My Theological Perspective on Worship
Introduction
In this paper I will explain the theological perspective from which I view the art of worship. Too often I feel that worship is led without a solid understanding by the worship leaders of what the purpose of worship should be and how it aligns with the values of the church.
To explain my theological framework for worship I must first explain my own theology. I have long thought about religious subjects in my life but when I joined Starr King as a student I decided that I wanted to get a clear understanding of my own theology. In this paper I will only introduce enough basic concepts to allow me to explain their relationship to worship.
My Theology
My theological perspective begins with the idea that all things in nature are always in the process of becoming something else. This idea of constant change has been expressed as far back as 500 BCE by the Greek philosopher Heraclitus who saw a certain unity in all experience. He used the term “Logos” to explain that “all things are one, in some sense. Opposites are necessary for life, but they are unified in a system of balanced exchanges. The world itself consists of a law-like interchange of elements… Thus the world is not to be identified with any particular substance, but rather with an ongoing process governed by a law of change.”(1) The same idea can also be found in the words of the Buddha who “describes matter, energy, and mental events as the structure of a fabric we can call consciousness. His universe is a process in continuous change.”(2)
The word process is interesting here because I was somewhat influenced by the concept of process theology. The philosophy of Whitehead and Hartshorne “contradicts the classical view [of theology] by insisting that God is in some respects temporal, mutable, and passible.”(3) Process theology is sometimes referred to as a process-relational philosophy because it argues that God and the world are in relation to each other in a constant process of cosmic creativity. In other words, “God is essentially in a give-and-take relationship with the world.”(4) Where I do not concur with process theology is in its panentheistic view that God is related yet still distinct from the world. My feeling is more pantheistic in that I see the world and God as one.
The idea that the universe is essentially creative appealed to my love of the arts but also led me to explore the sciences as well in an effort to unite science, nature, and spirituality. If change is the only constant in the universe then the universe is in a state of constant renewal and growth. Novel creations are forever evolving from previous constructs and each evolution creates the possibility for the emergence of more creative actualities.
Stuart Kauffman in his book, Humanity In A Creative Universe explains the concept:
“Every new Actual creates a new set of adjacent-possible pathways or opportunities for further exploration. This holds for space grains evolving in the giant molecular clouds in galaxies, for complex chemistry in space and in the evolving biosphere, for life, for geologies and mineral deposits.”(5)
His explanation for this is that the fundamental essence of all things is not a particle but the fluctuation of spacetime itself which creates seeds of potentiality. From this sea of potentiality come actualities that make possible other actualities. This constant generation of possibilities, probabilities, and actualities leads to diversity. Diversity, in turn, makes possible the natural development of complexities. Complex interactions lead to systems and relationships. Thus, the smallest seed of potentiality develops into the complex interactive totality of all things. God, then, to me is the beginning and the end of universal creativity. In Revelations 1:8 God said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega.”(6) Similarly, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin described the point of maximum organized complexity as the Omega Point.(7) For me, this led to the development of two theologies that are not in opposition but are complementary. I call these the Theology of Addition and the Theology of Subtraction.
Theology of Subtraction
The theology of subtraction is what people often refer to as spirituality. It is the personal connection to the divine or to one’s ultimate meaning. The idea is to eliminate everything from the conception of the self in order to find the oneness and wholeness that is at the center of being so that “the separate self dissolves in the sea of pure consciousness, infinite and immortal.”(8) Common practices for accomplishing this goal include meditation, contemplation, and prayer.
Theology of Addition
The theology of addition is more commonly referred to as religion or the communal expression of spirituality. Often a religion is based on a shared vision of spirituality but this need not be the case. A community of religious people can gather together to share common spiritual relationships between each other and the world they cohabit. As Jesus is reported to say, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”(9) It is this theology of addition that has influenced my view of worship for those gathered in love and compassion come closer to the complexity of diversity or the unity of God. This is especially true for Unitarian Universalists for “we have a common denominator of understanding that worship is done in community.”(10)
Worship
Greenwood and Harris identify three elements of worship in UU congregations that have been identified as equal in importance to the traditional emphasis on intellectual stimulation. “Surveys of what Unitarian Universalists value in a worship service show that while intellectual stimulation remained high… three categories showed a significant increase of more than 20 percent of respondents. These values were celebrating common values, group experience of participation, and fellowship, making it clear that many more worshippers value the joint community experience in what has heretofore been described as an individualistic faith.”(11) My theology of worship is based on this idea of an intentional joint community experience centered on a shared journey of living because “intentional churchgoers believe that participating in church life has the power to transform their lives towards greater depth, joy, and meaning.”(12)
Common values that worship can address include a need to find meaning and purpose in life and a need to find the three Eternals attributed to Plato: goodness, truth, and beauty. These values need not be explored alone and are often strengthened when people join together in honoring, living, and celebrating them. Group participation can take place in the celebration of the shared stages of living and dying common to all people and through the celebration of the cyclic changes of our shared environments. We can create fellowship by working toward wholeness of the individual, the community, and the world.
Worship is the act of putting our values in action. Through symbols and rituals, we put into action or act out the things that provide meaning to our lives. “The principle of acting out in worship is similar to what we do in other areas of our lives. For example, we act out greetings, birthdays, weddings, and national holidays such as Thanksgiving and Independence Day through organized rituals and symbolic gestures that communicate the meaning of the event. Thus, a handshake or a nod, a cake and candles, a turkey with all the trimmings, and fireworks all signify the meaning of the specific event.”(13) The re-creation of significant events, stories, and changes as well as an affirmation and renewed commitment to the things we hold of ultimate value in our lives together are what I believe worship should work to bring to life.
Specifically, I believe we can create more meaningful and universal services in UU churches through:
The celebration of seasonal changes such as the solstice and the equinox.
The celebration of festivals important to world religions.
The celebration of historical times important to the history of Unitarian Universalism.
An expressed commitment to live and worship in a covenant of right relations and mutual support.
An increase in the amount of music and other arts employed throughout and surrounding the service.
Shorter sermons.
The incorporation of more times for silence and reflection.
The use of more intentional and communal aspects of worship such as a call to gather, a lamentation, a “pass the peace”, and a non-disruptive time for joys and sorrows.
Graham, Daniel. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. “Heraclitus”. https://iep.utm.edu/heraclit/
Easwaran, Eknath. The Dhammapada. Blue Mountain Center of Meditation: Nilgiri Press, 2007. p. 81.
Viney, Donald. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. “Process Theism”. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/process-theism.
Ibid.
Kauffman, Stuart. Humanity in a Creative Universe.” New York: Oxford University Press, 2016. P. 42
The New Oxford Annotated Bible. New York: Oxford University Press, 5th Edition, 2018.
Teilhard de Chardin P. The Phenomenon of Man. New York: Harper Collins; 2002.
Easwaren, Eknath. The Upanishads. Blue Mountain Center of Meditation: Nilgiri Press, 2007. Pg. 102.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible. Matthew 18:20.
Arnason, Wayne and Kathleen Rolenz. Worship That Works: Theory and Practice for Unitarian Universalists. Boston: Skinner House Books, 2008 Kindle Edition Loc. 498.
Greenwood, Andrea and Mark W. Harris. An Introduction to the Unitarian and Universalist Traditions. Boston: Cambridge University Press, 2011. Pg. 157.
Arnason and Rolenz, loc. 686.
Webber, Robert E. Worship Old and New. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1994. (Kindle Edition). Loc. 1231.