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Deep Worship for Deep Church
There is a health update at the end of this message. CHIP STAM STEM CELL DRIVE: BE THE MATCH www.sbts.edu/carl-stam www.sbts.edu/files/2010/02/btm-stam-flyer-web.pdf ===================================== HAITI RELIEF: Please send a generous contribution for Haiti's earthquake relief. If your trusted friends, church, or denomination can't help you, I would be happy to make a suggestion. There are lots of good options. carlstam@aol.com ===================================== INSTITUTE FOR CHRISTIAN WORSHIP LECTURES Deanna Witkowski, Jazz Pianist, Composer, Vocalist, February 18-20, 2010 Andrew Peterson, Author, Songwriter, Performer, February 25-26, 2010 Bob Kauflin, Author, Songwriter, Sovereign Grace Ministries, March 18, 2010 http://tinyurl.com/sbts-ICW-SP2010 ===================================== What is the relationship between tradition and modern culture in your church's worship gatherings? What is your posture towards old and new elements of Christian liturgy and music? Today’s WORSHIP QUOTE is from a brand new book by Jim Belcher, DEEP CHURCH: A THIRD WAY BEYOND EMERGING AND TRADITIONAL. I think these thoughts are helpful. DEEP WORSHIP FOR DEEP CHURCH What does worship look like for the deep church? And what guides us as we plan our worship events? It all starts with how we frame it. . . . We attempt to hold the Bible, the tradition and our cultural context in tension, allowing them to inform every part of our worship. Since the Bible does not give us enough information to construct a worship service, we must fill in the blanks. We are told in the Bible to sing songs, but we are not given the tunes, or told what kind of lyrics the songs should have or how emotionally intense the experience should be. When we are commanded to pray we are not told whether to use written prayers or extemporaneous prayers. In order to be faithful we must draw on not only Scripture but tradition as well. But we also draw on our cultural sensitivities and our desire to "worship before the nations," making sure that our worship is accessible to an outsider. Keeping all three—Bible, tradition and culture—in mind, we are able to craft a worship gathering that is neither irrelevant nor syncretistic. If any one of the triad is missing, we risk falling into one of these two extremes. Keeping them in tension we are able to maintain a powerful worship service that is simultaneously countercultural and culturally relevant. As Tim Keller [Redeemer Presbyterian Church, NYC] says so well, "I believe the solution to the problem of the 'worship wars' is neither to reject nor to enshrine historic tradition by to forge new forms of corporate worship that take seriously both our histories and contemporary realities, all within a framework of biblical theology." [The author goes on to describe how deep worship incorporates seven priorities.] 1. Ancient and new 2. Biblical drama 3. Joy and reverence 4. Priesthood of all believers 5. Profound but accessible sermons 6. Weekly Communion 7. Guest-friendly—doxological evangelism — Jim Belcher, DEEP CHURCH: A THIRD WAY BEYOND EMERGING AND TRADITIONAL. Downers Grove: IVP Books, 2009, pp. 137-38. ISBN 978-0-8308-3716-8. ==================== THE PLACE OF THE CHOIR IN WORSHIP: PART 1 (Ed Willmington): http://www.wqotw.org/quote.php?date=2010-01-05 THE PLACE OF THE CHOIR IN WORSHIP: PART 2 (Carl Stam): http://www.wqotw.org/quote.php?date=2010-01-12 THE PLACE OF THE CHOIR IN WORSHIP: PART 3 (Donald Hustad): http://www.wqotw.org/quote.php?date=2010-01-19 THE PLACE OF THE CHOIR IN WORSHIP: PART 4 (Ron Man): http://www.wqotw.org/quote.php?date=2010-01-26 ==================== Blessings to all! Chip Stam Director, Institute for Christian Worship School of Church Ministries The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Louisville, Kentucky www.wqotw.org www.sbts.edu/icw ===================================== HEALTH UPDATE & PRAYER REQUEST FOR CHIP STAM, CANCER PATIENT ===================================== Dear Praying Friends, Thanks again for praying for my cancer treatment. Detailed journal entries and new photos about my cancer treatment are available at www.caringbridge.org/visit/carlstam (click on "journal" or "photos"). Last week there were three days of treatment in the cancer clinic; this week, nothing. Thankfully, these chemotherapy drugs that I am taking right now are not having a lot of negative side effects, and I feel pretty normal. I am teaching an isolated class here and there. We realize that at any time the doctors might find the right stem cell match and toss me into the hospital, but it looks like that will not happen until this current month of chemo is complete—the last week of February at the soonest. BE THE MATCH—CHIP STAM STEM CELL DRIVE As far as the stem cell match is concerned, detailed analysis of donors 4-6 is still being done. We pray that this will be successful. But for right now, in conjunction with the national BE THE MATCH FOUNDATION, and with the help of some wonderful friends, we have launched the CHIP STAM STEM CELL DRIVE. Please take a look at the site: (www.sbts.edu/carl-stam). Distribute that link widely to anyone who might join us for the on-site drives or the virtual drive in order to SAVE LIVES. The site includes a three-minute video in which I explain what is involved with the process. Cell donors must be 18 to 60 years of age and in relatively good health. The web site will help you get all the information you need. Keep praying; and don't forget to care for the cancer patients in your families, churches, neighborhoods, and places of employment. In Christ's perfect love, Chip Stam =========================== WORSHIP QUOTE OF THE WEEK: To subscribe, unsubscribe, or view a complete index of worship quotes, please visit http://www.wqotw.org. =========================== |