Project 01 Songstory
For: The Institute of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt.
When starting this essentials*blue course, I was preoccupied with God’s righteousness. Following the course helped me to put this into words and to balance it with other aspects of His nature. Now, when finishing the course, I am at awe again of God’s beauty. I have learned that taking time to remember God — His majesty and power and grace and beauty — is not just a privilege, but a responsibility and a precaution. I am inspired to ‘reawaken hunger for beauty at every level’; I want to celebrate ‘the goodness of creation’ and ‘the healing of the world, the new creation itself’ (1)
The song that I wrote as the final project for this course, is inspired by Habakkuk 3, where Habakkuk is celebrating the beauty and mercy of God. While he waits for God to answer his questions and complaints, God shows up and reveals Himself to him. Habakkuk’s response then is to burst out into praise. In doing so, he describes Gods beauty. The idea that stands out to me in this scripture is that even though darkness had arrived in Habakkuk’s live, his land was destroyed and his farm was burned, he shouts for joy to God.
This teaches me that it does not matter what we go through or what circumstances we are in and that despites anything: God is always faithful; His beauty never change; His majesty will reign forever; His love is endless and eternal. We can enter into His presence anytime and He will minister His peace and strength to us. Praise God!
1. N.T. Wright, Simply Christian, p. 201.
Project 01 Song Ik juich voor U mijn Heer (I shout for joy to you)
For: The Institute of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt.
pdf lyrics and chords in dutch:
(right click: save as)
pdf lyrics and chords translated in english:
mp3:
Project 02 Watchtower story
For: The Institute of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt.
Although I was really joking during the conference call about making an architectural piece for the final project, the idea stood me by and I came to design a watchtower. For the making of this tower, I am inspired by the life and story of Habbakuk, that I will shortly retell below (1):
Habakkuk lived 600 years before Christ in Judea, and he was a farmer. His land was destroyed by the armies of Nebukadnezar. His farm was burned, his family broken. Habakkuk calls to God: ‘how long do I have to cry out for help before you listen?‘ (Habakkuk 1:2).
Habakkuk’s life has fallen apart and his repons was to firing all his questions straight to God. He wrote a massive complaint. Then Habakkuk waited. ‘I’ll climb to the lookout tower and scan the horizon. I’ll wait to see what God says, how he’ll answer my complaint’ (Habakkuk 2:1). In his watchtower he takes distance, he waits, staring to the world. He listens, waits on what God will say. ‘But oh! God is in his holy Temple! Quiet everyone—a holy silence. Listen!’ (Habakkuk 2: 20). And then God revealed Himself, on His time. He was there, and He spoke: ‘but the person in right standing before God through loyal and steady believing is fully alive, really alive’ (Habakkuk 2: 4).
The visualisation that I’ve made represents Habakkuk standing on a watchtower, waiting for the anointed One. The watchtower powerfully symbolizes a place where we can meet God. It is a symbol for a quiet, secluded place, that Jesus describes in Matthew 6:6 as the ‘inner room’: ‘Go into your inner room and shut the door, pray to your Father who sees you in secret’. In a watchtower you can take distance, you walk away from the earth and start knocking on heaven’s door. It’s the entering place where you can meet with God. It’s the place where heaven meets earth, and where God’s kingdom will be born. It’s crucial for our daily Christian life to go to a watchtower for silent worship and to let our vision be restored and to find rest.
From personal experience I know that waiting is hard to do. It is a place where you loose control and where your goals in life can become fuzzy. It is a place where your mind can go wandering and where your heart sighs. However, it is also the place where you build faith and trust and where you learn true intimicy with God. And it is true that God will not disappoint us in our waiting; He will always show up! The end result may not always be what we have anticipated, but it will be God given. We have the promise in Jesus and a father who sees us!
(1) The passages from Habakkuk are from: Eugene Peterson, The Message.
Project 02 Watchtower Habakuk (5)
For: The Institute of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt.
Project 02 Watchtower Habakuk (4)
For: The Institute of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt.
Project 02 Watchtower Habakuk (3)
For: The Institute of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt.
“A Brief Theology Of Worship Leadership.”
For: The Institute of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt.
What is worship?
Worship is the central act of Christian identity and is to lift one’s mind, acts and heart to God. Worship is to tune in with the angels and anything created singing:
(I devote my life to..) the One on the Throne! To the Lamb!
The blessing, the honor, the glory, the strength.
For age after age after age (1)
Worship is to trim the sails of life to God and to live for Him, to be true ‘homo adorans’ (worshipping man). Worship is timeless, never ending and dynamic. Our lives touch upon God and God bends down to touch us, over and over again. Worship is about change; we cannot stay the same when we are in His presence. He is like the sun, changing our color when we life for Him. He colors us Jesus-like; pointing to the Father, caring for the poor. Worship is therefore always ‘attached to our engagement with the tangible needs around us’ (2) and ‘in tune with His principles and justice’ (3).
What does music and creativity have to do with it?
