LIVES THAT SING; THE SONG OF TRADITION
Part 3 in series, “LifeSongs*: Lives of Worship”
Rev. Todd G. Leupold Perth Bible Church Sunday January 27, 2008 AM
* Title inspired by the name of the song and album by “Casting Crowns.” Overall series inspired and, to some degree adapted, from the writings of Gary Thomas and Myra Perrine.
INTRODUCTION:
Illustration: An international opera company was touring Mexico when it was set upon by bandits and brought before the notorious Pancho Villa. The soprano demanded that she be released as a world treasure. “I am a prima donna,” she sniffed.
“Prima donna?” the infamous bandit sneered. “Prove it! Sing for me!”
“Sing? Now?” she said, looking at him with disdain. “Without accompaniment or payment? In this filthy camp? To a vulgar man like you? I’d rather die!”
“Release her!” Villa told his men. “She is a prima donna.” (A Treasury of Humor, pg. 280)
When others look at our lives compared to what we profess as Christians, might they see any of us as “spiritual prima donna”s? How willing are we to let every aspect and every moment of our lives bring glory to God Almighty? To what extent? In what circumstances? Do we make exceptions for ourselves?
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 96; Romans 12:1
PRAYER
I. LIVES THAT SING
Our lives are to be songs of praise to the Lord. But, what does that really mean? How do we develop such a life? What is it to ’sound’ like? How do we know our song will be pleasing to the Lord and others? The wonderful news is that any and all of us, through faith in Jesus, can produce virtuoso LifeSongs! However, like any song truly worth experiencing, there are a number of elements that must be brought together with a singular purpose and melody.
A.) Nurture Present Intimacy
Ever notice that all of the best, most memorable and impactful songs are those that are driven by passion? Passion, in turn, is an outgrowth of intimacy.
Therefore, the foundation to composing a life that sings a great song for the Lord is our intimacy with Him!
And, as is true of our human relationships, intimacy with Jesus is not something that happens or grows by itself. Nor is it something that is acquired in a moment and then remains unchanged. Rather, it is a constant, active relationship.
Christian professor and writer, Dr. Myra Perrine, explains:
“The requirement for developing intimacy with God is . . .: being honest, vulnerable, and
saying the hard thing to Jesus – exposing my true self to the One whose character and
goodness I’m coming to know and trust more fully day by day – as He also speaks the
truth to me, making Himself vulnerable, saying the hard thing to me. . . Every decision,
situation, or hardship becomes an opportunity to grow in knowing and trusting the Lord,
because the Almighty God Himself offers intimacy – sanctuary – in His love, as we
in-to-Him-see. . . Intimacy can only be experienced in the present moment . . The infinite
life is, therefore, one of ongoing response to God’s heart of passion for us – a response
to His invitation to commune and partner with Him . . . now (What’s Your God Language?, pp. xviii.-xix)
B.) Express Range
I’m certainly not an expert in music, but even I can recognize that there is nothing attractive about a ’one-note’ tune. The ones that are lasting, that become classics and touch our souls no matter how many times we hear them, are the compositions that express a great and varied range.
In the same way, our LifeSongs for Jesus need to resonate with much more than just one note and to shift and transcend through different levels.
As God’s love for us is not limited by height, breadth or depth, so the resonance of our lives for Jesus should be one that reaches out on multiple dimensions.
C.) Well-Tuned
Like any instrument, regular use, irregular use, neglect, shifting environmental conditions, abuse and fatigue can warp and distort a life that was in tune with Jesus to one that no longer is to one degree or another.
All of us, if our lives are to sing for the Lord, need to take ALL necessary steps to regularly check, measure and re-calibrate our lives to be sure they continue to resonate in tune with God’s glory!
How?
Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may know what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.”
2 Peter 3:18 “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.”
1 John 3:16-24
Often times, our Lord desires us to play our instruments together as a great symphony, with His as our conductor. To do this, we must be in tune both with Him and with each other!
John 17:20-22
D.) Achieve Harmony
The music God most desires from our lives is that of a grand symphony, not a collection of solos.
1 Corinthians 12:12-20
One aspect of this is our worship – that is, how our lives give testimony and glory to God! It is this end that we hold in common and that unites us, but the forms in which this may be accomplished are varied.
As we will examine closer over the next several weeks, there are many different ways and styles in which our lives may be a sacrifice of worship to Jesus. Each of us represent but one piece in God’s mighty symphony. Some of us are designed to focus primarily on one of these instruments. Some may find themselves at home with any of multiple instruments. The key is to remember that we are ALL equally needed and valuable in God’s symphony. We ALL need our lives to ’sing’ for Him, in harmony with one another.
