Week 5 (129/2003) - Worship's History - Traditions

Controversy over change is not unique to our time. Ezra 3:12
Ezra leads the reconstruction of the temple which had been destroyed previously by the Babylonians. As the foundation is laid the people gather. Some celebrate with joy, others who had seen the former temple, weep with sorrow.

Looking at the elements of our worship and categorizing them as tradition vs. Biblical can help us draw some interesting inferences and avoid unnecessary controversy.

Elements of Worship
Biblical	Traditional
Prayer	Sunday school
Singing	Church Buildings
Scripture reading	Order of Worship
Communion	Song leaders, pitch pipes, song books
Preaching	4 part harmony
Giving	Assembly times
Foot washing?	Wednesday night Bible study
Laying on hands?	Invitation songs
Holy Kiss?	Announcements
Fasting?	Clothes worn to worship
Baptism	Hermaneutic
	Baptistries

Observations

• Traditions usually start because of a good idea or convenience.
  
• There is nothing innately wrong with traditions unless we choose to elevate them above scripture, and thus bind them on others.
  
• It's OK to be uncomfortable with traditions. Given time you can get used to, even grow to appreciate things that you didn't like at first.
  
• We may not be able to claim that we have perfectly restored New Testament worship practices.
  
• The Old Testament is prescriptive of worship. The New Testament is descriptive of worship or offers correctives. We have to infer a lot.
  
• Worship is always a reflection of the culture and environment of the worshipers. This is good.
  
• Our worship traditions are a product of our history.
  
• Change is good and sometimes necessary. I.E. Racial segregation used to be common in Churches of Christ