Book review: Reformation Anglican Worship: Experiencing Grace, Expressing Gratitude by Michael Jensen

It has been my pleasure to read and digest two works on the Anglican faith in the recent months.  J.I. Packer's, The Heritage of Anglican Theology was a delight. So I dug in again with Michael Jensen's, Reformation Anglican Worship which is part of the series, Reformation Anglicanism Essential Library available from Crossway.

Whereas Packer's book focuses on Anglican history through the centuries, Jensen's book focuses on the development of Anglican worship. Rich in history, Jensen outlines the development of Anglican worship with a close eye on Cranmer and his work. He states in the introduction, "My objective is to uncover the roots of the Reformation theology and practice of worship." He continues, "The origins of the distinctive Anglican worship— for which it is best known— lie in a clear step away from the worship of the medieval Catholic Church and the theological convictions that it represented." "...for Cranmer as a liturgist. He was a genuinely theological liturgist, seeking to enshrine a particular gospel by means of his revision of English worship." And, "In this book, therefore, I will be less concerned to outline my preferences for a particular style of church meeting than to explore the theological convictions that made the Anglicanism of the Reformation what it was and is today— and what it could be in the future."

This book is a wealth if information, not just for the Anglican or would-be Anglican, but for all of us who seek true, Biblical worship that is edifying and pleasing to our Triune God.

 

Casting our eye over the table of contents, we see that Jensen covers a range of topics that historically and currently are of interest.

Introduction   

1   The Heart of Christian Worship   

2   Worship in the English Reformation   

3   Reading and Preaching the Scriptures   

4   The Gospel Signs: The Sacraments   

5   Prayers of Grace   

6   Music: The Word in   Song Acknowledgments Bibliography

Acknowledgments 

Bibliography

General Index 

Scripture Index

This work is well written, easy to understand, and quite an enjoyable read. Highlights for me were the last three chapters on The Sacraments, Prayers of Grace, and Music though none of the book should be discounted.

I thoroughly recommend this book for your edification and understanding of true worship.

Quotations taken from: Michael P. Jensen; Ashley Null; John W. Yates III. Reformation Anglican Worship (Kindle Locations 168-213). Crossway.

Crossway has graciously provided a copy of this book. Thoughts and opinions are my own. There are paid links on this page.

 

Spritual Disciplines Week 5

    And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read.
(Luke 4:16 ESV)

Spiritual Disciplines Week 4

We look at the discipline of worship this week.

    But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.
(John 4:23-24 ESV)

The Triumphal Entry

    Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’” And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”
    And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
    (Mark 11:1-11 ESV)

Jesus Christ is Risen - King's College Choir

Good to meditate upon as we prepare for worship tomorrow. Just beautiful...

Worship of the Reformed Church

Another great lecture from Derek Thomas...


HCRT 2010 - The Worship of the Reformed Church from SERK Heidelberg on Vimeo.

T. David Gordon Lectures at the Northern Ohio Reformed Fellowship Reformation Conference

Below are the lectures from the Northern Ohio Reformed Fellowship Reformation Conference featuring Dr. T. David Gordon.







(Ignore the sponsor pop-up adds)

David Clarkson on Worship

What you do in public worship, do it with all your might. Shake off that slothful, indifferent, lukewarm temper, which is so odious to God...Think it not enough to present your bodies before the lord...The worship of the body is but the carcass of worship; it is soul worship that is the soul of worship. Those that draw near with their lips, only shall find God far enough from them: not only lips, and mouth, and tongue, but mind, and heart, and affections; not only knee, and hand, and eye, but heart, and conscience, and memory, must be pressed to attend upon God in public worship. David says, not only "my flesh longs for Thee," but "my soul thirsts for Thee." Then will the Lord draw near, when our whole man waits on Him; then will the Lord be found, when we seek Him with our whole heart. - From the Works of David Clarkson, vol iii, pgs. 193-194.

On the Discipline of Worshiping God

The spiritual discipline of publicly and privately worshiping God is one of the means He has given us to receive the grace to grow in Christlikeness. As we grow stronger in the worship of God, we grow stronger in the likeness of Christ. Perhaps President Calvin Coolidge said much more than he realized when he asserted, "It is only when men begin to worship that they begin to grow." - from The Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney, page 91.

