"With Reverence and Awe," by Hart and Muether

The subtitle of this book is, "Returning to the Basics of Reformed Worship." The authors' aim is to draw out the implications that Reformed theology has for the church's worship. In their words, they have written "a brief overview of how Reformed theology informs the way we think about, put together, and participate in a worship service" (pg. 13). Though written with a view to the ongoing worship debates among Reformed churches, to their credit the authors spend more time and energy explaining basic principles of worship than merely addressing this or that specific issue. The result is a book that is edifying and helpful, even if one doesn't come to the same conclusions as the authors do on any given matter.

I found myself in broad agreement with the book. It is true that what we believe about God and man, our theology, will necessarily influence how we worship. That is the basic thesis upon which the authors build their case that Reformed theology ought to produce worship of a certain character and form. They write, "Reformed worship has always flowed from Reformed theology. Simply put, you can't have one without the other" (pg. 15). Much of the book is then devoted to explaining the principles of historic Reformed theology that will (or ought to) shape how we worship: the sufficiency of Scripture, the holiness of God, the covenant, the Lord's Day, the means of grace, and so on. As a primer on the basic truths underlying biblical worship from a distinctly Reformed perspective, this is a most helpful book.

Some points were especially good. One, the authors point out that worship is the primary means by which God builds up and sustains his people in faith. As a pilgrim people living in a wilderness but looking forward to our heavenly home, it is the ministry of the Word, sacraments, and prayer, specifically as that comes to us in worship, that nourishes our souls in our journey. In other words, Sunday morning worship is not merely a beneficial supplement in our Christian lives, but it is at the very heart of our walk with Christ. This suggests that the primary benefit of worship is not the one-time experience it produces, but the long-term blessing it brings. This reminded me of Marva Dawn's point about the character-building effects of regular worship.

Another excellent point the authors made was the relationship between the church and worship. Quoting another minister, they write, "Growth in true holiness is always growth together. It takes place through nurture, through the work and worship of the church" (pg. 138). The church is called out of the world for the sake of worshiping God, and that worship is by definition corporate worship. This (along with much the authors write) flies in the face both of American culture and of popular evangelical culture. We prize independence and self-reliance, values that are beneficial in many ways, but which make Christ's call to humbly submit to one another in the church particularly difficult (Ephesians 5:21). (I might add to that, Alaskans in particular are a cussedly independent lot!). The point here is that worship is not about my "experience" so much as it is about giving glory to God side by side with all of God's people. To grow in grace, we need the church, and we especially need to worship with the church.

So I did concur with the main thrust of the book. In their call to think carefully about our worship practices (whether actual or proposed) in light of our theology, the authors need to be heard. I may not agree with every conclusion they make, but the basic argument is sound.

The fact of the matter is that, even when believers agree on basic principles of worship (even on the narrower matter of specifically Reformed worship), they will not always agree on how to best apply those principles. What I have learned as a pastor is how desperately I need wisdom, love, and humility in addressing the matter of the church's worship.

One thing that should be said, not so much as a critique but as a response to the book, is that the form of worship is only half the story. The other half is the heart of the worshiper. The authors of this book would no doubt agree with this, but their concern is primarily on the form of worship (though they do speak of the need to worship with reverence and joy). God gave Israel a very specific form of worship but the prophets denounced the Israelites when they worshiped with formal correctness but their hearts far from God (Isaiah 1:12-17; Amos 5:21-24; Micah 6:6-8). If Reformed worship is to be Reformed according to the Word of God, then it must not only be faithful to sound theology in its form, but it must also be the expression of those who truly love God, and are seeking to obey Him. Worship acceptable to God is worship both in forms faithful to Scripture, and from hearts faithful to Christ.