Winter 2004
Examples That Inspire | Their Calling. Their work. Their Impact.
Opening Doors | Happening Upon the "Comanche Buffalo Prophet"
Worship: A Verb That Needs a Foundation | Role Player | Lost in Paradise | Profiles in Excellence: Corrinne Stewart, '52, Kenda Jazek, '67, Hart Morris, '69

Online Extras
What Relationships Are Built Or Destroyed In Worship? | Should Our Worship Be Relevant To Our Culture?

Part 1: How Did Early Christians Worship?

After the building of the temple of Solomon (about 900 BC), the people gathered to worship God. This "Old" or "First" Testament worship encounter begins our journey.

And all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, and Keduthun, their sons and kinsmen, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and lyres, stood east of the altar with a hundred and twenty priests who were trumpeters; and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals, and other musical instruments, in praise singing, "For he is good, his steadfast love endures forever," the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God. 2 Chronicles 5:12-14

Often, we think of the spectacle of this event, see the drama, and feel the emotion of the temple being filled with God's presence. However, we fail to look at the cause. Was it the quality of the music or Solomon's oratory that caused the great creator of the universe to fill the temple? Was it the enormous organizational skills it took to coordinate this event the element that moved the Lord? Was it the sheer sized and spectacle of the event that revealed God's presence? No. It was God's people joined in one accord to praise Him. Solomon's immediate response gives insight. He said, "The Lord has said he would dwell in thick darkness, but I have built thee an exalted house, a place for thee to dwell in forever." Put in the context of the Risen Savior and a sinful people covered by the blood of Jesus, God promised to dwell with us and our response is to exalt him with our entire being. This concept fueled the early church.

Sorting through mounds of worship seminar literature, I am stunned by the enormous resources dedicated to help people understand, define, and implement worship services. This summer alone, I was invited to 27 worship seminars. I wonder what would have happened to early church had they been media and seminar driven. We sometimes forget that first and second century Christians relied on a relationship with a living God, letters from people they did not know, ancient writings from the Jews, and friendships to sustain them and guide their worship. Realistically, the Christian movement should have ended. In a letter from Pliny the Younger to Emperor Trajan (111 AD), Pliny tells the Roman Emperor about Christians as he seeks counsel for handling this problem.

Others named by the informant admitted they were Christians and then denied it; they had been indeed, but had ceased, some more than three years ago, some even longer, and a few as many as twenty years ago. These also all venerated your image and those of the gods and cursed Christ.
But they assured me that the sum of their fault or error was that they usually met before light on an appointed day to utter in turn songs to Christ as to a god, afterward taking an oath - not for the purpose of wickedness, but in fact to abstain from theft, banditry, committing adultery, lying, and withholding a deposit when it was claimed. At the conclusion of this time they separated, reassembling to take food of an ordinary and innocent kind; but they had ceased this after my edict, issued according to your order banning secret societies.
Believing it all the more necessary to get at the truth, I interrogated two maidservants, who they call deaconesses, through torture. I discovered nothing else from this but perverse and immoderate superstition.
Therefore, I broke off the investigation to ask your advice. The matter certainly seemed to me to be worthy of this consultation, especially in view of the numbers of endangered by it. Very many of all ages, all classes, and both sexes have been accused and put in peril. The contagion is found not only in the cities, for the superstition has spread even to the villages and countryside; but it seems possible to stop and redirect it. Certainly, the temples, which had been almost desolate, now begin to be crowded, and the sacred festivals, which were neglected for a long time, have been resumed; sacrificial animals, which hitherto seldom had a buyer, are available everywhere. From this it can easily be surmised that many people might be reformed if given an opportunity to repent.

No wonder Pliny was confused. The spread of Christianity did not make any sense to this enlightened ruler. As for the early Christians, they dealt with people abandoning their beliefs, torture, ridicule, outlaw status, and competition from the culture. In the midst of this, they gathered, sang songs, committed themselves to a lifestyle which modeled Christ, and tried to follow the laws of the land. In 140 AD, Justin Martyr wrote of the importance of gathering on Sunday, and gave a description of Christian worship. In a paraphrase outline, here is what he described.

• They began with reading the memoirs of the Apostles or the writings or the prophets.
• Then, the president of the assembly spoke to the people.
• Next came an offering of prayers and the presentation of the Lord's Supper elements.
• During prayers and thanksgivings, they expressed their approval and said, "Amen."
• The Lord's Supper was celebrated and elected members left the assembly to take the elements to members who were absent, sick or in prison.
• Finally, they collected goods for the poor, orphans, widows, and those in need.

It is interesting to note the free form of worship filled with scripture readings, testimonies, prayers, and connectional acts of offering and the Lord's Supper. I wonder what would happen to our modern church if we took the time to know where our absent members were each week, and sent Lord's Supper elements to them as an act of connection. I wonder what would happen to our communities if a churches collected monies and goods for people in need living next to their church, and distributed it with joy and thanksgiving. I suspect our cities, towns, and villages would be different places if Christians stopped trying to succeed by human standards.

How did early Christians worship? They had a relationship with a living God, gathered with friends, praised God, read scripture, prayed, told stories of the faith, gave worldly goods for kingdom causes, and celebrated the unity of the Spirit through the Lord's Supper. The gatherings were relationship driven and worship was not just a part of life, it was life itself. There were no market-driven worship studies, massive worship conferences, or the latest "worship guru" book. Pliny was right. The early church should have been absorbed by the Roman polytheistic culture, and Christian worship lacked the splendor, spectacle, and logic of pagan worship. However, the early church swept through the Roman Empire. They succeeded by God's grace, not human design. Pliny did not understand that the subject of "worship" or the "Christian life" is not a style, form or method. Quite simply, it is a relationship with the living God.