Four Sessions for Reflection and Discussion

EXPLORING WORSHIP

Four sessions for reflection and discussion

Session 1: God is Worthy of Worship

Discuss

Think of a time when you felt moved in awe and wonder.Share that memory and the emotions connected with it with the group.

What does the word ‘worship’ mean to you? Brainstorm your ideas onto a piece of paper.

Here are some definitions of worship.Which do you think are most appropriate to Christian worship?

The expression of one’s devotion and allegiance pledged to a deity
Religious rituals which salute, revere or praise a deity
Human response to the holy in our midst
Something else that you came up with in question 2

The word ‘prostrate’ is sometimes used to indicate an act of worship.
A person would prostrate (or bow down)themselves in response to the presence of God or in honour (in the presence) of an official or someone given great respect. Look up the following references and discuss what it was about the situation that caused the individuals concerned to prostrate themselves :

Reason
Abraham
(Genesis 17:1-4)
Job
(Job 1:18-21)
Jairus
(Mark 5:22-23)
Mary
(John 11:32)
The Wise Men
(Matthew 2:11)

Spend a moment in silence imagining what it would feel like to come face to face with God. What would you do? Would you ask God to help you with a particular problem or dilemma? Or would you drop to the ground in fear and worship?
When, if ever, in an act of worship are you (or have you been) aware of encountering God?

Read Psalm 95:1-7a. In your opinion, why did the psalmist think that God was worthy of praise and worship?

A time of silence

Spend some time in silence individually acknowledging what God might be saying to you as a result of this session. Note down your thoughts below.

Pray together

Father, may it be our delight as well as our duty

to worship you in the fellowship of the Church.

Prepare us in mind and spirit for our worship

and tune our hearts to sing your praise.

May we receive all that you have to give us

and offer all that you require of us;

and may we carry the spirit of worship

into our daily life and work;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen.

EXPLORING WORSHIP

Four sessions for reflection and discussion

Session 2: Our Role in Worship

Discuss

Think about an act of worship that you have been part of that you found particularly memorable. What was it about it that affected you and why? Share it with the group.

In Mark 124:30 Jesus reminds his followers of God’s law in Deuteronomy 6:4-5:“you shall love the Lord your God with all you heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind and with all your strength” (NRSV). Think back to the last time you were in church: how, if at all, did the service help you to express each of these four areas? For example, heart might mean feelings, soul might be things you care about deeply, strength, things you do. Write the different elements of the service in the table below.

Heart / Soul / Mind / Strength

(A version of this exercise appears in the Step Forwarddiscipleship pack produced by the Guy Chester Centre.)

Are there ways in which we confuse ritual (or tradition) in church with worship? If so, how?

If God is with us all the time, how does/could worship make us more aware of God’s presence? What responsibility do we have to make that happen?

In an ‘act of worship’, who is the audience and who is/are the player(s)? Which role does God have, which role do we have and which role does the leader of worship have?

If God doesn’t ‘need’ our worship, why do we do offer it to God?

“There is, however, equally great incentive to worship and love God in the thought that, for some unfathomable reason, he wants me as his friend, and desires to be my friend, and has given his Son to die for me in order to realise this purpose -not merely that we know God, but that he knows us.”

(J I Packer, Knowing God (3rd edition, Hodder & Stoughton, 2005)

Permission needed

How does it make you feel to think that God wants you as a friend and gave his Son to die for you?

Do we have to be in church to worship God? Discuss the differences between worshipping God in church and elsewhere. Do you make a point of worshipping God during the week?

A time of silence

Spend some time in silence individually acknowledging what God might be saying to you as a result of this session. Note down your thoughts below.

Pray together

Father, may it be our delight as well as our duty

to worship you in the fellowship of the Church.

Prepare us in mind and spirit for our worship

and tune our hearts to sing your praise.

May we receive all that you have to give us

and offer all that you require of us;

and may we carry the spirit of worship

into our daily life and work;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

EXPLORING WORSHIP

Four sessions for reflection and discussion

Session 3: Listening to God in Worship

Discuss

Think of the last time you had a really good conversation with someone – not ‘cocktail party conversation’ but a proper one. How did it feel during and after the conversation? What made it good?

