music & worship

In the Seventies I led the singing for a youth Bible study. A few years later, it became acceptable to play those types of songs in church services. In the Eighties I joined a church where there was a rock band instead of an organ.

Over the years we shorthanded the phrase, “A sequence of songs about our relationship with God that helps facilitate an atmosphere conducive to a collective experience something we identify as worship” into “Worship”. At first it was just a convenience of language; we knew the music was not actually worship – or at least it was not the sum total of worship.

But over the years our linguistic laziness contributed to a serious error; one that seems to be common to most of the “contemporary worship” movement. We began to equate our 20-ish minutes of singing with worship itself. That’s a lot of pressure to put on a handful of dopey little songs!

The first few sentences of the twelfth chapter of Romans contain some of the most important insights available to us on the subject of Christian worship. This passage forms a “hinge” that connects the two essential elements of Paul’s theology: 1) the Gospel achieved by God; 2) the Gospel applied by us.

“With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give Him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to Him and acceptable by Him. Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-make you so that your whole attitude of mind is changed. Thus you will prove in practice that the will of God is good, acceptable to him and perfect.”
Paul’s Letter to the Romans 12:1-2 (Phillips – Revised Edition)

One of our principle works of faith is to abide in the moment of transformation, remaining open to change and continually yielding to realignment with the Spirit of Christ. We must return again and again to God’s mercies, with our eyes wide in wonder at the endless interventions of grace into our lives.

Music is uniquely effective in both softening and empowering us to worship. Music isn’t worship, but it is a pivot-point where the whole human soul (physical, emotional, cognitive, spiritual) can turn toward God.

Copyright Scott Burnett 2006

Transformation

To deepen Spiritual Flexibility in myself, I’m committed to a lifestyle of Transformation.

Transformation presupposes Humility; it is to embrace to the truth that I’ve not yet become what I’m becoming.

Both the means and the end of my transformation is Christ. Christ, the perfect human iteration of Creator Spirit, continues to create me into a new creation – one that becomes increasingly more reflective of Christ.

To remain in the lifelong moment of transformation is, arguably, the essence of true worship.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is true worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:1-2 (Today’s New International Version)


Copyright Scott Burnett 2006

Fourfold Fitness Table

	Strength	Flexibility	Endurance	Balance
Spiritual	Integrity	Humility Transformation	Courage Loyalty Perseverance	Grounding Beauty Upright
Cognitive	Creativity	Teachable Broadminded	Curiosity Honesty Follow-Through	Wisdom Awareness
Emotional	Joy Gratitude	Generosity Kindness Adaptable	Hope Vision	Peace Humor
Physical	Muscle	Motion	Stamina	Agility Rest
(Financial)	Income	Giving / Spending	Savings	Budget

Copyright Scott Burnett 2006

TRANS|plant|action|formation

Transplant Transaction Transformation

Look at God’s declared intent in this lovely couplet: the equation contains three additions and one subtraction.

"I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh."
Ezekiel 11:19, NIV

{PLUS} Integration (undivided heart)
Meaningfully constellating our fragmented souls

{PLUS} Inspiration (new spirit)
Breathing into us a second wind

{MINUS} Petrification (heart of stone)
Stone became set in its ways a long time ago
It would rather break than bend
It’s incompatible with breath and blood

{PLUS} Corporeal Reanimation (heart of flesh)
Flesh is pliable, vulnerable
And capable of growth
It’s a suitable habitat for life

clay resoftened

Modeling clay becomes cold and hard after a few days of no touch. It has to be patiently warmed and softened in order to return to responsiveness. My hands learned the process a long time ago; the rhythm, heat, and fragrance of transformation are still present to me. Squeezing, pressing, folding... renewing the tactile bond between the clay and my skin... settling into creative interaction.

I used to waste time feeling guilty in moments of awareness that I’d again become hard clay. Now I try to respond with gratitude to that awareness as though it is the Spirit’s touch, initiating a new session of softening. It’s an invitation to change and creativity.

river (part one)

Has a more inspiring description of worship ever been conceived than Ezekiel 47:1-12?

Water flows from under the altar, out of the temple, increasing exponentially until it is a great river. It flows eastward into the Dead Sea, transforming the brine into freshwater. (Interestingly, the marshes are left salty; presumably as a source of preservative and seasoning.)

The formerly “dead” sea becomes as full of fish as the Mediterranean. The riverbanks are lined with trees bearing nutritional and medicinal fruit. The picture is of lavish abundance – of fullness and healing.

This transformative power floods from the temple - the iconic center of worship in Ezekiel’s culture. He’s portraying a world profoundly changed by, and a way of life instigated and sustained by worship.

Unplowed

“Sow for yourselves righteousness’
Reap the fruit of unfailing love,
And break up the unplowed ground;
For it is time to seek the Lord,
Until he comes and showers righteousness on you.”
Hosea 10:12 (NIV)

Unplowed ground is a picture of the lifelessness that comes from being hardened in our ways.

Humility keeps us soft enough for God’s seeds of change to take root in our lives.