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Story-Shaped Worship: Following Patterns from the Bible and History
What is the right way to worship? Right worship does not require a return to the identical forms found in the early church or later in Rome or after that in Westminster. What it calls for is a faithful response today to the God of our salvation in light of those biblically ordered and historically informed patterns. In this study Robbie Castleman uncovers the fundamental shape of worship. What she finds―outlined in Scripture, enacted in Israel, refocused in the New Testament community, guarded by the apostolic fathers, and recovered in the Reformation―is a grand narrative of redemption offering order and meaning to all worshiping communities down to the present day.
224 pages, Paperback
First published May 5, 2013
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105 people want to read
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March 30, 2014
Robbie Castleman contends that worship that is pleasing to God is worship that is shaped by the story of God--a story where God, and not me (or us), is the hero! What she sets out to do, and accomplishes, in this book is to explore the resources in the Old and New Testaments, and in Jewish and Christian practice through the centuries that may inform the shape of our worship today. How worship shaped by God's story appears may look very different in different times and cultures but there are some underlying contours that distinguish between God-pleasing, and human-centered worship.
The first part of her book explores the biblical pattern for worship. She begins in Genesis with God, creation, fall, and what she calls the first "worship war" between Cain and Abel. She goes on to explore worship patterns, the matter of sacred space and the importance of sabbath in Israel's worship and identity. She then identifies a seven-fold pattern of worship that emerges in the liturgical patterns of ancient Israel that she believes has continuing relevance to story-shaped worship: God's call, praise of God, confession, declaration of the good news of our forgiveness, the Word of the Lord, responding to the Word, and Benediction. She proceeds to talk about worship by the book, that we are not free to improvise any way we wish or turn worship to other purposes than the glory of God. Worship is to reflect an obedience grounded in the grace of God. She concludes this first part with looking at the rise of the synagogue and the pattern of readings and prayers that was carried over into Christian practice.
The second part considers structures of worship in the patristic, reformation and contemporary periods. In the patristic period the church worked out in its liturgy what it was clarifying in many of the early battles around the Godhead, the person of Christ and his work. The reformation was a period of both confirmation and correction--reaffirming patterns that were true while modifying practices of the eucharist (and baptism) around differing understandings of the meanings of these ordinances. In the contemporary period, the issue is avoiding falling into a subjectivism of worship where everyone does what is right in their own minds, while adapting the resources of scripture to develop God-honoring worship that is faithful to his story.
Each chapter includes a "workshop"--a series of questions that may be used by worship leadership teams. The book concludes with a chart of the Christian year showing how this is another way of shaping worship around God's story. An extensive glossary and bibliography is also included.
Robbie Castleman is a former work colleague. A personal memory of Robbie is her strict commitment to spend time speaking to and listening to God before she participated in any other conversations in her day. This passion for God, and God's story runs through this book, which offers helpful resources for the theology and practice of worshiping God for any who share her passion for God.
The first part of her book explores the biblical pattern for worship. She begins in Genesis with God, creation, fall, and what she calls the first "worship war" between Cain and Abel. She goes on to explore worship patterns, the matter of sacred space and the importance of sabbath in Israel's worship and identity. She then identifies a seven-fold pattern of worship that emerges in the liturgical patterns of ancient Israel that she believes has continuing relevance to story-shaped worship: God's call, praise of God, confession, declaration of the good news of our forgiveness, the Word of the Lord, responding to the Word, and Benediction. She proceeds to talk about worship by the book, that we are not free to improvise any way we wish or turn worship to other purposes than the glory of God. Worship is to reflect an obedience grounded in the grace of God. She concludes this first part with looking at the rise of the synagogue and the pattern of readings and prayers that was carried over into Christian practice.
The second part considers structures of worship in the patristic, reformation and contemporary periods. In the patristic period the church worked out in its liturgy what it was clarifying in many of the early battles around the Godhead, the person of Christ and his work. The reformation was a period of both confirmation and correction--reaffirming patterns that were true while modifying practices of the eucharist (and baptism) around differing understandings of the meanings of these ordinances. In the contemporary period, the issue is avoiding falling into a subjectivism of worship where everyone does what is right in their own minds, while adapting the resources of scripture to develop God-honoring worship that is faithful to his story.
