"Worship With a Central Theme"
By Tom Faggart
Good worship has a central theme which begins with the Prelude and ends with the Postlude. The hymns, prayers, scripture, and sermon reflect upon this theme. When the congregation leaves the theme is imprinted on their conscious and sub-conscious minds. They may not remember everything about that particular hour, however; parts of it will surface in their thoughts, conversations and daily lives in the coming week.
Thematic worship is a centering process focused on a simple theme and following it through all the way thru the hour. Anything sung, read or spoken reflects on the theme.
This process works in both liturgical and contemporary worship liturgies.
Let me give an example: "Palm Sunday"
Begin by welcoming the people and announcing the theme: "Today we are going to celebrate Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, and come to new understandings of how this event impacts our lives". The music begins with the singing of a hymn like "The Palms". Children enter with ferns waving. The hymn is played with gusto and the singing follows suit. The children's sermon could be held immediately explaining to the children why the palms have been used. Should take only a few moments.
The prayer of the morning is centered around the risk Christ took for us, and our excitement to participate in the life he offers. We are joyful that as he came 2,000 years ago. He comes even today. He came for our salvation. He comes to minister to our needs.
The Prelude, background music, hymns of the morning, and the anthem pick up the theme. By the time the preacher gets up to preach the congregation has participated in thirty minutes of Palm Sunday. The intelligent preacher will pick up the theme in the sermon and drive it home. The text is filled with possibilities: the risk of Christ for us, Jesus' announcing his Messiah ship through the act of entering Jerusalem as a king, and even the warning ... if they didn't worship me the stones could.
At least when the participants leave they know what happened and know something about the Biblical event. Hopefully they have experienced a coming of Christ anew into their lives.
They leave for home having experienced Palm Sunday and with the thought of a triumphant Christ on their minds.
To get the full impact of this concept one has to have experienced a service that is not thematic. Let's look at some examples of disjointed worship:
The musicians do their own thing. The subjects and tunes they play are an end within themselves. Granted the presentations may be quality all the way. When they are finished the congregation is elated. All share the same feeling ..."what a great music program we have". What has it added to the movement of the spirit of worship?
Announcements are necessary. However, they contribute little to the worship of God. Yet, they are helpful to the on going program of the church. Many times different individuals are used to weight the impact of an announcement. People go away remembering the announcements.
Children's sermons are designed to show off the children, and teach the congregation a lesson by speaking to them as children. Such is entertaining but tends to take the mind away from the worship experience.
Some preachers hinder worship by gossiping continually throughout the service commenting on the week's happenings, praying prayers which seemingly have no end or purpose except to sound holy. Many sermons are ego trips by the preacher bragging on who they know, where they have been, and how smart they are.
The person in the pew wants to worship but having endured all the above ends up frustrated ... wondering what happened, and why they wasted their time. Many feel worse after the service than when they came. All the time they have a deep hunger to be in the presence of God, to lay their needs at His feet, and to leave believing He has heard them.
Mainly we come to worship to do what Paul Tillich called "practicing the spiritual presence" of God. We want it to impact our lives.