Two More Ways to Write Bad Worship Songs

Bob Kauflin throws in his very valuable two cents in on the Top Ten ways to Write Bad Worship Songs. Amen! I’m not a songwriter nor do I aspire to be one but permit me to add two more. When the songwriter has got it down may I suggest that he sings it for a group of men. If it nauseates them and they head for the door, scrap the song. There has already been a mass exodus of men from our churches today and we can’t interest them in coming back. This may very well be one of the reasons why, that is, lovey-dovey songs that are more suited to be love songs than worship songs. And, the second point, we must use the name of Christ (or Lord, God, or other biblical name for one of the persons of the Godhead) in the song. If a Muslim could sing the song (not that any would) then it is not suitable for worship. Robin Mark, who is on most occasions a biblically, outstanding lyricist, stumbled when he wrote There Is No Other Name. Ironically, that name is never mentioned in the lyrics. Great tune but the lyrics sadly let us down.There are numerous other worship songs that contain one or both of these faults but the most notable is Draw Me Close which is more aptly suited for a woman to sing to the man in her life. There should be no doubt in our worship who we are singing to or what we are singing about. May we always exalt the our Lord without slipping into some kind of over-emotional, feminized sea of goo.

On Worship...

Moreover, it is far more difficult to worship God in spirit than in form. To patter through a dozen Ave Marias or Paternosters is so easy, that I can nearly go to sleep over them: to repeat a form of prayer in the morning and evening is a very small matter, and one can be thinking of the shop all the while; to go to church or chapel so many times a week is a cheap duty, and withal one may still be a thief or a hypocrite; but it is hard, very hard, to bring the heart down to humble penitence, and the soul to holy meditation. The last thing most people will do is think. The noblest part of our nature is still the least exercised. Humbly to tremble before God, to confess sin before him, to believe him, to love him - this is spiritual worship! Because this is so hard men say, "No, no, let me crawl on my knees around a shrine! Let me kneel down before a pyx, let me help to make a cope, or to manufacture some pretty piece of millinery for the priest to wear.Let me go every morning to the steeple hose and come out in a half an hour, and feel I have done my religion." That is quite easy, but the hard part of religion is the part of spiritual worship. - C.H. Spurgeon

On Worship...

For we do not worship to be accepted by God, but because we have been accepted. It is not first worship then acceptance; but first acceptance and then worship. Acceptable worship is the worship of an accepted man. -H. Bonar

Your Love Is Higher

We sang this during worship yesterday. The lyrics touch the heart and are biblically sound as well.

When I’m weak and when I fail
The power of Your mighty cross prevails
When I’m tried and when I’m pressed
In the shelter of Your wings I find my rest
Oh Lord, Your love is…

Higher than the heights
Deeper than the depths
What can separate me from Your love
Your love is longer than this life
Stronger than death
Jesus, You will keep me in Your love
Jesus, You will keep me in Your love.

YOUR LOVE IS HIGHER by Mark Altrogge. Copyright 1999 Sovereign Grace Praise, a division of Sovereign Grace Music, 7505 Muncaster Mill Rd, Gaithersburg, MD 20877. All rights reserved.

More on J.I.Packer

The Chairman of Reform, Rod Thomas, has written a protest letter to the Church Times which I think captures the sentiments of many of us....The threat by the Bishop of New Westminster in Canada to suspend the Revd Dr Jim Packer from ministry because his church has sought the oversight of the Primate of the Southern Cone has rightly created a huge sense of outrage across the Communion and especially among evangelicals in the Church of England. We are all indebted to Dr Packer for his monumental contribution to our understanding of Christian doctrine. To treat such a scholarly, godly and elderly man, who has been a key evangelical leader for over half a century, in this mean-spirited and aggressive manner is deeply upsetting. Read the entire letter here.

On another note, I found the following clips of Packer commenting on work and worship worth some reflection.

So, What Do We Sing, Then?

John Frame, in his book Worship In Spirit and Truth, makes the following suggestion for worship music as it relates to the CWM movement, The younger generations should learn to sympathize with this sense of loss and to accommodate their desires to the spiritual needs of their father and mothers in Christ. But the opposite is also true: if the older do not bend somewhat, the younger will be deprived of their own language of worship - those forms of God's word intelligible to them, by which they can best grow in Christ. In this respect, both sides should defer to one another in love, in the Spirit of Christ (Matthew 20:20-26).

