What is worship all about? How should we think about and practice different activities in the worship assembly? Why do we sing? How should we pray? Why go to church anyway?
In this Center for Christian Studies video series, called “Intentional Worship,” I want to answer these and other basic questions that are rarely asked but whose answers are often assumed without much thought. What would most help churches to worship thoughtfully in Spirit and in Truth—and that they can learn in two or three minutes?
These short mini-episodes, which we have made available gratis on our YouTube channel, are designed to be helpful to church leaders who teach about worship, to worship leaders who plan and execute the liturgy, as well as to the entire congregation that participates in the worship assembly. Because of their brevity, they can even be shown in a worship assembly before the congregation participates in that activity, accentuating that aspect of worship.
Here are the topics of the 21 short videos:
Introduction to Intentional Worship
What God Gets out of Worship
Preparation for Worship
Greeting
Call to Worship
Open My Lips
Meeting with God
Responses to God’s Presence
The Gift of Singing
Unity in Song
The Content of Prayer
Intercessory Prayer
The Word of the Lord
Silence
Renewing of the Mind
Unity in God’s Family
Sharing Together in the Communion
The Transforming Power of Baptism
What It Means to “Put on” Christ
Amen
Importance of the Lord’s Day Assembly
The series works broadly through different aspects and “acts” of worship, implicitly suggesting a logical order in the worship assembly. It discusses some aspects that may be unfamiliar but worth considering or introducing in worship, and it deals with some other familiar aspects of worship in new and fresh ways.
Finally, for those who enjoy these videos and want more depth, this series will point people to the more full-length series, “Theology of Worship,” available through the CCS site.
We hope you enjoy these “shorts,” find them instructive, and are able to use them yourself and in your churches. Are there other worship topics you would like me to address in a two- to three-minute video? Contact us and let me know.
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