Wow, so it’s been almost two months. Crazy how its already November. 2009 is almost over and I will soon be entering my last semester of college.

Anyway, my excuse for not having updated in nearly two months fall into the realm of club stuff and research papers. I’m finishing up my 2nd term paper of the semester tonight, but I am taking a little mental break to write freely (i.e., not having to cite any sources for what comes out of my head).

Both of my research papers have been on the topic of worship. The first was based on Jeremiah 7:1-15, better known as Jeremiah’s Temple sermon. The second, which I am still working on (oh man, I just used a preposition incorrectly. Take that!) is an attempt to establish the principles of biblical worship. I thought that they were pretty good principles for Christian worship, so I would like to share them briefly.

1) Biblical worship is concerned first and foremost with the acknowledgment and glorification of God. That part did not change from Judaism to Christianity. We still worship God as sovereign creator and sustainer of life. It is God who took initiative in reconciling us to Himself, and for that He deserves all our honor and praise.

2) Biblical worship submits to the Lordship of Christ. Jesus is the head of the church. The church is His, and He alone has authority over her. In practical terms, this means that no human should dictate what goes on in the worship assembly. Every member has a function. Each one has a song, a prayer, a testimony, a word of encouragement (see 1 Cor 14:26ff). Each member of the body is guided by the head of the body who is Christ.

3) Biblical worship does everything it can to promote unity in the body of believers. Through the gathered worship assembly, Christians engage each other in holy fellowship (or koinonia). The church should be a place of encouragement, support, righteousness, accountability, love, and justice. Worship is not about you (singular) and God, it is about you (plural) and God. This is why it shouldn’t matter if the worship is what you want or what you need or what you like. Worship involves equal submission to each other as everyone submits to God and Christ.