As I have shared in a previous post, my working definition of worship is that when God reveals himself, our human response is an act of worship. In a hefty read called Israel’s Praise, Walter Brueggemann examines the role of the Psalms in the cultural context of Israel’s daily life. In his preface, Brueggemann lays out his purpose: “I have tried to take up the sociological question of the Psalms, to suggest that the Psalms can only be understood and used rightly if we attend to their social interaction and function, not only in their origin but also in their repeated use.” Brueggemann, starting with scripture, is asking how it functioned for those who initially and repeatedly read and/or sang the Psalms. Brueggemann is building upon the work of Sigmond Mowinkle, a biblical scholar, theologian and specialist in the Psalms. Mowinkle’s thesis is that worship is not merely responsive, it is constitutive. It can build something new.
This challenges my working definition. Worship is not only a response; worship can bring new reality into existence. Brueggemann argues that in public worship, Israel is engaged in constructing a new reality—one in which Israel can live obediently and joyously. For Israel, praise was designed to form and sustain a world of celebration, liberation, hope, and glad obedience. In the Psalms we see cries of hurt, rage, doubt and vengeance. These cries were not buried or stifled. The cries were an outcome of daily life (a portion of which was while still enslaved): “The doxology of Israel is rooted in pain and astonished in liberation” (153). In Psalm 51, when David cries out, “Create in me a clean heart…” the constitutive argument would say that when he gets up off of his knees, his heart is clean. David walks away, empowered and in the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Our current state in the US is one of pain for many people. The divide between the powerful and the powerless continues to create tension around racial, gender and socio-economic status. What if the church applied Brueggemann’s idea that worship can construct a new reality? Our story is not static. “I am no longer a slave to fear. I am a child of God.” The words we sing can transform our situation. If our reality continues to change…so should our story.
One of the songs that has spread like wildfire during the global Covid-19 pandemic and national tensions over race relations is called “The Blessing.” In March of 2020 Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes along with a team from Elevation crafted this song on a Thursday evening. Without typical testing in small groups, they included the song in the weekend worship set. Recognizing the way people responded to the song in services, the writers and producers pushed to have the song released publicly only a week later. Between the Holy Spirit and modern technology, this song crossed continents and cultures faster than any other song I can recall. Because of mandated quarantine, multiple variations of this song have been performed in living rooms and over Zoom sessions around the globe. The lyrics quote portions of the Aaronic blessing from Exodus, as worship leaders use this text to pray blessings over their communities. I am fascinated by the cooperation and diversity of churches who joined together to be a voice of peace and prayer for their communities. In the video for the Blessing over New York, more than one hundred churches are represented as well as eight or nine languages. In another recording, over three hundred church leaders have joined together. I have compiled a playlist on YouTube to highlight the number and diversity of the people using this song. Variations are being added every day. You can click here to see more.
One of my favorite arrangements was prepared for Mother’s Day at Passion City Church in Atlanta. The lighting, video and layout of the orchestra are beautiful. This, a symphonic version of “The Blessing,” actually released prior to the current explosions of racial tensions, shows an orchestra that models cultural and racial integration. There is a significant diversity of races, ages and genders participating in the video. At the end of the book of Revelation, we see “every tribe, and nation and tongue” worshiping around the throne. Are we seeing Brueggemann’s theory applied? Are we witnessing a new reality of racial and cultural inclusion? This video was not in reaction to our current crisis; it preceded it. The “Capital C” Church is already a model for racial reconciliation.
In the New Testament there is tension between “the already” and “the not yet.” The Kingdom of God is here; and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Yes, our cultural acceptance and integration is in process. There is still plenty of work to be done in regard to race relations, but we are not where we once were! I believe the church should be on the forefront of the movement, not because of some random social ideal, but because we are moving toward the Kingdom of God. As worship leaders, what happens when we choose songs that usher in the kingdom?! If we recognize that the words we sing are not merely a response, but an action that creates a new reality, what does that mean about our song selection?
May we choose songs that create kingdom culture, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
As an addendum: Last year, while visiting Journey Church in Bozeman, MT I was able to hear a guest speaker on this passage of scripture. If you have time, it is one of the best sermons on The Blessing that I have heard. Click here to listen.
