I'm reading Theses on Worship by Jim Jordan to help me learn just what would please God in our worship of Him on Sunday mornings. Are there certain things that would please Him more than others? (Obviously, yes.) Are some of the things which I prefer in worship merely my personal preference, and not necessarily "better" than what I sometimes see? (I'm not sure.) I'll let this quote from Jordan serve as an introduction to my study of his book.
"Of course, I am in these theses setting out ideals, and since modern evangelical worship events generally don't conform to the covenant-renewal patterns I believe in, there is really little point in trying to apply these principles mechanically to the current scene...
If that's so, why should I bother to write this stuff up? Well, partly because I've been asked to by a number of people, and Biblical Horizons [his ministry] exists not to stimulate the multitude, or to educate a large group of people, but...to challenge about 600 people [who subscribe to the newsletter] to think seriously about a problem that I, and others, think is very serious...
Moreover, I don't seriously expect to see very much of what I think is good, wise, and healthy implemented during my lifetime. All I can hope is that if some of us start thinking seriously about what pleases God now, our grandchildren may find themselves in a position to worship God in beauty and truth, with psalms and joy, with weekly communion, paedo-communion, great music, fine architecture, proper discipline in community, etc. I expect to sing the psalms during Lord's Day worship when I get to heaven. I'll be surprised if I get to do much of it during my lifetime here on earth."
(Note from Deb: I don't think Jordan's comments are necessarily pessimistic. It can be comforting to think that we can support change that benefits our grandchildren.)
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