Worship: Looking Up to God, Pt. III

IV. Corporate Worship

We have seen that worship is an ongoing activity but that we can also have special times of private worship. These facts don’t rule out the need to gather with other believers in corporate, public worship. In this post, I want to focus on the time of worship and the components of worship.

A. Time

Immediately after receiving the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the first Christians met together daily to worship Christ together (Acts 2:46). Corporate gatherings marked the life of the church from its very beginning. Eventually, the early Christians developed the practice of meeting together on the first day of the week to celebrate Christ’s resurrection, which occurred on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7, which probably refers to Sunday night). By meeting on the first day, Christians were expressing their confidence that the risen Lord was present with them, as he had promised in Matthew 18:20.

Even in the early church, some Christians felt this was an optional or unnecessary practice, especially during times of persecution. Consequently, the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews admonished them to keep meeting together (Heb 10:24-15). Through the centuries, Christians have felt that meeting together in worship was such a high priority that they would even risk their lives to do it. From the Roman Christians who worshipped in the catacombs to the Chinese Christians of today who worship secretively in houses, Christians have always met together to celebrate God’s love, even at the risk of their lives. Richard Foster has noted that the strong emphasis on corporate worship sets Christianity apart from the religions of the East (Foster, 1988, p. 163).

Why do Christians view corporate worship as so necessary for their spiritual growth? For one thing, meeting together strengthens our faith. When we are in physical proximity to each other, we kindle each other’s faith and love for God. At times, I may come to worship with a low spirit, feeling distant from God, but my brother’s or sister’s enthusiasm may spark a flame in me. And at other times I may do the same for the other. Martin Luther said: “At home, in my own house, there is no warmth or vigor in me, but in the church when the multitude is gathered together, a fire is kindled in my heart and it breaks its way through” (Foster, 1988, p. 164). Isaac Pennington says that, when people are gathered for worship, “they are like a heap of fresh and burning coals warming one another as a great strength and freshness and vigor of life flows into all” (Foster, 1988, p. 172). Marjorie J. Thompson explains the need for corporate worship:

While a worshipful attitude should permeate one’s entire life, the role of common worship is crucial. We delude ourselves if we imagine we can live the spiritual life in total isolation from Christian community, for it is impossible to be Christian in solitary splendor. To be Christian is to be joined to the Body of Christ. The central and visible way in which the church expresses this reality is by gathering in the Spirit to receive and respond to God’s living Word (1995, p. 56).

In spite of the Bible’s command to meet together and in spite of the benefits of meeting together, a Gallup Poll in 1989 showed that 70% of church members thought they could be good members without going to church (Hinson, 1991, p. 23). The excuses people give for not worshipping on Sunday led one church to have a special “No Excuse Sunday.” Here is how they promoted it:

To make it possible for everyone to attend church next Sunday, we are going to have a special “No Excuse Sunday.” Cots will be placed in the foyer for those who say, “Sunday is my only day to sleep in.” Murine will be available for those with tired eyes… from watching television too late on Saturday night. We will have steel helmets for those who say, “The roof would cave in if I ever came to church.” Blankets will be provided for those who think the church is too cold and fans for those who think the church is too hot. We will have hearing aids for those who say, “The pastor speaks too softly,” and cotton balls for those who say he preaches too loudly. Score cards will be available for those who wish to list the hypocrites present. Some relatives will be in attendance for those who like to go visiting on Sunday. There will be 100 TV dinners for those who cannot go to church and cook dinner also. One section will be devoted to trees and grass for those who like to seek God in nature. Finally, the sanctuary will be decorated with both Christmas poinsettias and Easter lilies for those who have never seen the church without them.

B. Components

The early church met in homes (Acts 2:42, 46), and their corporate worship occurred in the context of a communal meal (Linton, 2005). Based on the evidence in the New Testament, Dennis Smith concludes that “we should imagine Christian meetings taking place at table most if not all of the time.” In fact, he argues that the entire worship service took place in the dining room (Smith, 2003, pp. 177-179, 200-202). Sharing meals together was a central activity of various social groups in the first-century world, and the Christians also found special meaning in that practice.

First, these meals recalled Jesus’ customary practice of sharing meals with his disciples and others (Mark 2:15-17; 6:35-44; 14:3-9; Luke 5:29-33; 7:36-50; 11:37-52; 14:1-14; 22:7-23; John 12:1-8). Second, they provided a foretaste of the coming kingdom, which Jesus described as a banquet (Matt 22:1-14; 25:1-13; Luke 12:35-48; 13:22-30; 14:15-24; 15:11-31; 17:7-10). Third, they reminded the disciples of Jesus’ postresurrection appearances during meals (Mark 16:4; Luke 24:13-35; 24:36-49; John 21:9-14). For these reasons, the early Christians called their meal gatherings “the Lord’s supper” (1 Cor 17-34). The Greek word for “supper”, deipnon, means “banquet” or “feast.” The Christians had a full meal when they gathered together.

