Excerpt: “I don’t think most believers could stand the freedom of worship in heaven”
Here is Charlie’s response to an email I sent him asking about what he thought were the essential things a worship pastor must be and/or know:
Marc,
Good morning to you.
First let me refer you to the new chapter on worship that appears in the revised version of At The Crossroads (available through Amazon or our office) See the website:
http://www.charliepeacock.com/html/order.html
A few things I would add as essentials:
1. Worship as a way of confessing back to God the certainties about Him and his character and faithfulness–with or without music (here I recommend the chart I put in the middle of the book New Way To Be Human). This will make clearer what I’m talking about.
2. The presence of stories (from Genesis to present day) that inspire and lead to worship. This is the Jesus way. His storytelling and storied living led to amazement and worship. This is sorely missing from the church, especially in reformed circles. Where are the songs of localized “amazement” at the presence of God in people and the world? In every life there are many stories worth telling that could and should lead to worship. I would teach pastors to know the old stories and to cultivate the new, all to the end that God be glorified in worship. I would teach them to tell these stories in many different ways–drama, music, prose, poetry, fine arts, recitation etc.
3. With respect to music, pastors need greater training in world history, what the Bible says about music, church history and music, and they most definitely need to have a sense of being God’s person in the world (not just America). This last point is essential. The music of God is multi-cultural, and historical in that it is ancient and futuristic. Keep in mind this knowledge is not needed simply so the local church can get hip and have amazing multi-cultural, blended worship services. This needs to be so that a pastor (the teacher and shepherd) can lovingly bring people out of the shadows of their enculturation and socialization into the glorious life of the children of God. Freedom in Christ–free of the shackles of man-centered, people pleasing behavior is the first thing. Then, who knows where the music and worship might go! Right now, I don’t think most believers could stand the freedom of worship in heaven. Consider what God loves. His love is ancient and future. The music of this love–the expression of such worship is huge. I have not had my coffee yet, but hopefully this makes some sense.
Focus: A truly faithful pastor must understand that it is blasphemous to God to teach that one order of rhythmic, tonal, harmonic composition is the final expression of musical faithfulness (this is old enlightenment thinking and not Kingdom thinking). We can teach the creational order and the beauty and functionality that is found in God’s creativity though (and should). A healthy congregation would come to understand that the music of God is really so vast and faithful that it is beyond any one congregation. This will make them a humble and charitable body. They might come to understand this and then say, but even still, we really like hymns and so that’s where we land most of the time.
Well that’s it for now. I much to say on this topic and too little time. I wish you great faithfulness and wisdom in leading God’s people.
cp
