“Worship the Lord. . .”
It’s a phrase we hear and say often, but do we really know what we are meaning when we say it? We refer to a “worship service” or we talk about “praise and worship” or declare, “Let’s worship!” But do we truly know what are we talking about? Is it simply the 20 to 30-minute portion of singing in a church service, or is there more to understand?
Merriam-webster defines “worship” as, “to honor or show reverence for a divine being or supernatural power.” Ask anyone to define “worship,” and you will get as many answers as there are people to ask. But what does the Bible have to say? The word “worship” is found over 500 times in scripture and reveals the true meaning of worship as God intends it to be. So, maybe it’s time to ask Him.
In the “Worship and the Arts” course, students explore the biblical meaning of worship and come away with a greater passion for it in their own personal worship experience as well as in the church at large. They will explore the mystery of what it means to be, “made in the image of God,” to worship “in spirit and in truth,” and why the word encourages us to, “not forsake gathering together.”
Did you know that the Greek and Hebrew words for “worship” have deeper meanings than our translated word “worship”? It’s a fascinating study that can transform the way in which we worship.
This course also explores the role of the creative arts in Christian worship—from Bible times through church history into today’s culture. Students will come away with a Biblical foundation for the use of the arts in worship (including music, drama, technology, dance, fine arts, etc.) and learn the importance of developing a theology OF the arts, while NOT deriving theology FROM the arts.
Students will explore the various church worship perspectives (traditional, contemporary etc.) and how each perspective uniquely approaches worship and incorporates the arts into their church services. As part of their studies, students visit other church services to experience something other than what they are used to in order to understand worship expression from other perspectives.
“A time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” (John 4:23)
Worshipping God is an immense topic. We will only begin to scratch the surface and never fully understand worship until we see Him face to face and fall down before Him in all His glory. But, while we wait for that day, may we be passionate students of what true worship is because those are the ones who the Father is seeking.
Written by Cindy Kenny, instructor of the “Worship and the Arts” course