That we have different preferences or temperaments should NOT be a cause for division, jealousy, or even competition. Rather, our responsibility before God is to unite these in a way that complements each other and brings harmony to the whole!
Using categories first developed by Gary Thomas, we will look more closely at nine forms or styles of worship. Each important. Each valuable. Each Biblical. We will begin with:
II. SONGS OF TRADITION
According to The Merriam-Webster Dictionary (1974), tradition is: “1. the handing down of beliefs and customs by word of mouth or by example without written instruction; a belief or custom thus handed down; 2. an inherited pattern of thought or action.”
Applied to our lives in Christ, then, worshiping Him through Tradition refers to the ways in which we use common, previously established, well-known and ’well-worn’ rituals and symbols to express God’s glory and our participation in it.
After all, the word “remember” is used 170 times in the Bible.
Psalm 143:5 “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all You have done; I reflect on the work of Your hands.”
A.) Inventory
How would you answer the following statements?1
4 = very true, 3 = Often true, 2 = Sometimes true, 1 = Rarely true, 0 = Never True
1.I would enjoy following a Christian calendar with my family during our prayer times, or even using the Book of Common Prayer.
2.The Christian faith – rooted in centuries of godly tradition – must continually find its expression in the corporate life, which always takes precedence over individualized worship.
3.I value greatly the idea of having a prayer ritual (or rule), especially as it connects me with other believers who are observing the same practice.
4.A seminar describing the meaning of symbols and liturgy in the church is something I would enjoy attending.
5.One of the best parts of my relationship with the Lord is worshiping Him in familiar ways, using the meaningful traditions I remember from childhood.
6.The history of faith and its age-old rituals move me greatly.
According to Dr. Myra Perrine’s estimation, if the total of your scores =
18-24, you are a passionate traditional worshiper
12-17, you are a moderate traditional worshiper
0-11, you are a low traditional worshiper
B.) Values
Traditional Worship places high spiritual value upon:
1.Remembrance
2.Continuity
3.Transcendence
4.Gatekeeping
- Traditional worshipers feel a much greater degree of spiritual connection, comfort, and elevation when they engage in spiritual practices (songs, prayer, Bible reading, Communion. etc.) that are done in familiar ways with little or no change. Through such worship, they are reminded of and celebrate our God who is “the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Great joy is also taken and strength gained through knowing that how they are worshiping at the moment is exactly the same as that of millions of others all over the world as well as ’the saints of old.’
C.) Cautions
Even while appropriately placing a high value on remembering, preserving, and honoring the expressions of faith established in the past, Traditionalists need to be careful to avoid the temptation of living in the past.
It is also important to understand that the inherent meaning of any ritual, symbol, or metaphor can be lost from one generation to another. What for some is full of meaning, for others is only empty and senseless.
Even as we honor and preserve the past into the present, we must be careful to apply it within the realities, culture and situations of the present – though certainly without compromise of Biblical principles.
D.) Examples
1.Abraham & his family: regularly built altars and memorials by which to remember God’s great glory and symbolize their worship of Him.
2.The Nation of Israel: God gave them exact instructions for constructing the Ark of the Covenant, the Tabernacle and later the Temple (Exodus 25:40). An entire book of the Bible (Leviticus) is devoted to specifying what rituals the Israelites were to do to honor and worship God and exactly how and when to do them.
3.Ezra: Ezra, led by the Holy Spirit, began a revival by leading Israel to return to the traditions of their faith (Ezra 7:16-17; 8:21)
4.Jesus: Time and again, the Scriptures tell us that Jesus read or spoke of the traditions of the faith, and was faithful in practicing them Himself during His earthly ministry.
5.NT Saints: The early church regularly met together in an organized, known manner, celebrated Jewish feasts and ritualistically observed the Lord’s Supper (Acts 2:42-47; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34).
SINGING OUT:
Lives that sing for God do so in a variety of ways that, together (and only together) express the fullness of God’s glory! As such, it is important that we all live lives that “sing” well and in harmony with one another in Christ!
One “song” of worship our lives may play is that of the Traditionalist.
Traditionalists are sometimes mocked or ignored today for being “old-fashioned,” “stuck in their ways,” “stubborn,” and even “boring.”
However, traditional worship is essential to our individual and communal worship of Jesus!
As Dr. Myra Perrine writes: “Traditionalists serve as gatekeepers, guarding the slow erosion
of the sacred that can occur through slight modifications to the truth. They call us back again
and again to the tried-and-true tenets of the faith of our forefathers and mothers. As they
remind us of the Almighty and of His awe-inspiring presence, beauty, and influence, they
will not be inclined to yield easily to new fads or spiritual whims.” (pg. 93).