Each chapter includes a "workshop"--a series of questions that may be used by worship leadership teams. The book concludes with a chart of the Christian year showing how this is another way of shaping worship around God's story. An extensive glossary and bibliography is also included.
Robbie Castleman is a former work colleague. A personal memory of Robbie is her strict commitment to spend time speaking to and listening to God before she participated in any other conversations in her day. This passion for God, and God's story runs through this book, which offers helpful resources for the theology and practice of worshiping God for any who share her passion for God.
March 25, 2020
I read this book for my Christian Corporate Worship course under Dr. Steven Johnson. Here is the reflection I wrote for class:
Robbie Castleman’s Story Shaped Worship is all about reminding the church what her worship should look like by recalling the many ways it has been expressed in scripture and church history. The structure of the book follows a general two-part pattern. Castleman begins in Part One by examining what can be learned about godly worship from the scriptures, moving from Old Testament to New Testament, also taking a look at worship in the synagogue. Then in Part Two, he looks at how the early Christian church worshipped, how the Reformers and medieval church worshipped, and how the church worships today. His concluding thoughts critique modern church worship and call it to be more in line with the biblical/historical tradition. This worship to which he guides the reader is informed by the story of salvation, hence the title Story Shaped Worship.
I think the greatest asset of this book is Castleman’s broad approach to the topic. Instead of simply writing a book on the need to return to worship as we see it in the Old Testament or the New Testament or the Book of Acts or the early church or the Reformer’s time etc., he takes a sweeping look at biblical and theological history and strums on the key notes that the church has played and should continue to play. This gives a more balanced view of worship than the reader may otherwise receive. Naturally, with this approach comes the loss of a nuanced engagement with a number of aspects of Christian worship throughout time, but anything more than what he gives in the book would likely turn off the very people whom he desires to read it—namely less historically educated or historically appreciative evangelical church leaders, both lay and ordained.
Castleman discusses the concept of worship-through-reenactment in chapter two. He describes it as a “pattern sustained … in early synagogue gatherings” because “worship for Israel centered on remember how the Lord God had delivered them and reenacting his deliverance” (location 411, Kindle version). This was done through the various celebrations (e.g. Passover), religious observations (e.g. ceasing all work on the Sabbath), and synagogue worship (e.g. reading the scriptures). He points out that worship-through-reenactment was something that the early church carried on in her worship and can be seen today “in the liturgies of the Roman Catholic Mass and Orthodox Churches, and in denominations and congregations historically linked to the Reformation” (loc. 606). This is was very interesting for me to think about as such a concept was entirely foreign to me growing up in the large evangelical church I attended (except for in subtle and un-articulated ways). Evangelicals largely are afraid of the repetition of anything (for it may lose its meaning, it is claimed); therefore, the idea of reenacting the narrative of salvation every week is a bit scary. The truth of the matter is that evangelicals like their repetition as much as anyone else, it is just a repetition of different things. They are also a bit addicted to the catering of their worship (experiences) to the (fickle) desires of their crowds … oops, I mean congregations … a point which Castleman makes in chapter ten.
I also appreciated his conversation in chapter three about sacred space. This is something that has impacted me in my travels to London and Paris where upon walking into such majestic sacred spaces I “knew not whether I was in heaven or on earth” (as the Russian envoys from Vladimir the Great exclaimed upon their visit to the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople). Now, my appreciation for the beauty of the sacred spaces of Medieval Europe is not an endorsement of opulence, as I have found humble roadside chapels to contain the same characteristic. However, the point remains that I, as well as what seems to be the vast majority of Christian throughout time, have found something profoundly religious about sacred space, and Castleman’s reminder about the value of such space is needed in an age where every space in our gymnasuaries and auditoriums is scuttled by mundane activities and “Jesus is my homie” slogans.
Finally, I have to also say that Castleman’s discussion of the sacraments of Eucharist and Baptism as it pertained to early church worship (with a particular emphasis on the Didache) and the practices of the Reformers was very helpful. He made a clear effort to place emphasis back onto these practices where it has been so greatly lost in our contemporary evangelical world. He demonstrated how both the early church (whom evangelicals claim to emulate) and our beloved Reforming fathers (who are the only canonized individuals in the evangelical pantheon (sorry, my tone is seeping out a lot in this paper)) believed these to be key parts of Christian worship and practice. This is an overdue reminder. Overall, I am grateful for Castleman’s analysis of biblical and historically Christian worship in this book. I found it to be a much-needed breath of ancient air into the smoke-and-light filled venues in which we worship today.
