I am going to be at Mission Orthodox Presbyterian Church in St. Paul, MN next month for a workshop and concert. My conversations with the event organizers have been engaging and I am looking forward to our time together on November 5-6.
During the workshop I am going to be talking about how the Psalms can help us to worship God across the generations. The following is from the brochure for the weekend...
We live in a fragmented society. We are surrounded by more choices than we know what to do with. We are constantly bombarded with fleeting images. Technology, with the capacity to bring us together, also drives us apart, frequently across generational lines. The Church is not immune from these kinds of problems. The so-called "worship wars" brought words like contemporary and traditional into our everyday church vocabulary. The result is that many church worship services today resemble a smorgasbord of options based on personal preference. In this workshop, Brian Moss will talk about what the Psalms teach us, a diverse and multi-faceted people, about responding to God in worship together. Ultimately, the discussion will focus on how we can more effectively lead an inter-generational body in Christian worship.
As I prepare for this weekend there are a couple of questions I would like your help with:
1) What are the greatest challenges we face as we seek to worship God across the generations? For better or worse, musical styles plays into this conversation...but what else?
2) How can we better seek to include voices across the generations in order to tell the story of God's faithfulness?
Go to the Workshop Facebook Event page HERE.
"But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations." - Psalm 33:11
"For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." - Psalm 100:5
"Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD" - Psalm 102:18
"One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts." - Psalm 145:4
This sounds wonderful! You'll do a great job, I'm certain. The best and most simple thing I've learned about generations in worship over the past 10+ years is the power of " inter-generational embodiment" in the worship liturgy. In other words, just hearing a grandfather's voice leading in prayer or a child's voice reading Scripture says more than anything else I've ever experienced about the beauty of inter-generational worship. Am I tracking with you here? Is this the kind of input you're looking for?
Posted by: Tamara @ this sacramental life | October 18, 2011 at 01:17 PM
Tamara - yes, I am tracking with you. Thanks!!
Posted by: Brian | October 18, 2011 at 01:42 PM
Very cool, BMoss! Isn't MN close to NC? Last time I checked the map they were very close indeed. Details, details.... ;)
Posted by: Shannon | October 19, 2011 at 07:55 AM
Shannon - Think you might be a bit off there. However, I'm in NY this weekend. So, there you go then. Also not close...oh well...
Posted by: Brian | October 19, 2011 at 11:19 AM