- Author: Brad
- Filed under: Gospel, New Testament, baptism, church, communion, hymns, liturgy, planning, preaching, sacraments, sacred space, worship
- Date: Aug 19,2009
In prepping for the class I teach each fall here at MBU called Worship History and Leadership, I’m reminded of why I love where we begin: a theology of worship. And what is at the core of that worship theology? I believe it is this:
“Worship is a dramatic enactment of the relationship that we have with God, a relationship that stems from historical events. Enactment may be done by means of recitation (creeds, hymns, and preaching) and drama (ritual) (that) have their basis in the Old Testament and New Testament, particularly in the Passover and Eucharist. In worship, we enact or act out the Gospel.”
-Robert Webber
For more on this, read Chapters 6-8 of Webber’s Worship Old and New. Also, an excellent theology of worship can be found from D.A. Carson in Chapter 1 of the book he edited, Worship By the Book, entitled “Worship Under the Word.” Portions of Carson’s chapter are available here at Google books.
I had the awesome privilege to baptize my daughter Margo this past Sunday @ Versailles Christian Church in Versailles, MO – the church my wife grew up in. Praise God!
Here are some pics from the baptism:
And as a part of this beautiful sacrament, we all prayed this together to thank God for his work in our lives…
Prayer of Thanksgiving
In the beginning, O God, your Spirit moved over the water, and you created all that is, seen and unseen.
We give you thanks for the gift of water that sustains all life.
In the time of Noah, you destroyed evil in the water of the flood; and by your saving ark, you gave a new beginning.
We give you thanks for new beginnings.
You led Israel through the sea, out of slavery into the freedom of the promised land.
We give you thanks for the gift of freedom and the gift of the land.
In the water of the Jordan our Lord was baptized by John and anointed by your Spirit; by the baptism of his death and resurrection, Christ set us free from sin and death and opened the way to eternal life.
We give you thanks for our own baptism and the gift of eternal life.
The Lamb has come to lead us to springs of living water.
We give you thanks for the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