Robbie Castleman’s Story Shaped Worship is all about reminding the church what her worship should look like by recalling the many ways it has been expressed in scripture and church history. The structure of the book follows a general two-part pattern. Castleman begins in Part One by examining what can be learned about godly worship from the scriptures, moving from Old Testament to New Testament, also taking a look at worship in the synagogue. Then in Part Two, he looks at how the early Christian church worshipped, how the Reformers and medieval church worshipped, and how the church worships today. His concluding thoughts critique modern church worship and call it to be more in line with the biblical/historical tradition. This worship to which he guides the reader is informed by the story of salvation, hence the title Story Shaped Worship.
I think the greatest asset of this book is Castleman’s broad approach to the topic. Instead of simply writing a book on the need to return to worship as we see it in the Old Testament or the New Testament or the Book of Acts or the early church or the Reformer’s time etc., he takes a sweeping look at biblical and theological history and strums on the key notes that the church has played and should continue to play. This gives a more balanced view of worship than the reader may otherwise receive. Naturally, with this approach comes the loss of a nuanced engagement with a number of aspects of Christian worship throughout time, but anything more than what he gives in the book would likely turn off the very people whom he desires to read it—namely less historically educated or historically appreciative evangelical church leaders, both lay and ordained.
Castleman discusses the concept of worship-through-reenactment in chapter two. He describes it as a “pattern sustained … in early synagogue gatherings” because “worship for Israel centered on remember how the Lord God had delivered them and reenacting his deliverance” (location 411, Kindle version). This was done through the various celebrations (e.g. Passover), religious observations (e.g. ceasing all work on the Sabbath), and synagogue worship (e.g. reading the scriptures). He points out that worship-through-reenactment was something that the early church carried on in her worship and can be seen today “in the liturgies of the Roman Catholic Mass and Orthodox Churches, and in denominations and congregations historically linked to the Reformation” (loc. 606). This is was very interesting for me to think about as such a concept was entirely foreign to me growing up in the large evangelical church I attended (except for in subtle and un-articulated ways). Evangelicals largely are afraid of the repetition of anything (for it may lose its meaning, it is claimed); therefore, the idea of reenacting the narrative of salvation every week is a bit scary. The truth of the matter is that evangelicals like their repetition as much as anyone else, it is just a repetition of different things. They are also a bit addicted to the catering of their worship (experiences) to the (fickle) desires of their crowds … oops, I mean congregations … a point which Castleman makes in chapter ten.
I also appreciated his conversation in chapter three about sacred space. This is something that has impacted me in my travels to London and Paris where upon walking into such majestic sacred spaces I “knew not whether I was in heaven or on earth” (as the Russian envoys from Vladimir the Great exclaimed upon their visit to the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople). Now, my appreciation for the beauty of the sacred spaces of Medieval Europe is not an endorsement of opulence, as I have found humble roadside chapels to contain the same characteristic. However, the point remains that I, as well as what seems to be the vast majority of Christian throughout time, have found something profoundly religious about sacred space, and Castleman’s reminder about the value of such space is needed in an age where every space in our gymnasuaries and auditoriums is scuttled by mundane activities and “Jesus is my homie” slogans.
Finally, I have to also say that Castleman’s discussion of the sacraments of Eucharist and Baptism as it pertained to early church worship (with a particular emphasis on the Didache) and the practices of the Reformers was very helpful. He made a clear effort to place emphasis back onto these practices where it has been so greatly lost in our contemporary evangelical world. He demonstrated how both the early church (whom evangelicals claim to emulate) and our beloved Reforming fathers (who are the only canonized individuals in the evangelical pantheon (sorry, my tone is seeping out a lot in this paper)) believed these to be key parts of Christian worship and practice. This is an overdue reminder. Overall, I am grateful for Castleman’s analysis of biblical and historically Christian worship in this book. I found it to be a much-needed breath of ancient air into the smoke-and-light filled venues in which we worship today.
