A Trinitarian benediction for worship is found in the writing of H. Orton Wiley. “The Aaronic benediction uses the word Jehovah [JHWH] in a three fold sense. Jehovah bless thee and keep thee. Jehovah makes his face to shine upon thee. Jehovah lift ups his countenance upon thee and give thee peace (Num. 6:24-27). The three members of this form may correspond to the love of the Father, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the communion of the Holy Ghost (cf. II Cor. 13:14)” (H. Orton Wiley and Paul T. Culbertson. 1954. Introduction to Christian Theology. Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, p. 112).
This “love of the Father, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the communion of the Holy [Spirit]” becomes the good words to be used for blessing those who scatter from the gathered convocation of the worshipping body of Christ. These are words which suggest that God neither precedes the dispersal of gathered worship nor leaves it behind, but rather goes with those who go to worship through the life of the spirit lived through attitude and actions of daily life. It is the one God who goes with the body of Christ who departs to live in and out of the Spirit. In each element of the life of the body the presence of God is found to be hovering, encouraging, influencing, calling to be, and enlivening the work of the scattered body. This trinitarian picture of God in the real world is an essential in push against individualism over community, against human initiation in favor of divine prevenience, against favoring existential living over eternal life. These are good words that are to be shared in all of the gatherings to which God calls the body in the great commission to “Go into all the world….”
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3 comments:
Greetings Pastor Gary
On the subject of the trinity,
I recommend this video:
The Human Jesus
Take a couple of hours to watch it; and prayerfully it will aid you in your quest for truth.
Yours In Messiah
Adam Pastor
Pastor,
In worship, does one sing to God the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit? It would seem to me that some songs lend themselves to the Father (How Great Thou Art), some to Jesus (My Jesus I love Thee), and some to the Spirit (Come Holy Spirit, I Need Thee).
If it matters to whom we are singing, should the songs we sing match up with the intended audience?
I heard a person pray to God the Father once say that he wished to thank God for saving him from sin. Assuming the question above, shouldn't such a prayer be directed to Jesus? In fact, shouldn't all references to salavation (of any type, including songs about being saved) be sung to Christ?
Fervant
To whom we sing and pray is an important question, one that has been answered much earlier in the life of the Church. Let me suggest what I think the Church, based upon Scripture, has said.
All worship is to God the Father. The life of Jesus as the Son of God clearly shows that Jesus worshipped the Father and encouraged all to do so.
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