Addenda: Worship Resources for the New Creation Family

It is essential for Christians personally and together as church to understand the following: For our worship practice (most notably our songs and Communion) to have both relational clarity and relational significance for the Trinity, it must, by its defining nature, be composed by our worship theology in whole relational terms and not in reduced referential terms. Whole theology is simply irreplaceable for whole practice as persons and relationships in the new creation family.

Based on wholeness in theology, the following resources encourage wholeness in our worship practice. Included here are the lyrics to two songs written for the new creation family to boast in likeness of the Trinity, to celebrate both who and whose we are. These songs are followed by a suggested Communion to help worshipers personally and corporately experience the relational significance and integral outcome of following Jesus behind the curtain and removing the veil. Also included is a short list of worship songs both having relational clarity and that give worshipers opportunities for their direct and vulnerable relational involvement with the whole of God, the Trinity.

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Consider deeply the following song to be sung as you and others gather for Jesus’ table fellowship, where God’s relational grace brings you Face to face to “remember me whole-ly.”

Whole-ly Communion^{^[1]}

1. Here at your table

you call us from afar

You, O Jesus, to you

2. Here behind the curtain

we join you, old to new

You, O Jesus, in you

3. Now without the veil

we see God, Face to face

You, O Jesus, with you

4. In your very presence

whole of God, O, whole of God

Father, Son and Spirit

Bridge:

Here at your table—

Here behind the curtain—

Now without the veil—

Final verse:

In your very presence

whole of God, O—whole of God

Father, Son and Spirit!

The following is a suggestion for transforming Communion from its common practice(s) of either an individual and private time, or a formalized pattern to a “new and living way” in the dynamic flow for Communion behind the curtain (or with the curtain torn open) with the veil removed (cf. Heb 10:20). Suggestions for worship should never be thought of in secondary terms of ‘what to do’ but only as guidelines for how to be involved in the primacy of relationship together in family love.

Sometime before worship service begins, set up a double curtain with an opening in the middle but remained closed. These don’t have to be real curtains, but something just to give the sense of a curtain that can be parted. Place the Communion elements on a table behind the curtains.

At the beginning of Communion, someone read Hebrews 9:11-12, or simply explain the relational significance of Jesus’ relational work on the cross: Jesus, as our High Priest, entered behind the curtain into God’s intimate presence; there he made the sacrifice of his body and blood once and for all to not only free us from our sin (of reductionism) but also to relationship together as adopted daughters and sons into God’s very own family. It is vital to emphasize the necessity for those who follow Jesus to follow him behind the curtain.

A leader has everyone imagine a mask or veil over their faces and hearts (alternatively, use a piece of paper or one’s hand). Give persons some quiet moments to imagine this. The leader explains that our sin, namely the sin of reductionism, is a relational barrier with God that every one of us has to ongoingly deal with, from new Christians to long-time Christians—this needs to be taught to the worshipers previous to this Communion. All relational barriers are like a veil over our hearts, preventing us from being in God’s intimate presence ‘Face to face’ and heart to heart. Since God’s vulnerable heart is always extended to us for relational connection together, God is always seeking worshipers who will respond to his relational provisions of grace with their whole, vulnerable person. That means to join with Jesus in his sacrifice, putting to death the sin represented by these masks and veils. Then read (preferably not a leader) Hebrews 10:19-22.

Persons are called to come to the table. Each must enter through the curtain one at a time, holding their ‘veil’ or mask (a real item or use their hand) in front of their face. All gather around the table set with the elements. Leader reads paraphrase of 2 Cor 3:12-18.

All partake of the elements together. Then, together we throw off our veils/masks. The leader says, “Jesus said, ‘these are my brothers and sisters’.” Everyone share hugs together as the leader reminds all that we are full members together as daughters and sons composing God’s new creation family, for equalized and intimate relationships together, without distinctions and the veil.

An important corrective step to grow in worship as the Trinity’s new creation family is to balance the overly christocentric focus (i.e. on Christ’s sacrifice on the cross) by intentionally including songs for the Trinity (or Father, Spirit), songs as the church (new creation family), songs about relational grace for salvation conjointly from sin and to wholeness in life together. The following songs are suggested here for their relational clarity. Keep in focus that for songs to have relational significance in our worship practice, they must be composed by worship theology in whole relational terms and not in reduced referential terms.

Songs for the Trinity (or Father) and/or related to being the new creation family^{^[4]}:

[3] This suggested Communion first appeared in an earlier study. I include it here as a resource for your consideration.

[4] Songs by T. Dave Matsuo and Kary Kambara are available in printable sheet music at http://www.4x12.org/songs.htm. The other songs can be found online, e.g. http://www.worshiptogether.com and other sources on the Internet.