June 5, 2013
Who doesn’t love a good story? And we got one! Greatest story ever told! But how does the Bible’s story ‘shape’ our worship? This is a question I am deeply invested in and I am grateful for Story Shaped Worship: Following Patterns from the Bible and History for exploring the biblical story with an eye for what it tells us about how we worship God. I have reviewed Castleman’s previous volume, Parenting in the Pew and found it helpful. In that book, Castleman has her ‘parent’ hat on as she talks about how children are formed in worship. In this book, she wears her scholar hat and presents a thoroughly researched look at worship in the Bible (with a couple of historical vignettes). Castleman teaches biblical studies and theology at John Brown University and has served on staff with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship (my first exposure to her was at Urbana ’96).
Castleman proposes a canonical-theological approach to liturgical studies. By attending to the biblical story, she is countering trends in some contemporary contexts where the worship experience has been commodified. Castleman writes:
There is no question that the often historically anemic ecclesiology of some Christian congregations has often resulted in Sunday morning programs that are focused on the subjective experience of the individual rather than true worship that is mediated by and focused on the blessing of the triune God of grace. The necessity of worship as a service mediated by the Spirit, through the Son and for the Father is often lost in the pragmatism of the commodified liturgies of many services of worship. Sunday mornings too often have become storefront windows designed to attract and keep shoppers in the store in order to buy congregational programs. The grace of the Word and Sacrament have been sacrificed on the altar of a subtle self-help theology which actually seeks to control the divine encounter with the ultimate intention of feeling at least a little bit better about oneself and life circumstances (20).
Castleman counters the ‘personal therapeutic approach’ by rooting her vision of worship in the biblical story. She is also informed in her quest by the Church’s theological reflection on the nature of the sacraments. In the pages that follow, Castleman unfolds what the Bible tells us about worship (chapters 1-7) and examines some historic patterns from the life of the church (chapters 8-10). At the end of the chapter are ‘workshops’ which enable readers to delve deeper into the theology of each chapter with an eye towards how the Bible and theology can inform (and form) our practice of worship.
In chapter one she explores the first four chapters of Genesis and examines what they tell us about God’s character. The story of Cain and Abel illustrate the first ever ‘worship war.’ Abel understood that worship was all about God and brought his best whereas Cain’s offering (and angry reaction when it was rejected) evidences a preoccupation with himself (29). Also within these ‘texts of origins’ we hear foreshadowing of future redemption and get a sense that ‘worship is a response to God’s grace and favor(38).
Chapter two unfolds the meaning of Sabbath and the particularity of the worship of Yahweh in the Pentateuch. Worshiping God meant for Israel (and for us) that they worship Him only. There were certain practices excluded from their worship (i.e. divination, sooth-saying, making idols, etc.) and there were certain practices commended (i.e. the celebration of passover, sacrifices, holy days like the Day of Atonement, and sabbath keeping). While the pentateuch pattern cannot be completely mapped out on our experience, many of the characteristics of worship remain significant. Like the Ancient Israelites we are called to worship God exclusively, keep Sabbath (though we’ve shifted it to ‘the Lord’s day), and worship-through-reenactment (i.e. the ancient Israelites had passover and sacrifices, we reenact Jesus’s sacrifice through communion) (57-58).
Biblical worship does more than sanctify time, it also creates sacred space. In the building of the Tabernacle, people, buildings and rooms, and objects were set aside for sacred purposes. In our age, the distinction between the sacred and the profane is obscured but we can learn from the Biblical story to drawn into God’s presence with expectancy and preparedness. Going to church on a Sunday morning is to go and meet God. Castleman urges that we see this as ‘holy ground’ and make the necessary preparations for divine encounter.
In chapter four, Castleman describes the ‘shape of biblical worship.’ She describes seven-fold sequence of biblical liturgy call–>praise–>confession–>forgiveness–>hearing God’s word–>responding to God’s word–>blessing. This is a rich chapter and I believe has something to say to those of us in a ‘free church’ context about how we are to fashion our liturgies.
