In anticipation and preparation for my upcoming worship (WO 510) class that starts this Friday, I started thinking about different words that I associate with worship. I decided to create a wordle with my words to use as my notebook cover. The list isn't exhaustive. My list may differ from yours. Yet, as I started thinking about worship, these are some of the words that came to mind. In case the words aren't easily legible in the word cloud, here is the list:
WO510 worship prayer Scripture Eucharist communion
cup bread sermon preaching symbols sacraments traditions liturgical silence
space word visual singing creeds choir covenant drama healing liturgy music
hymnal organ psalter pulpit anoint baptism praise Catechism confirmation clergy
laity Spirit confession rituals theology Doxology peace offering lectionary
benediction drums guitar piano handbells chimes vocalists orchestra video
broadcast interactive creative blended traditional modern contemporary taizé
Advent Lent Kingdomtide Ordinary Pentecost Easter Christmas Epiphany devotion
discipline formation colors rites community
Now as I write, other words come to mind. Words such as multicultural, multilingual, intergenerational. Worship is varied, depending on the community in which it takes place. Yet, one thing remains in common for all communities that worship (in theory) and that is that each community gathers to worship the One created all things into being.
I enjoy traditional worship, contemporary/modern worship, and taizé worship. I enjoy bells and smells and what I call aerobic exercise from kneeling on the kneeling pads in the Episcopal Church in which I grew up. Hearing liturgy and responding, sharing in the creeds and other traditional forms of the faith are comforting to me. I enjoy sharing in Holy Communion/Eucharist/the Lord's Supper any way it is served and have been challenged and blessed to receive it in ways that cause me to pause and reflect on its meaning and my response. I enjoy the old hymns and choruses from the 70s up to today. I even enjoy Christian rock, some of it. Not to mention secular rock and some country too. I have found that I can worship the Creator through songs that aren't specifically "Christian" yet they still point to the Creator, if I have ears to hear.
When I show up to worship ready to participate, with my ears and eyes open (physically and spiritually), I am more likely to be part of the worship experience, to enter into it and not simply be part of the "audience".
I haven't had lots of training on worship. I did take a Lay Speaker course several years back from Dan Benedict (Rev. Daniel Benedict) through BeADisciple.com. That was a tremendous course and he a tremendous instructor and resource! Most of what I have learned has been through experience and maybe some from attending conferences and from some books I've read.
I am looking forward to some formal education through WO510 over the next three months, meeting for 3 weekends of intensive class time together.
We'll see how my worship word list changes, if it does. More importantly, we'll see how my outlook and practice of worship changes.
Blessings on your worship,
Debra