The ancients thought that eating a meal together created a social bond among the diners, and the same was true of the Christians. The Lord’s Supper symbolized the fellowship and unity that existed among the believers. According to Robert Banks, the meal “deepened those relationships in the same way that participation in an ordinary meal cements and symbolizes the bond between a family or group” (1994, p. 83).

Based on the cultural practices in Jewish and Greco-Roman settings, early Christian gatherings may have followed this format:

1. Blessing and breaking of bread
2. Meal (which was a full banquet with courses)
3. Blessing and sharing of the cup
4. Singing (Eph 5:18-20)
5. Teaching, discussion, and sharing of spiritual gifts (Acts 20:7, 11; 1 Cor 14:26)
6. Prayers

Ronald Allen and Gordon Borror (1982, pp. 69-70) provide a fuller list of New Testament “givens” for the worship service, drawn from Don Hustad’s Jubilee: Scripture readings (1 Tim 4:13; Col 4:16); homily (Acts 20:7); a confession of faith (1 Tim 6:12; Acts 8:37); singing (Col 3:16); prayers (Acts 2:42); congregational Amen (1 Cor 14:16); collection (1 Cor 16:1-2); physical action (1 Tim 2:8); thanksgiving (Luke 22:19); remembrance (1 Cor 11:25); the anticipation of Christ’s return (1 Cor 11:26); intercession (John 17:1a, 9b); the kiss of peace (Rom 16:16; 1 Cor 16:20; 1 Thess 5:26; 1 Pet 5:14).

One may notice that the way most of us worship in America today is very different from the way the early church worshipped. The time is different: Sunday morning instead of Sunday night. The setting is different: buildings and rented spaces instead of homes. The format is different: a token meal in the middle or end of the service instead of a full meal at the beginning; a sermon instead of discussion; sitting in rows instead of around a dining room or table; passive observance of a performance instead of participatory contributions to the gathering. Why have things changed so much?

After several centuries, Christianity became legalized and, under the sponsorship of Constantine, Christians began building basilicas for their gatherings. The church left the home, and since their buildings did not contain kitchen and dining facilities, the Lord’s Supper was transformed into a token meal that included just the bread and cup. Sometime between AD 360 and 370, the Council of Laodicea banned Christian gatherings in private homes. And the Lord’s Supper was transformed from a joyous celebration of fellowship into a somber ritual of mourning.

The way we worship corporately today is the result of centuries of historical and cultural developments. That does not necessarily mean that the way we do worship today is wrong. Although I prefer the house church setting for worship in the context of a meal, I can also worship God in a building or rented space as I sit in a row facing the front listening to musicians perform and preachers preach. Why? Because as I wrote earlier, worship is not about me. It is about giving glory to God. Therefore, I can find meaning in worship regardless of the setting, format, structure, or custom.

V. Conclusion

Let me close these thoughts on worship with a quotation from Robert Webber (1982, pp. 11-12). He described worship as “a meeting between God and his people”:

In this meeting God becomes present to His people, who respond with praise and thanksgiving. Thus the worshiper is brought into personal contact with the one who gives meaning and purpose to life; from this encounter the worshiper receives strength and courage to live with hope in a fallen world.

Reflection Questions:

1. What blessings do you receive from corporate worship that you do not receive from private worship?

2. How does the style and structure of the worship service affect your ability to worship?

3. What draws you to gather with other believers in worship?

Sources:

Allen, R., & Borror, G. (1982). Worship: Rediscovering the missing jewel. Portland, OR: Multnomah Press.

Banks, R. (1994). Paul’s idea of community (Rev. ed.). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson.

Foster, R. J. (1988). Celebration of discipline: The path to spiritual growth (Rev. ed.). San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco.

Hinson, W. H. (1991). The power of holy habits: A discipline for faithful discipleship. Nashville: Abingdon.

Linton, G. L. (2005). House church meetings in the New Testament era. Stone-Campbell Journal, 8, 229-244.

Smith, D. E. (2003). From symposium to Eucharist: The banquet in the early Christian world. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.

Thompson, M. J. (1995). Soul feast: An invitation to the Christian spiritual life. Louisville, KY: Westminister John Knox Press.

Webber, R. (1982). Worship, old and new. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

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