Chapter five discusses the importance of attending to scripture in our worship and the ‘dangerous ambiguity’ when we use worship for our own ends. By examining the story of David bringing the Ark to Jerusalem and Uzzah’s death (2 Sam. 6), Castleman argues that David first tried to use the ark (and worship of Yahweh) to reinforce his reign and how Uzzah’s carelessness reveals an inattention to biblical instructions concerning the Ark. Uzzah’s death called into question David’s motives and purified his worship of God. Chapter six explores the nature of holiness and how it relates to worship. The God of the Bible is the holy God and those who worship him in Spirit and Truth are called to be like Him. As we worship this God, we allow ourselves to be transformed into His likeness. Chapter seven explores how worship in the synagogues informed the practices of the early church.
The final three chapters form a ‘part two’ and look at historic and contemporary patterns of worship. Castleman explores three different eras: the early church, the Reformation response to late medieval corruption of worship, and our contemporary context. Certainly there is a lot of church history that is overlooked in her account and more that could be said, but her historic vignettes are instructive. By exploring the early church (especially in the Didache) and describing the theology of the Reformers, Castleman challenges us to have a more robust theology of the sacraments. She also urges more purposeful liturgical practices informed by the Bible and theology.
This is a great book for anyone interested in worship. Certainly it will be instructive for anyone who has a hand in planning weekly liturgies (i.e. pastors, worship leaders, etc.) but Castleman’s writing will be accessible to lay readers as well. These pages will help us recover the biblical shape for our worship. Maybe our current congregations are not as anemic as the ones that Castleman describes (mine is not!). But the therapeutic-consumerist approach to worship has infected us all and we all will benefit from delving deeper into what the Bible tells us about the worship of the one true God. I highly recommend this! My one criticism is that her historic examples (early church and Reformation) makes this a peculiarly protestant book, while many of her insights have a broader eccumenical appeal. I give it ★★★★½
Thank you to IVP Academic for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Castleman proposes a canonical-theological approach to liturgical studies. By attending to the biblical story, she is countering trends in some contemporary contexts where the worship experience has been commodified. Castleman writes:
There is no question that the often historically anemic ecclesiology of some Christian congregations has often resulted in Sunday morning programs that are focused on the subjective experience of the individual rather than true worship that is mediated by and focused on the blessing of the triune God of grace. The necessity of worship as a service mediated by the Spirit, through the Son and for the Father is often lost in the pragmatism of the commodified liturgies of many services of worship. Sunday mornings too often have become storefront windows designed to attract and keep shoppers in the store in order to buy congregational programs. The grace of the Word and Sacrament have been sacrificed on the altar of a subtle self-help theology which actually seeks to control the divine encounter with the ultimate intention of feeling at least a little bit better about oneself and life circumstances (20).
Castleman counters the ‘personal therapeutic approach’ by rooting her vision of worship in the biblical story. She is also informed in her quest by the Church’s theological reflection on the nature of the sacraments. In the pages that follow, Castleman unfolds what the Bible tells us about worship (chapters 1-7) and examines some historic patterns from the life of the church (chapters 8-10). At the end of the chapter are ‘workshops’ which enable readers to delve deeper into the theology of each chapter with an eye towards how the Bible and theology can inform (and form) our practice of worship.
In chapter one she explores the first four chapters of Genesis and examines what they tell us about God’s character. The story of Cain and Abel illustrate the first ever ‘worship war.’ Abel understood that worship was all about God and brought his best whereas Cain’s offering (and angry reaction when it was rejected) evidences a preoccupation with himself (29). Also within these ‘texts of origins’ we hear foreshadowing of future redemption and get a sense that ‘worship is a response to God’s grace and favor(38).
Chapter two unfolds the meaning of Sabbath and the particularity of the worship of Yahweh in the Pentateuch. Worshiping God meant for Israel (and for us) that they worship Him only. There were certain practices excluded from their worship (i.e. divination, sooth-saying, making idols, etc.) and there were certain practices commended (i.e. the celebration of passover, sacrifices, holy days like the Day of Atonement, and sabbath keeping). While the pentateuch pattern cannot be completely mapped out on our experience, many of the characteristics of worship remain significant. Like the Ancient Israelites we are called to worship God exclusively, keep Sabbath (though we’ve shifted it to ‘the Lord’s day), and worship-through-reenactment (i.e. the ancient Israelites had passover and sacrifices, we reenact Jesus’s sacrifice through communion) (57-58).
