Songs We Sing (4/6/14)

The following is from Mother Kirk: Essays On Church Life (p. 134-135) written by Douglas Wilson.

The issue of worship is crucial because, for good or ill, the Church leads the way in our culture…

One of our problems is that we have confounded praise and worship. The definition of praise seems obvious, and fortunately, it is. Praise means to adore, magnify, exalt, and honor the Lord. But most of us think that worship is a synonym for praise, and it really is not.When Abraham took Isaac to the mountain in order to sacrifice him, he told the servants as he was leaving that he and Isaac were going to go to the mountain, to worship, and then they would return. He did not mean that they were going to break out their guitars and a tambourine and hold a little service. Rather, they were going there to do what God had said to do. Worship means obedient service, and when we gather formally to worship the Lord we are gathering in order to make ourselves available for that service [emphasis added]. When Isaiah saw the glory of the Lord fill the temple, his response was one of worship. “Here am I, Lord, send me.” We tend to think we are instructed only to go to church; rather, we go to church to be equipped and instructed by the Word and sacraments—instructed on what to do and how to live.

When true worship does not occur, when the worshiper does not remember the name of God, the praise naturally deteriorates and becomes wispy and thin. And this is precisely what has happened to us. We talk about our likes and dislikes with regard to “worship” songs, for example, without any regard for the character, nature, and attributes of god. Our problem is that our debates about praise have not been preceded by worship.

Formal worship is a time when we remind ourselves of our constant and standing duties in the light of who God is. On the Lord’s Day, our worship reminds us that the rest of the week belongs to Him as well.

Here are our songs for this Lord’s Day: