Our Chief Liturgist

My buddy, West, does a great job of posting on his blog regularly. The main reason for this is that he keeps it brief, helpful, and to the point. I'll attempt to do the same. This is a quote from Reggie Kidd's book "With One Voice." It's a great thought for those of us who are leading in worship each week. I've tried to reinforce this idea at some level in our times together, but I've never been able to say this well.

Here's the quote: "By virtue of his resurrection, Jesus is alive in such a way that he can be both 'with us' and 'for us.' Simultaneously he is 'in the midst of the assembly' and in the heavenly Jerusalem ever interceding for us. A permanent Singer has been installed. From one perspective, he sings with us in the church; from another he intercedes for us in heaven. When the church gathers in worship earth and heaven converge. When we sing we are not singing by ourselves. There is a higher song going on above ours and a deeper song going on beneath ours... Somehow our singing is more his than ours. It is unspeakable joy for me to take my place as a worshiper among my brothers and sisters, knowing that Jesus, the Chief Liturgist, has already taken his place. My Sundays would be miserable if I thought otherwise."

I'd love to hear from some of you how this truth ought to practically impact your service on Sunday.

Comments

[Topper]

From within comes a voice, a lifes breath creates movement in our body, our soul longs for and our spirit unites with the song already being sung....

We worship!

[west]

Just so your vastly expanding readership knows, your buddy West's blogsite is www.westbreedlove.com.

Regarding your question (how ought this truth practically impact our service on Sunday?), such truth should warrant a joy that is impossible to experience anywhere else. If the ocean of corporate worship doesn't have the irresistable, undeniable undertow of divine joy, sweeping us away to where Jesus is, something is dreadfully wrong. If Jesus is not bodily enthroned and reigning in a real heaven over all creation, rejoicing over us with singing (Zeph 3.17), then we, as Paul said, are to be pitied more than anyone on earth. Our worship is nothing more than lingering in a lifeless quagmire.