Biblical worship does more than sanctify time, it also creates sacred space. In the building of the Tabernacle, people, buildings and rooms, and objects were set aside for sacred purposes. In our age, the distinction between the sacred and the profane is obscured but we can learn from the Biblical story to drawn into God’s presence with expectancy and preparedness. Going to church on a Sunday morning is to go and meet God. Castleman urges that we see this as ‘holy ground’ and make the necessary preparations for divine encounter.
In chapter four, Castleman describes the ‘shape of biblical worship.’ She describes seven-fold sequence of biblical liturgy call–>praise–>confession–>forgiveness–>hearing God’s word–>responding to God’s word–>blessing. This is a rich chapter and I believe has something to say to those of us in a ‘free church’ context about how we are to fashion our liturgies.
Chapter five discusses the importance of attending to scripture in our worship and the ‘dangerous ambiguity’ when we use worship for our own ends. By examining the story of David bringing the Ark to Jerusalem and Uzzah’s death (2 Sam. 6), Castleman argues that David first tried to use the ark (and worship of Yahweh) to reinforce his reign and how Uzzah’s carelessness reveals an inattention to biblical instructions concerning the Ark. Uzzah’s death called into question David’s motives and purified his worship of God. Chapter six explores the nature of holiness and how it relates to worship. The God of the Bible is the holy God and those who worship him in Spirit and Truth are called to be like Him. As we worship this God, we allow ourselves to be transformed into His likeness. Chapter seven explores how worship in the synagogues informed the practices of the early church.
The final three chapters form a ‘part two’ and look at historic and contemporary patterns of worship. Castleman explores three different eras: the early church, the Reformation response to late medieval corruption of worship, and our contemporary context. Certainly there is a lot of church history that is overlooked in her account and more that could be said, but her historic vignettes are instructive. By exploring the early church (especially in the Didache) and describing the theology of the Reformers, Castleman challenges us to have a more robust theology of the sacraments. She also urges more purposeful liturgical practices informed by the Bible and theology.
This is a great book for anyone interested in worship. Certainly it will be instructive for anyone who has a hand in planning weekly liturgies (i.e. pastors, worship leaders, etc.) but Castleman’s writing will be accessible to lay readers as well. These pages will help us recover the biblical shape for our worship. Maybe our current congregations are not as anemic as the ones that Castleman describes (mine is not!). But the therapeutic-consumerist approach to worship has infected us all and we all will benefit from delving deeper into what the Bible tells us about the worship of the one true God. I highly recommend this! My one criticism is that her historic examples (early church and Reformation) makes this a peculiarly protestant book, while many of her insights have a broader eccumenical appeal. I give it ★★★★½
Thank you to IVP Academic for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
August 16, 2022
The goal of this book is to show the reader the beautiful and unified story that is revealed in Scripture and how our worship to God should be guided by that paradigm. After reading Robbie's work, I believe that goal was accomplished. Robbie provides a good overview of what worship is pleasing to God, and the consequences when worship is driven by human desires. Additionally, there are quality practical applications that follow each chapter that provoke the reader to good thinking and reflection!
October 31, 2024
This is the best book on worship. Although I had a few minor reservations it was still good. The author did a good job showing the disease that plagues evangelicals by showing the diagnosis and even a prognosis of what happens when worship becomes me, myself and I worship. And also give a treatment which is gospel-centeredness.
October 16, 2013
The ideas of liturgy and story-shaped worship have been central in my study over the last year. It began with reading Contours of Pauline Theology then fleshed itself out in some of what I wrote here and elsewhere and finally in A Household Gospel. My primary argument is the gospel must be central in our home’s liturgy and the primary way in which we do this is by following the historical pattern of rehearsal and reenactment from the Old Testament onto the New seen in the church. Dr. Castleman affirms, “The liturgy of worship that is shaped by God’s word helps prepare the worshiper for mission shaped by God’s character” (119). In Story-Shaped Worship, she fleshes out the idea of story-formed worship historically and theologically. It’s an absolute delight to read.