God is the creator of heaven and earth. As imagebearers of God we were created to worship Him. As imagebearers we are, like God, creators of beauty.
Music is, like all acts of art: a ‘highway into the centre of a reality which cannot be glimpsed, let alone grasped any other way’ (4). That is, when we sing songs, we ‘do worship’, we express our relationship with God, we consume His love for us and love Him back. By aligning our songs to Him we declare Him alive and present and express our willingness to get to know Him better and further. By worshipping Him, we affirm His existence and affirm Him as our Lord and give Him dominion over our lives as the only and true God.
Time has learned that through music we have a perfect opportunity to worship together, to have community, to share our Faith.
How does worship further the Kingdom Story in the world?
Through worship we first of all make the story real and relevant; ‘ we sanctify present time by enacting the past event of Jesus in time, which transforms the present and gives shape to the future’ (5). Worship reveals the story and opens up bits and pieces of God and His kingdom. Trough worship we bring ‘ words of truth’ (6). Worship also makes us participants in the story since we activate our part of the relationship with God. Through worship we can shed light on the variety of God’s dimensions and glorify them all. We need more then a lifetime and endless songs to describe His beauty, spirituality, righteousness and relational being.
How should all of the above affect how we lead worship as worship leaders?
All of the above should make us honored to be in the position to shed light on Gods greatness and to lead people to a greater intimacy and knowledge of their God. We should be aware of the great opportunity of worshipping together in unity through music. We should try to reflect all the dimensions of Gods character, and not narrow Him down. It also should make us responsible for doing this rightly and conscientiously and to live our life’s in tune with what we are singing. It is also an invitation to put our souls and minds upon Him alone and to be led by His Holy Spirit. We ought to be humble and extremely joyful at the same time cause He is our God and He wants to be worshipped.. by us!
1. Eugene Peterson, The Message, Revelation 5: 13
2. David Ruis, Simple Devotion To Christ (IW Master All, P.24)
3. Gary Best, Singing The Song Of The Kingdom (IW Master All, p.24)
4. N.T. Wright, Simply Christian (p. 201)
5. Robert Webber, The Christian Year: A Primer (IW Master All, p.246)
6. Brian Doerksen, The View From Here (IW Master All, p. 85)
A Christian Worldview (Week 4)
For: The Institute of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt.
Origins
God said and it was. God created heaven and earth. He created people as the crown of His creation. God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God. He created man and woman to be His imagebearers on earth.
We are created to relate to God, to love Him, to worship Him, and to rule the earth. God is eternal, without limitation, complete in holiness, wisdom, goodness, justice, power and love. He is the Father, He is the Son, and He is the spirit.
What happened to us along the way, and what did God do?
Satan seduced the human, so they couldn’t live in His mercy anymore. They had to leave His garden. Sin, sickness and Gods judgement came on the earth. Creation is now facing the consequences of the sin of Adam and Eve; our sin. People are born in sin and are under the judgement of God. Death came, as a punishment for our sin, and we are caught in the darkness of Satan.
Then, God promised to David, that His heir would be the messiah, who would restore Gods eternal kingdom over His people. When the time had come, God the Father fulfilled His promise and sent His Son Jesus to the world. He conquered the darkness, released the oppressed and healed the sick. He called His people again, to be His people, as a community of followers of Christ. Jesus was and is the perfect answer to the law, and by giving His life on the cross, He took away Gods judgement over our sins, and disarmed the demonic powers. He rose from the death and now reigns from heaven again.
After Jesus resurrection and ascension, we (as single believers and as a church) weren’t left alone but received the Holy Spirit. He comforts, empowers and stirs us and brings us (over and over again) back through Jesus, to the Father.
What is the Kingdom of God, and how is it expressed in the world/in the human family/by the Church?
God’s kingdom has come through the life of Jesus Christ and is still coming through the church, as the living body of Christ, in the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. ‘The King turned everything upside down. He humbled Himself, became the lowest. In the eyes of man: He lost. He gave His blood and His spirit to us, so that we can function as transcendent places between heaven and earth. We are His kingdom on earth’(1).
The power of Gods’ kingdom is greater than the power of the kingdom of darkness. Anyone who believes in Jesus, trusts on Jesus Christ as Lord will be born again, free from the kingdom of Satan and with access to the place of Gods dominion. The church is Gods instrument to establish His kingdom. Those who believe in Jesus as saviour will together form the living body of Christ, where He is the head, and we are the other parts of the body.
Endings (where is human history going – what will be our final destiny?)
The kingdom will come in his completeness when Jesus will reappear as King on the earth. After his returning He will give Satan the final blow. The death will awake from the death, He will give the final judgement and the eternal blessing to the righteous ones. Finally, God will establish His Kingdom in all His completeness and it will fill the new born heaven and the new born earth, created again through His enormous power, where justice will live forever and where He will forever be worshipped.
God’s community in unity (week 4)
For: The Institute of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt.
