On God, Humanity, and the Kingdom (ICEWS eb 2008)

For: The Institute Of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt

God is omnipotnent, omnicient, and omnipresent. He exists withing and outside our dimensions. He works with, but is not restricted to time. God is tri-une. He exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The best analogy for this that I can think of is how as humans we are Spirit (Spirit), Soul (Father) and Body (Son). Most importantly, God is love. He is a pure, selfless love. All of His actions stem from this.

As humans, we were created to be able to share in the love of God. He has so much, that He just wants to see it multiply to no end. We are created in God’s image. We are not divine, but we reflect divinity. As reflections of God, we have the capacity to act like Him, in a limited way.

We are created to love God, of our own free will. Worshipping Him, through song and life brings us purpose. When we seek Him and walk in His ways, we are living a fully human life, mirroring His fully divine life.

Along the way, we messed up and took our own path. By doing this, we stopped following God’s plan for humanity and stopped living a fully human life. Although humanity ceased to walk with God as intimately before, we still seek Him out. The four echoes of God’s voice (beauty, justice, relationship, and spirituality) were left in creation for us to seek, and find Him

Jesus coming to earth as a man and sacrificing His life for us is God’s solution for fixing the relationship we wrecked. He lived a fully human life while retaining full divinity; a perfect bearer of Imago Dei, the image of God.

Jesus preached the Kingdom of God, letting us know that it is here now. The Kingdom of God is an active domain. When we walk in God’s will, we are acting in the Kingdom. Living a Kingdom life, we will see peace, joy, love, healing, and prosperity. It is our job as citizens of the Kingdom to spread it to the world. The world needs the justice and love of the Kindgom badly, and God wants this to happen. As the body of Christ, we have to show the Kingdom with our actions, not just preach it. This mean clothing those who are naked, feeding those who are hungry, and taking in the homeless (Matthew 23).

Jesus made it clear that His kingdom has a social responsability on earth. In short, the Kingdom of God is when the Heavenly sphere interacts with the earthly.

Ultimately, Jesus will establish a physical kingdom on the new earth, with Him as King. We will live forever with Him, and continue to worship. Imagine what this will be like! We get a lot of blessing and growth out of worshipping in our flawed state; as flawless people living in the presence of God the joy worship will bring us is unfathomable. Finally, our purpose that was derailed after creation will be made complete.

On Being Fully Human (ICEWS eb 2008)

For: The Institute Of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt

Reading Dan Wilt’s essay on the nature of humanity and what being fully human is all about really got me thinking.  It is an easy concept to understand, and really explains what we as worshippers are all about.

Dan mentioned four categories of being human, which also go hand in hand with N.T. Wright’s explanation of the four echoes of God which was discussed in week one.

These categories are listed as The Human as subcreators, image-bearers, community builders, and “salvific story-tellers.”

If we look at the way Jesus lived on the earth, we see that he lived out these four categories.  As we are made in God’s image, it is only natural that in wanting to be fully human, we want to maximize our reflection of God.

My favourite of these is the human as subcreator, or those that create beauty.  We can create nothing new, as that is what divinity is, but we are blessed with the incredible talent to manipulate what is to “subcreate.”  The ultimate subcreation is the miracle of life, but I hold in high esteem the act of writing a beatiful song of worship.

In doing so, we are acting from our hearts to seek God, and reflecting His beauty at the same time.  I have always though that music is the ultimate medium between us and God.

On the Kingdom of God (ICEWS eb 2008)

For: The Institute Of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt

N.T. Wright has a lot to say about the kingdom of God in “Simply Christian.”  As a christian, this is one of my favourite topics.  We believe that one day Jesus will reign on the earth in an established, physical Kingdom; but more important is the Kingdom of God now.

Jesus emphatically stated that the “Kingdom of God is at hand” throughout his ministry.  Few people were able to grasp that at the time, but those who did really understood what he was all about.

As christian, we need to understand that the heavenly sphere interacts with the earthly.  It is up to us to allow this to happen.  When we do, we allow the kingdom to act in our lives, and those we touch.

Living a kingdom life, rather than preaching one, is the way to spread the good news of Jesus.  We are challenged to lay down our own plans and goals and let God’s will in to our lives.  The result: The kingdom of God is at hand!

On N.T. Wright’s “Four Echoes” (ICEWS, eb 200)

For: The Institute Of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt

Well, it’s been a good start to Essentials Blue 2008.

It’s great to see people from all around the world learning about Worhsip Theology together.  This course really makes a lot of sense.  We were created as beings of worship, but seldom do we delve into what makes worship tick.

The most interesting thing I learned this week is from N.T. Wright’s book “Simply Christian.”  Wright talks about four “echoes” of God’s voice that we hear and strive for today.  They are listed as Beauty, Justice, Spirituality, and Relationship.

Although I have always been able to appreciate God in beauty, particularly in music, I had never thought of justice and relationships in this way.  Of course, it all makes sense.

When we seek justice in the world, we are trying to make things right; the way God intended them.  All of use, believers or not, desire this.

When we seek out satisfaction in relationships, we are looking for what was lost at Eden, a face to face relationship with God.  Through the cross, we have access to a similar relationship, but we still yearn for the day when we can physically walk and talk with God.  Worship, whether through song or other methods answers these echoes that God has left for us.

Well, those are my thoughts for now, comment if you wish!

My first Blog

Hey everybody! Before today, I always thought blogs were the dumbest thing ever. I mean, who wants to read that you woke up today and did this that, and the other? Of course, now that It’s mandatory, I think this is the best thing ever! But seriously, It’ll be fun to be able to post what I am learning and experiencing throughout the course, and what other people are also finding.

JW