Could an act of worship be thought of as a conversation between us and God? If so, what will make it really good?

Think about the symbols and actions used in worship. What do they signify? Go through the list below and add any suggestions then discuss how they help us to worship or listen to God.

Symbol/Action / Significance/how they help us to worship
Cross
Bible
Candles
Incense
Bread/wine
Kneeling
Standing
Genuflecting
Praying
Silence
Singing

“Worship is our response to the overtures of love from the heart of the Father. Its central reality is found ‘in spirit and truth’. It is kindled within us only when the Spirit of God touches our human spirit.”

(Richard J Foster, Celebration of discipline(Hodder and Stoughton, 2008)(COPYRIGHT NEEDED)

If this is so, then what does this quote imply in terms of how personallyinvolved we need to be in worship?

What is the role of the Holy Spirit in worship? (look at Romans 8:26-27; John 4:23-24, John 14:26)

What might listening to God in worship lead to for individuals and for the church?

How do we need to prepare ourselves for worship on a Sunday or at any other time?

A time of silence

Spend some time in silence individually acknowledging what God might be saying to you as a result of this session. Note down your thoughts below.

Pray together

Father, may it be our delight as well as our duty

to worship you in the fellowship of the Church.

Prepare us in mind and spirit for our worship

and tune our hearts to sing your praise.

May we receive all that you have to give us

and offer all that you require of us;

and may we carry the spirit of worship

into our daily life and work;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen.

EXPLORING WORSHIP

Four sessions for reflection and discussion

Session 4: Thinking about the Service

Discuss

Do you have a ‘favourite’ part of the service that you attend?

Most acts of worship are divided into four sections:

a. Preparation
b. Ministry of the Word
c. Response
d. Dismissal.

Think through an order of service – what is usually involved in each section? Have we missed anything?
If so, what?

Read the following passages which are some New Testament references to worship in early Christian church meetings. What elements of worship (eg praise) do we discover here? List them together.

Elements of worship
Acts 2: 42
1 Corinthians 14:26
Ephesians 5:19–20
Colossians 3:16
I Thessalonians 5:16–18
Acts 4: 32 - 35

Does this image of the worship of the Early Church match the style of worship that you have experienced? What are the differences, if any? What, if anything, is missing?

“Above all sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing him more than yourself, or any other creature. In order to do this attend strictly to the sense of what you sing, and see that your heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually.”

(John Wesley’s rules for singing from Selected Hymns (1761))

What do you think? Do you “attend strictly to the sense of what you sing’?Do you think it is appropriate to share your emotions and feelings during worship? How would you feel comfortable doing that?

A time of silence

Spend some time in silence individually acknowledging what God might be saying to you as a result of this session. Note down your thoughts below.

Pray together

Father, may it be our delight as well as our duty

to worship you in the fellowship of the Church.

Prepare us in mind and spirit for our worship

and tune our hearts to sing your praise.

May we receive all that you have to give us

and offer all that you require of us;

and may we carry the spirit of worship

into our daily life and work;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Some books for further reading:

Malcolm Goldsmith and Martin WhartonKnowing me, knowing you

Gerard HughesGod of surprises

Anne LongListening

Michael MayneThis sunrise of wonder

Anthony de MelloSadhana, a way to God.

Anthony de MelloWalking on water
–reaching God in our time

Marilynne RobinsonGilead(a novel)

Marilynne RobinsonHome (a novel)

Dave TomlinsonReEnchanting Christianity

Leader’s notes

The usual rules for groups apply, but just one or two suggestions:

Allow some thinking time before trying to draw out answers to question 1. But don't spend too much time on that question, it’s merely intended to get the juices running.

Print out each session out on separate sheets for each member so that they can make notes on the back. Make sure members bring bibles and pens.

Please make sure you leave enough time for the ‘Time of Silence’ at the end and invite members to write down any thoughts that they might have had in the space provided.

Exploring Worship was compiled and written

by Julia Wills, Southampton District Training Officer (2011)