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God grows Hischurch by growingpeople.

Introduction

God grows Hischurch by growingthe people andpreacher in worship.

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Devotional

Pease and Holmes

Historical Perspective

Liturgical Mission

Adventist Worship

Overview of the Day

Worship and Sacraments

Order of Service

Managing the Service

Worship and CultureCreating the Service

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Devotional

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Pease and Holmes

Norval PeaseAnd Worship Him

Born in 1910Wrote book in 1967

Raymond HolmesSing a New Song

Converted Lutheran PastorWrote book in 1984

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“The Seventh-day Adventist church hasmanaged to avoid, to a large degree, theexperimentation with new forms ofworship which took place in the 1950s and1960s in other church bodies, bothProtestant and Catholic” (Holmes 1984:3).

(However: Maranatha Music and “SeekerServices in the 1990s).

Historical Perspective

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Liturgical mission based on Revelation 14:6Historical setting: Hour of JudgmentMission: Worship Him!

“Adventist forms of worship . . . must grow out oftheological reflection on worship as Revelation 14sees it: intimately related to the ministry of theLord in heaven” (Holmes 1984:10).

Liturgical Mission

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Common meaning of “Liturgy” Set prayers and forms of worship Catholic, Lutheran, Episcopal “High Church”

Biblical meaning of “Liturgy” “A minister (Greek: leitergos) in the sanctuary”(Hebrews 8:2). Jesus is the “Liturgist” in theheavenly sanctuary. The priestly function has notbeen transferred to the earthly church but theheavenly sanctuary which we should model.

Liturgical Mission

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“Our liturgical mission is to proclaim His heavenlyministry and promised return by what we say anddo when we worship” (Holmes 1984:14).

Liturgical Mission

Heavenly Ministry Promised Return

We say and do in worship

Proclaims

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The Sabbath

Adventist Worshipin Theological Context

“As one of the three major biblical doctrines whichidentify Adventists, the Sabbath should beliturgically dramaticized and illustrated in everyworship service” (Holmes 1984:27).

The Heavenly Sanctuary“When Adventists gather for worship they are byfaith connected, not simply with historical events,but also with the present ministry of the Lord in theheavenly sanctuary” (Holmes 1984:39).

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The Second Advent

Adventist Worshipin Theological Context

“In its worship the Seventh-day Adventist Churchnot only looks back in grateful memory, but alsolooks forward in confident hope. That hope restsfirmly on the biblical promises concerning theimminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Adventistworship takes place, therefore, on the threshold ofHis coming” (Holmes 1984:53).

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The SabbathThe Heavenly Ministry of ChristThe Second Advent of Christ

“The mission of the Seventh-day Adventist churchmust be made audible and visible in its worshipservices, thereby reflecting the distinctive doctrines wehold to be essential and vital” (Holmes 1984:15).

How could you make the following doctrines“audible and visible” during the worship service?

Adventist Worshipin Theological Context

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Traditional Meaning

Worship and theSacraments

Catholic Church mystical seven sacraments

Biblical/Historical MeaningLatin word derived from Greek “musterion/mystery”

Can mean pledge/oath, covenant“In this sense ‘sacrament’ simply expresses themutual pledge” between God and His people. “Ouralternate term ‘ordinance’” came from the Puritanswho thought sacrament was too “superstitious”(Holmes 1984:60).

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Baptism

Worship and theSacraments

“Baptism obliges the church to make clear in itspreaching and teaching the distinction betweenliving like a pagan and living like a convertedChristian” (Holmes 1984:64).

Baptism must not just be “stuck in the worshipservice as an afterthought” but the entire worshipservice must be “planned around this event”(Holmes 1984:69).

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Communion

Worship and theSacraments

“Communion provides liturgical opportunity todemonstrate this surrender, the body of Christoffering itself anew in faith and in obedient serviceand discipleship.” In the prayer over the bread, “itis the people of God who are the true sacrament:broken bread and poured-out wine for a world indesperate need of a Saviour and the righteousness ofGod.” (Holmes 1984:72).

Section on Frequency—Biblical and HistoricalChapter on Footwashing

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Worship and theOrder of Service

“Worship . . . requires careful planning as well as acareful education of the congregation as to themeaning and significance for the last-day church. . .. The worship of the last-day church should reflectan orderly progression towards a pre-determinedgoal” (Holmes 1984:90, 91).

“The planning of the order of service takes place inthe wide area that exists between what PeterBrunner calls the ‘absolutely commanded’ and the‘absolutely forbidden’” (Holmes 1984:92).

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Worship and theOrder of Service

Constants and Variants (Holmes 1984:94-95).Constants: Introit “Entrance;” The Sabbath Prayer Response: Heavenly Sanctuary Benedictory Response: The Second ComingVariants: Prelude Prayers Invocation Special Music Hymns Sermon Scripture Readings Benediction

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Principles to keep in mind for conducting the service:1. Plan ahead2. Keep it simple3. Keep it balanced4. If you add, then subtract

5. Stand up, start up, sit down6. Get the preacher up7. Begin and end on a high note

Managing the Service

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Los Angeles, California Maliksi, Philippines

Same Theology, Different SociologyDifferent Worship

Worship and Culture

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Worship and Culture

The local worship of a SDA church should beuniquely shaped by the theological influence ofthe Sabbath and Second Coming and thesociological influence of its context.

While the church is to strive to maintain its unityof faith and practice, it also needs to encouragethe emergence of new understandings of themessage and how it is presented in the manydifferent parts of the world today.

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Worship and Culture

Adapting the worship service to the local cultureneeds to move beyond the mere singing of songsand doing the service in the native language.

We need to adapt the important rituals of thecountry and transform their meaning into theChristian and Adventist context.

Example: Should a Thai Adventist Church havepews?

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Create a unique Seventh-day Adventist worship servicekeeping the following principles in mind:

1. What is the theme of the service? (2nd Coming, Peace, Faith, Love, etc.).

2. What are the unique SDA elements? (Sabbath, 2nd Coming, Heavenly Ministry)

3. How many minutes will each element take?

4. How does the service reflect the culture?

Creating the Service

Be ready to present your service on Monday.