Worship
is a vast subject. It embraces
the whole person. Quite obviously, worship is more than an
attitude; it is an attitude expressed and the magnitude of the
attitude determines the measure of the actions. A lukewarm
heart cannot perform boiling hot worship, nor can a rebellious
life revere God with any depth of sincerity! 1 Karl Barth says
of worship that it is "the most momentous, the most urgent,
the most glorious action that can take place in human life!"2
William Nicholls adds to Barth's equation that worship is "the
supreme and only indispensable activity of the Christian Church.
It alone will endure . . . into heaven, when all other activities
of the Church will have passed away."3 An enduring and
developing worship will, of necessity, move at a pace where
balance is maintained. But one man's balance may be another
man's bondage. There remains a vast need across the body
of Christ for serious study in both Old
and New Testament worship patterns. Even more, there remains
a need for 'results' by way of commitment to those principles
and truths learned.
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"'Renewal
of Worship' is indeed a noble slogan, but the
results that have accrued after two or three decades
of serious study, suggestive adaptations, and revised
liturgies have been meager. The outburst of energy
associated with the Charismatic revival has not yet
touched the majority of worshiping congregations."4
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Our efforts in this
article will be to assist in a fuller understanding of worship
in the dance. German theologians Otto and Schram of Hamburd
University in their excellent book, Festival and Joy,
insight a vital need saying that "the joy, the jubilation,
and the dance were the direct effects of the nearness of God.
Yahweh was the immediate source of the joy, the dance, and the
ecstasy."5 The dance then is not the issue. An awakening
awareness of the nearness of God is the issue. Dance simply
becomes one of numerous responses and arts that express the
joy of that nearness. Without the awareness of God's presence
our understanding and pursuit of excellence is diminished.
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"The
Lord's name may be taken in vain more in church than
anywhere else. Some seemingly stately public worship
may mean no more to God than the clack of an Oriental
prayer wheel. Catch clauses, clever clichés,
or ill-timed shoutings of 'Hallelujah" may turn
into the mindless mumblings of a Protestant rosary.
The integrity of worship is diminished when we fail
to pray and sing with full understanding."6
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A 'full
understanding,' then, will require not only a working use of God's
word but the cutting ability of the exegetic and Biblical historian
to insight the subject of the dance. Numerous Biblical expressions
show that dance was highly respected and was uniquely used on
occasions of celebration and triumph.
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"And
David danced before the Lord with all his might"
(2 Samuel 6:14)"Then shall the virgin rejoice
in the dance' (Jeremiah 31:13"Let them praise
His name in the dance" (Psalm 149:3)
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A definition and
clarification of the dance is needed. A working definition of
'the dance' will help center our minds and sustain a common
goal. The international Standard Bible Encyclopedia defines
dancing:
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"Dancing,
that is, the expression of joy by rhythmical movement
of the limbs to musical accompaniment, is scarcely
ever mentioned in the Bible as a social amusement.
Dancing can be grouped under two heads: the dance
of public rejoicing and the dance which was more or
less an act of worship."7
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Footnotes
1. For an excellent
aid in the etymology of worship see Chapter Six of: Judson
Cornwall, Let us Worship (Plainfield, New Jersey: Bridge
Publishing Co., 1983), pp 47-53.
2. Karl Barth,
quoted in J. J. Allman, Worship: It's Theology and Practice
(London: Lutterworth, 1965) p. 133.
3. William Nichols,
Jacob's Ladder: The Meaning of Worship (Richmond: John
Knox Press, 1958), p. 94.
4. Ralph P. Martin,
The Worship of God (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982),
pp. 1-25.
5. Eckart, Otto
and Tim Schramm, translated by James L. Blevins, Festival
and Joy (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1980), pp. 65-666.
6. Leslie B. Flynn,
Worship; Together We Celebrate (Wheaton: Victor Books,
1983), p. 197.
7.James Orr, Gen.
Editor, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia,
Vol. 1 A - Clemency,(Grand Rapids: W,. B. Eerdmans, 1960),
p. 1169
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