Tag Archives: Worship

The Business of GA

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Setting aside my worries about the “Tom-Foolery” at GA (which will be present in any representation of the Church on this side of Christ’s Return), I thought it would be helpful to give you a little taste of what business is expected at this year’s GA.  I’ve broken down the business into three categories: Overtures, Seminars, and Worship.

Overtures
There are currently 63 Overtures presented to the General Assembly, and 43 of those have to do with Racial Reconciliation and Repentance. Many of these overtures are copies of an original overture from the Missouri Presbytery, recognizing and repenting of the PCA’s complicit and historical involvement in racial discrimination, calling the Church to prayer and reconciliation. What debates and dialogue is had on this issue will not be about the nature of racism as sin nor the Church’s need for repentance, but rather what the repentance looks like and how we move forward together.

The remaining overtures include several memorials to Elders who have died, and minor corrections and additions to the Book of Church Order.  All of the amendments, and those that are presented on the floor of the Assembly, will first be considered and refined in the appropriate committees, and those which pass the committees will then be debated and voted upon by the Assembly as a whole.  A complete list of the overtures is available here.

Seminars
Not only is General Assembly a time to prayerfully deliberate on important issues, it is also a time of learning. I’m really looking forward to the Seminars that are offered this year.  One title that really caught my eye was: Making Session Meetings the Best Night of the Month, or How the Session is Supposed to Work!  Um, yes! This seminar does conflict with a GA for Rookies class, but I think I know which one I’ll be attending.

Other Seminar titles that seem interesting are: Sexual Confusion in the Church: Becoming a Welcoming Church While Remaining Biblical; Advancing the Gospel in a Changing North America; The Pulpit and Public Theology in the Public Square, Presbyterian Style; and Hymns for the Life of the Church: Facing a Task Unfinished.  I am encouraged by the fact that our denominations national gathering isn’t just business and politicking, but is a time for study, fellowship, and growth.

Worship
When the Church comes together, it’s primary duty is the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the practice of holy worship.  I am looking forward to a time of refreshment and praise as we come together to worship God as the General Assembly of the PCA.  The messages during worship will be given by Jim Wert, Tim Keller, and Thurman Williams, and the music for worship on Wednesday night will be led by Keith and Kristyn Getty.  I found out also that there is a choir rehearsal on Tuesday night before worship, so I might be able to join the choir one evening as well.

As I promised before, I will be trying to give daily updates from GA, providing I have a reliable internet access, and the time to process my thoughts and reflections.  I encourage you to be praying for the gathering of the General Assembly, and stay informed by reading the updates, or following along at www.pcanet.org, or by reading the news updates from By Faith magazine at www.byfaithonline.com.

Grace and peace!

SDG

Presence more than Program

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Still thinking about worship this week, and I came across this gem from A.W. Tozer that I thought I would pass along.

The fast-paced, highly spiced, entertaining service of today may be a beautiful example of masterful programing – but it is not a Christian service. The two are leagues apart in almost every essential. About the only thing they have in common is the presence of a number of persons in one room. There the similarity ends and the glaring dissimilarities begin.

Whether it be a communion service, morning worship, evangelistic meeting, prayer meeting, or any other kind of true Christian gathering the center of attention will always be Christ. “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mat. 18:20)… Never do the disciples use gimmicks to attract crowds. They count on the power of the Spirit to see them through all the way. They gear their activities to Christ and are content to win or lose along with Him. The notion that they should set up a “programed” affair and use Jesus as a kind of sponsor never so much as entered their heads. To them Christ was everything. To them He was the object around which all revolved; He was, as He still is, Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end… Christ was everything in the minds of those first believers and that mighty fact dictated not only their conduct but their inner attitudes as well. Their mood, their demeanor, their expectations sprang out of their childlike conviction that Jesus was in the midst of them as Lord of creation, Head of the Church and High Priest of their profession.

The point we make here is that in our times the program has been substituted for the Presence. The program rather than the Lord of glory is the center of attraction. So the most popular gospel church in any city is likely to be the one that offers the most interesting program; that is, the church that can present the most and best features for the enjoyment of the public. These features are programed so as to keep everything moving and everybody expectant.

We’ll do our churches a lot of good if we each one seek to cultivate the blessed Presence in our services. If we make Christ the supreme and constant object of devotion the program will take its place as a gentle aid to order in the public worship of God. If we fail to do this the program will finally obscure the Light entirely. And no church can afford that.

Tozer, A.W. The Root of the Righteous (Harrisburg, PA; Christian Pub, Inc., 1995) Pg. 92-96.