We Are Unapologetically Christocentric

After a recent worship seminar, several questions arose concerning the Christocentric nature of Christian worship. Below are the questions and my attempts to answer them.

First question: Do you see any substantive difference between these two statements?

1. The content of our worship is Jesus.
2. The object of our worship is Jesus.

Answer: Content and object are quite different.

Object, as it relates to worship, would be the one to whom worship is directed. We often say that God is the audience in worship. Worship should be directed toward Him. This is certainly true, but we must be careful here. Viewing God as the object of worship without a fuller understanding can communicate an almost passive God who sits far off observing our acts of fealty. In truth, worship involves interaction with the Lord. Yes, He is the object of our worship, but He is an active audience in a divine dialogue with us. God initiates and we respond. The great Hymn “God Himself is With Us” reflects this understanding well.

The content of Christian worship is the story of Salvation history – that is, God’s initiating a relationship with fallen humanity. Dr. Robert Webber claims, “In worship we remember the stories of Abraham, the patriarchs, the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, the covenant at Mt. Sinai, the establishment of Israel under the monarchy, and the call of the prophets to return to the covenant. Christian worship supplements these stories with the accounts of the birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, the founding of the church, and the return of Jesus Christ to destroy evil and establish the new heavens and the new earth.” He goes on to say, “For worship to be Biblical and Christian, the story of God’s redemption and salvation must be its content. Otherwise it ceases to be Christian worship. For it is the content of worship – the Gospel – that makes worship uniquely distinctly Christian.” In worship the Gospel is vital. We proclaim it, enact it, celebrate it, and respond to it. This is Christian worship.

Question: How is it we say our worship is Christological when it
is God we worship?

Answer: First, let me say that I may not have communicated this point very well. In no way do I mean that we worship Jesus only, or that we exclude God from our worship. The Triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – ought to be the recipient of our worship. When I say that our worship should be Christocentric, I simply mean that our worship (much like Hebrew worship and the Exodus) is rooted in an event – The Christ event (death, burial and resurrection). This is summed up in the liturgical response spoken for centuries by Christians – “Let us proclaim the mystery of faith. Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ will come again”. In worship we offer praise to our great and powerful God, we remember and give thanks for the atoning work of the Son, and we invite and welcome the Presence of the enlightening and ministering Holy Spirit. Our worship is of the Triune God – but our worship is rooted in the Christ event. This is what makes us distinct from other religions.

WE ARE DISTINCT FROM OTHERS WHO WORSHIP GOD

Muslims and Hebrews claim to worship the God of Abraham. Their worship is not valid in my opinion. Why is this? It is because they do not worship God through Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “No man comes to the Father, but by me.” This is God’s design from the beginning. God’s plan of salvation is revealed through Old Testament typologies – (Abraham and Isaac, The Flood, The Passover and Exodus, etc.), all of which point to Jesus. The fulfillment of the Old Covenant comes in the New Covenant with the atoning sacrifice of Jesus – (for instance, “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us…”). Note the O.T. concept fulfilled in Jesus. Webber says, “The epicenter for worship with Israel was the central saving event of the Exodus, and with us, the Church, it is the life, death, and resurrection of Christ – the Lamb of God. In worship we have a divine recapitulation of this saving work with the Lamb as the focus.” We are Christocentric, not to the exclusion of God the Father or the Holy Spirit, but because it is His plan for reconciling us to Himself.

WE MUST FAITHFULLY PASS ON THE FAITH

Commending our faith from one generation to the next is very important in worship. Paul said, “For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you…” This type of passing on the faith motivated the Hebrews to celebrate the Passover – they identified with the God of their salvation because their remembrance of the Exodus helped them experience coming out of Egypt – as if they were there (Exodus 12:26-27). It shaped the younger generations and passed on their heritage of faith. We, too, should pass on what we have received from the Lord. We too should “keep the feast” (1 Corinthians 5:7). But our Passover is none other than Christ. Our worship communicates the gospel discursively to those coming behind us. This kind of remembrance (Anamnesis) is more than just a fuzzy thought of a past event (an enlightenment concept). The past is actually relived or experienced again (taught by the early Church). Perhaps this is why Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:16 that the bread we break and the cup for which we give thanks are our participation in the Body and Blood of Christ. Jesus said we should proclaim His death until He comes. This means being Christocentric. What we have received we should pass on. Should this be done in worship? I will answer with a question. Is the Lord’s Supper an act of worship?

WE REFLECT HEAVENLY WORSHIP IN OUR EARTHLY WORSHIP

Just as the O.T. prefigures Christ, our earthly worship prefigures heavenly worship. We place the saving acts of Jesus at the center of our worship so as to reflect our understanding of heavenly worship – this is what God shows us in His word. Revelation chapters 4-5 reveal heavenly worship to us. In these scenes we see angels, archangels, apostles, martyrs, and the entire communion of saints offering endless praise to God. In chapter four we hear the same worship text as Isaiah 6 – “Holy, Holy, Holy”. This song is clearly directed to God. But look on to chapter 5. This image of heavenly worship has a central focus – the “Lamb – looking as if it had been slain” who stands at the “center of the throne”. All gather around Him in worship and song (Rev. 5:6-9). "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" Notice that the description of Christ is not of a King, but a Lamb. This is clearly referring to the cross of Calvary. It seems that even heavenly worship remembers and gives attention to the atoning work of the Son on behalf of His bride. He is our advocate with the Father, and without Him we could not relate to the Father at all.

WE FOCUS ON JESUS SAVING WORK IN BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER

These two rites of worship clearly enact the Gospel within the worshiping community. Baptists call these the ordinances of Jesus because they were instituted by Him. The Gospel is enacted and proclaimed in both. They are most assuredly Christocentric. The Anaphora (related to the berakah Hebrew table prayers), or historical prayer of thanks before Communion follows a Trinitarian form. God is praised for creation, Jesus is thanked for His atonement, and the Spirit is invited to bless the elements for the Spiritual benefit of the participants. Christocentric does not mean exclusive of God the Father or the Spirit as evidenced here.

SABBATH SATURDAY TO EASTER SUNDAY

The fact that we worship on Sunday also indicates the centrality of the Christ-event. The Old Testament is quite clear that Saturday is the day of worship and rest. For Christians, Easter Sunday is celebrated each week as we gather to worship. Note that during the season of Lent (a season of sorrow and fasting), that Sundays are not included. They remain feast days rather than fast days due to their association with Easter Sunday. (Acts 20:7, Rev. 1:10)

WHEN WE HONOR JESUS WE HONOR GOD

John 5:23 sates, “..that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.” I believe that God the Father is delighted that we honor His Son by enacting, proclaiming and celebrating the Gospel narrative. Again, this is not to say that we should exclude God or the Spirit. But Jesus is the One whose name we carry, in whose name we pray, and is the one we are commended to “lift up.” He is at the center of God’s plan, the center of history, the center of the Scriptures, the center of heavenly worship, the center of the Lord’s Supper and Baptism, the center of Sunday as a consecrated day, and should be at the center of our worship…all to the glory of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.