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Worship: Praise and Service, Adoration and Action
There is a treatment update at the end of this message. CHIP STAM STEM CELL DRIVE: BE THE MATCH www.carlstam.org/stemcelldrive ===================================== DORIS STAM has written a book. Please take a look. MOUNTAIN EDUCATORS: THE DOUGHERTY FAMILY AND THE FIRST FIFTY YEARS OF APPALACHIAN www.tinyurl.com/mountaineducators ===================================== What do we know about the contribution of Luther to the understanding of worship in the life of the Christian. One thing is his insistence that we should not think of our lives as divided neatly between the sacred (worship and contemplation) and the secular (work). In today's WORSHIP QUOTE, Christian theologian Miroslov Volf reinforces Luther's important argument. WORSHIP: PRAISE AND SERVICE, ADORATION AND ACTION One of the most significant accomplishments of the Protestant reformation was overcoming the monastic understanding of the relations between the life of contemplation (VITA CONTEMPLATIVA) and life of action (VITA ACTIVA). Almost five centuries later, some important segments of Protestant Christianity (especially of the evangelical brand) are still caught in the false dichotomy between the sacred and the secular and are operating with a pre-reformation understanding of the relation between (what they term) spiritual worship and secular work. In the context of the reflection on the Christian understanding of worship, it is important therefore to recall Luther's rediscovery of the Christian calling to active service of God in the world and to reflect on its biblical roots . . . Christian worship consists both in obedient service to God and in the joyful praise of God. Both of these elements are brought together in Hebrews 13:15-16, a passage that comes close to giving a definition of Christian worship: "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is please." The sacrifice of praise and the sacrifice of good works are two fundamental aspects of the Christian way of being-in-the-world. They are at the same time the two constitutive elements of Christian worship: authentic Christian worship takes place in a rhythm of adoration and action. — Miroslav Volf, in WORSHIP: ADORATION AND ACTION, edited by D. A. Carson, Chapter 13, “Reflections on a Christian Way of Being-in-the-World.” (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1993), pp. 203, 207. ISBN 0-8010-2584-2. Other authors in this volume include D. A. Carson, David Peterson, Edmund Clowney, Roger Beckwith, and Alistair Brown. Highly recommended. 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 ========================= TOPICAL INDEX FOR FORTY-THREE GETTY/TOWNEND HYMNS http://www.gettymusic.com/topicalindex.pdf ========================= ==================== 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 ==================== ===================================== HEALTH UPDATE & PRAYER REQUEST FOR CHIP STAM, CANCER PATIENT www.carlstam.org/stemcelldrive www.caringbridge.org/visit/carlstam ===================================== November 3 Treatment Update Dear friends and family, Once again, thanks for loving us and praying for us during this long (really long!) cancer journey. Longer journal entries and some new pictures are found at www.caringbridge.org/visit/carlstam. GRAFT VS. HOST DISEASE Still more of the same, actually! Praise our great and gracious God that there is still no sign of active Lymphoma in my body. The daily concern about Graft vs. Host Disease continues and intensifies. My pillbox was adjusted again this morning—fewer steroids and more of other things. This week we are thankful that the CMV virus numbers were at zero and that the BK virus (bladder infection) seems to be better; but we are now dealing with EBV (Epstein-Barr Virus) and peripheral neuropathy that is causing some concern for my feet and legs. Of course, there are new drugs to combat these aspects of the GvH disease. This week I will see a neurologist and have an MRI and MRA to check out the bothersome numbing in my legs and feet. BIG FAMILY NEWS: DORIS HAS WRITTEN A BOOK Question: What can a seminary professor do when he is in the hospital or propped up in the clinic getting infusions every single morning for two to five hours? Answer: He can do text editing for the book his wife has been writing for the last several years. Doris's book is finally in hand—it is so beautiful. Please take a look at the material on the web site: MOUNTAIN EDUCATORS: THE DOUGHERTY FAMILY AND THE FIRST FIFTY YEARS OF APPALACHIAN. Doris's relatives started Watauga Academy in 1899 (Boone, NC), a little mountain school that finally became Appalachian State University. I am so happy for her and proud of her for this huge accomplishment. (My mother will be reminding me that "pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Prov. 16:18). (www.tinyurl.com/mountaineducators) CANCER CARE Please keep praying fervently for Doris, our family, my caregivers, and me; and don't forget to pray for and care for the cancer patients in your families, churches, neighborhoods, and places of employment. Pray that our stem cell drive will provide many, many cancer patients with life-saving options for treatment. If you would like to swab your cheek and participate, it is not too late. Resting in the Bounty of the LORD, Chip Stam www.caringbridge.org/visit/carlstam www.tinyurl.com/mountaineducators |