creatively appropriating public spaces.