I once attended a church that accomplished this mix very well. Often the hymns were updated but at times they were sung as written. More than half the songs were contemporary and played with keyboards, guitars and drums (and often myself on harmonica, too).

Again Frame comments, To those who object to the use of guitars and drums in worship, I would comment that the instruments mentioned in the psalm headings look more like modern guitars and percussion than modern pianos and organs. I do not believe that we are limited to the instruments mentioned in Scripture, but in considering how to set hymns to music, the biblical instrumentation can give us some clues.

God's praise also included, as we have seen, dance and clapping. Some texts urge us to praise God with a loud noise or shout (Pss. 33:3: 98:4; 100:1), or with "resounding cymbals" (Ps. 150:5). God's approach is typically accompanied by loud noises (see Ex. 19:16; Is 6:4). From these data, and from instruments mentioned above, I would conclude that the ancient music was often strongly rhythmic and loud. ...Yet there are Psalms, and parts of Psalms, which by the nature of their words seem to demand a more quiet setting, such as Ps 23; 46:10; 131:1-3.

So, we see that music is varied and wisdom is required to determine how to use music in a worship setting.

Remembering the key text in all of this is 1 Cor 14, we should make wise choices in worship music so that no one is left out and the language of music is understandable to all who may attend.

1 Cor. 14:24-25

But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all: And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.

More Thoughts on Worship

As this is the Lord's Day my mind often wanders to the subject of what true worship is. What do we do, how should we act, how does God respond, how are we blessed? Here's a few thoughts from John Piper:

Worshiping in spirit is the opposite of worshiping in merely external ways. It is the opposite of empty formalism and traditionalism. Worshiping in truth is the opposite of worship based on an inadequate view of God. Worship must have heart and head. Worship must engage emotions and thought.

Truth without emotion produces dead orthodoxy and a church full (or half-full) of artificial admirers (like people who write generic anniversary cards for a living). On the other hand, emotion without truth produces empty frenzy and cultivates shallow people who refuse the discipline of rigorous thought. But true worship comes from people who are deeply emotional and who love sound doctrine. Strong affections for God rooted in truth are the bone and marrow of biblical worship.

If you have not been to church today may you keep these thoughts in mind as you worship. If you've already been, what was it like, emotional, formal or well balanced? Let us all pray for ourselves and our churches for balanced worship that pleases God and edifies his people.

Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist

John Frame on 1 Corinthians 14

In studying worship in the church I have found John Frame’s book Worship In Spirit & Truth most helpful, reasonable and very balanced. Many answers to the "how & why" of worship can be answered in 1 Cor. 14 &, in fact, it is the most quoted passage in the book. The book on the whole was very refreshing.

On page 8 he writes ...And we should make sure that our worship is edifying to believers (1 Cor. 14:26). First Corinthians 14 emphasizes the importance of conducting worship, not in unintelligible "tongues," but in language understandable to all. Even an unbeliever, when he enters the assembly, should be able to understand what is taking place, so that he will fall down and worship, exclaiming, "God is really among you" (vs. 25). So, worship has a horizontal dimension as well as vertical focus. It is to be God-centered, but also to be both edifying and evangelistic. Worship that is unedifying or unevangelistic may not properly claim to be God-centered.

On page 67 we read, ...Scripture also tells us, and more explicitly and emphatically, that worship should be intelligible, It should be understandable to the worshipers, and even to non-Christian visitors (1 Cor 14, especially vv. 24-25). And intelligibilty requires contemporaneity. When churches use archaic language and follow practices that are little understood today, they compromise that biblical priciple.

Referring to contemporary Christian worship music Frame asserts on page 117...To a certain extent, these developments in church music legitimately reflect the biblical and Reformation principle that worship is to be intelligible, and therefore vernacular, and in one sense "popular" (1 Cor. 14).

Again referring again to music he states ...If we are to pursue the biblical goal of intelligible worship (1 Cor. 14), we should seek musical settings that speak the musical languages of our congregation and community. To do this is not to cater to human taste, but to honor in his desire to edify people in his worship. (page 140)

May we all spend some time rethinking our traditions and preconceived notions and seek out what Scripture truly teaches concerning worship.

Worship in Spirit and Truth