I'll chime in! We'd love to see more visual resources, even things like backgrounds for worship slides. It is often hard to find backgrounds that work well with text on the whole slide. (e.g. If there is a fade from light to dark on the slide and you use a dark text, it shows up on the contrasting light areas, but not on the dark areas.) Muted pictures with a consistent color, textured solids, or like-colored patterns would be welcome additions to resources!
Just earlier this month my husband and I had a similar experience. I am a young (OK, OK... so I passed to big 3-0) worship planner in our congregation, and I am always mindful of the liturgy, it's flow, and what the service as a whole communicates. It's important to think not only about each element, but also about the sum of the parts. I see more and more the trend of "watering down" liturgy, leaving it without depth, richness, or meaning in worship. It is without biblical teaching, with the exception of the sermon. Personally, I find it at the least disheartening, and more often than not a nearly complete waste of time, gifts, and talents. I often wonder if God finds it the same, if not displeasing!
Being Christian Reformed means that we have so much to offer by way of history and liturgy, yet we shrink away from it. Why? Don't get me wrong - I like contemporary style music as do many my age, but that doesn't mean I want a lack of substance and purpose in my worship. Or that I don't appreciate a hearty rendition of "How Great Thou Art" (or, insert your favorite hymn title here) every now and then - or every week!
Our congregation offers what many would term a "blended" worship service - but this should not just speak to music style alone. It should also be a convergence of worship elements from various historical and cultural bases... The liturgy of the past should not disappear altogether.
I understand and appreciate certain cultural adaptations, but we ought to be much more careful that in our "blending" we don't puree the meat into milk, lest we starve.
Posted in: Need or Desire for a Repository of Worship Visuals?
I'll chime in! We'd love to see more visual resources, even things like backgrounds for worship slides. It is often hard to find backgrounds that work well with text on the whole slide. (e.g. If there is a fade from light to dark on the slide and you use a dark text, it shows up on the contrasting light areas, but not on the dark areas.) Muted pictures with a consistent color, textured solids, or like-colored patterns would be welcome additions to resources!
Posted in: “Contemporary Worship” Doesn’t Have to Be Empty of History
Just earlier this month my husband and I had a similar experience. I am a young (OK, OK... so I passed to big 3-0) worship planner in our congregation, and I am always mindful of the liturgy, it's flow, and what the service as a whole communicates. It's important to think not only about each element, but also about the sum of the parts. I see more and more the trend of "watering down" liturgy, leaving it without depth, richness, or meaning in worship. It is without biblical teaching, with the exception of the sermon. Personally, I find it at the least disheartening, and more often than not a nearly complete waste of time, gifts, and talents. I often wonder if God finds it the same, if not displeasing!
Being Christian Reformed means that we have so much to offer by way of history and liturgy, yet we shrink away from it. Why? Don't get me wrong - I like contemporary style music as do many my age, but that doesn't mean I want a lack of substance and purpose in my worship. Or that I don't appreciate a hearty rendition of "How Great Thou Art" (or, insert your favorite hymn title here) every now and then - or every week!
Our congregation offers what many would term a "blended" worship service - but this should not just speak to music style alone. It should also be a convergence of worship elements from various historical and cultural bases... The liturgy of the past should not disappear altogether.
I understand and appreciate certain cultural adaptations, but we ought to be much more careful that in our "blending" we don't puree the meat into milk, lest we starve.