We are God’s community. We are the new Israel. We, with all our differences, all our different perspectives, we are one. We are one in His spirit. We are rightly related to the body of Christ. John 17:23: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
His body is meant to walk in unity. The Body of Christ must come together as one. 1 Corinthians 1:10 “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”
It is our goal to be perfectly joined together. Jesus Christ is the cornerstone upon which every believer bases his trust in eternal things. He is the cornerstone on which all churches are build. He is the one we worship, he’s the purpose of our service, the meaning of our very existence.
Jesus must be our focal point, more than our variety of opinions and more than our celebrated traditions. We need to lift Him up above all things and speak the language that Jesus spoke, the language of divine love. Speak in love of those who attend other churches, cause they are too part of the body of Christ. Cease striving, or competing against Christians of other congregations. Love, forgive, trust and uplift one another in the enormous reservoir of Gods love. Genuine love for all people in whatever church makes us imagebearers of Christ. Jesus said that the world would identify His followers by love for each other. He indicated that the Gospel message would influence the whole world, from the evidence of our love for our brothers and sisters. Perhaps this is what the world is waiting for: to see a body of Christians who sincerely care about each other, which are not in conflict or competition with each other. Then they will believe that we really do represent Jesus, and might be inclined to trust the Gospel message we preach. Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). Both in the singular congregation and in the overall body of Christ, God’s blessing resides upon love and unity. The psalmist declared that unity is associated with His anointing, symbolic application of oil, representing His Holy Spirit. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments” (Psa.133:1-2). If we hope to embrace that anointed blessing, let each of us make our contribution to the unity of the body of Christ.
Silent worship
For: The Institute of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt.
Seeking silence in a world full of a thousand voices is not easy. In our daily life we are manipulated by all sorts of voices, who will force us to do this, to buy that and so on. Our challenge is to be quiet, to be still. “Sun, stand thou still” (Josh. 10:12), “My soul, wait thou only upon God” (Ps. 62:5) is the equivalent of saying: “My soul, be silent unto the Lord; remain still in the presence of the Lord; stop what you are doing, and seek the Lord.”
Our challenge is to mute our mouths, and to hear the voice of thunder. “Wait thou only upon God“, “Rest in the Lord” (Psalm 37:7). In the words of James G. S. S. Thomson: “Stillness of heart is an important and essential factor in our waiting before the Lord in prayer” (The Praying Christ makes). Spoken words are not enough. Silent worship constitutes genuine prayer. The Prophet Habakkuk said: “The Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him” (Hab. 2:20).
Another statement from author Thomson says that: “The loss of the secret of silence and stillness in worship and adoration impoverishes our devotional lives and renders ineffective much of our waiting on God in prayer“. Our minds are human, and they operate in human patterns. It is necessary for us to be quiet and still and to stop our minds from wandering all over the globe and all over the things we are engaged in if we are to properly prepare for prayer.
It is my challenge to mute my thoughts and longings, to quiet my heart, so that I can enter a place where I can truly have communion with God. In this stillness, I will examine my longings, my thoughts, my questions and my frustrations.
Silence refocuses us back to the truth. We can contemplate God, remember His promises, look into His face, reflect upon His splendour, His majesty. Let our souls be prepared for true communion with Him. Let God do the talking.
Fully Human
For: The Institute of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt.
What does it mean to be a creative being?
We are created to worship God. We are called to be creators of beauty. (psalm 45: My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skilful writer). We are cleansed by His blood, and therefore able to answer the calling of worshipping God and entering Gods dimension. We are called to unlock the truth about God. We are called to intertwine together with all creation worshipping God. We are called to Celebrate Gods creativity through our creation. To be a creative being means telling the truth in a thousand stories, in every creative way we can think of, showing the Kingdom Story, the Savior story, the Creation Story with every opportunity God gives is. Our challenge is that we creatively use the heritage of the church.
What does it mean to be a relational being?
We are built for community. We have to recognize our deep need for some form of relationship with other human beings. We are responsible to follow Father, Jesus and The Holy Spirit, in giving, giving again, offering our selves, surrendering ourselves.
We are called to be community builders. As a community we have to welcome new people by being a family for them.
What does it mean to be a just being?
We are sons and daughters of the King. Priest-kings to rule the earth. As priest-kings we are called to live in righteousness. Our destiny is to rule and reign with the living Christ in the kingdom that is arrived and will arrive. We are unique in order to serve each other, we actually need one another. As priest-kings we are called to lay our crowns down before the throne of God, and to worship Him alone. He wants to act through his people; the image bearers of God. We have to wake up for our assignment to be renewed characters of the new world. We can live the complete life in the light of Christ, so we are ready when Jesus will shine over us like the sun.
What does it mean to be a spiritual being?
To be a spiritual being is to have communion with God. To be connected with heaven as well as earth. Our liturgy is a window to the bible. The bible is the window to God. When we open this window, we can explore the hearts and lives of people in relationship to God. We can explore the prayers and poems of people who were inspired by our loving God. When we begin to enter into that window, we can enter deeper into our relationship with God.
Good liturgy should be a sign and means of grace, an occasion of humility and gratitude. ‘Into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God’ (Romans 5;2).