Tweet This: The liturgy of worship that is shaped by God’s word helps prepare the worshiper for mission shaped by God’s character http://goo.gl/jo4NhU
Accordingly Dr. Castleman divides the book into two sections: biblical and historical patterns of worship. Part one is a story within a story. She starts with creation and moves through biblical history so we have the rehearsal itself occurring within the admonition for rehearsal/reenactment. Right off, she orients our thoughts towards God and “the christocentric reality of the church” (35). She says, “Christians do not worship or serve God to either merit or encourage divine faithfulness. Worship, mission, witness and all Christian service is a response to the God who has demonstrated his faithfulness already” (37). She expertly traces the idea of worship through reenactment from Genesis to the early church. “Israel’s essential identity as a people delivered from bondage in Egypt was to be manifested in Israel’s worship of the one true God” (42).
Not majored on in the book, but an important point for modern evangelicalism is the difference between rehearsal/reenactment and symbolism. For instance, baptism is not symbolic, nor our own personal testimony, but a reenactment, a rehearsal of God’s faithfulness. Also, because of the Godward focus of worship, she undercuts the forced “worship experience” of today’s church. You cannot faithfully rehearse the gospel story in the liturgy of the church and also create the “worship experience” of met felt needs that many Christians crave today. The two are mutually exclusive. One centers worship around me, me, me and the other centers around the Triune God. “Self-styled worship designed as means to other ends, especially those driven by human needs, personal desires or political agendas are devoid of God’s glory” (99).
I appreciate Dr. Castleman’s holding fast to Scripture through out much of the book. She realizes Scripture must guide our worship and that comes across through much of the book. We may have differences in our understanding of the regulative principle of worship, but our shared desire to see churches rehearse the gospel story faithfully unites where details may differ. She says, “Story-shaped worship is mediated by God’s Spirit to bring to God as it reflects God’s own faithfulness to us through the Son” (186). Nothing is more significant in worship than understanding that. Worship isn’t about us. It’s about God. What He has done and will do through the Spirit by Jesus’s finished work.
How does your faith connect with the story of Israel and the person and work of Jesus Christ as the true Israel? Does your church rehearse the gospel story week? Or does it primarily strive to meet felt needs?
Tweet This: The liturgy of worship that is shaped by God’s word helps prepare the worshiper for mission shaped by God’s character http://goo.gl/jo4NhU
Accordingly Dr. Castleman divides the book into two sections: biblical and historical patterns of worship. Part one is a story within a story. She starts with creation and moves through biblical history so we have the rehearsal itself occurring within the admonition for rehearsal/reenactment. Right off, she orients our thoughts towards God and “the christocentric reality of the church” (35). She says, “Christians do not worship or serve God to either merit or encourage divine faithfulness. Worship, mission, witness and all Christian service is a response to the God who has demonstrated his faithfulness already” (37). She expertly traces the idea of worship through reenactment from Genesis to the early church. “Israel’s essential identity as a people delivered from bondage in Egypt was to be manifested in Israel’s worship of the one true God” (42).
Not majored on in the book, but an important point for modern evangelicalism is the difference between rehearsal/reenactment and symbolism. For instance, baptism is not symbolic, nor our own personal testimony, but a reenactment, a rehearsal of God’s faithfulness. Also, because of the Godward focus of worship, she undercuts the forced “worship experience” of today’s church. You cannot faithfully rehearse the gospel story in the liturgy of the church and also create the “worship experience” of met felt needs that many Christians crave today. The two are mutually exclusive. One centers worship around me, me, me and the other centers around the Triune God. “Self-styled worship designed as means to other ends, especially those driven by human needs, personal desires or political agendas are devoid of God’s glory” (99).
I appreciate Dr. Castleman’s holding fast to Scripture through out much of the book. She realizes Scripture must guide our worship and that comes across through much of the book. We may have differences in our understanding of the regulative principle of worship, but our shared desire to see churches rehearse the gospel story faithfully unites where details may differ. She says, “Story-shaped worship is mediated by God’s Spirit to bring to God as it reflects God’s own faithfulness to us through the Son” (186). Nothing is more significant in worship than understanding that. Worship isn’t about us. It’s about God. What He has done and will do through the Spirit by Jesus’s finished work.
How does your faith connect with the story of Israel and the person and work of Jesus Christ as the true Israel? Does your church rehearse the gospel story week? Or does it primarily strive to meet felt needs?
June 10, 2014
Coming from a Lutheran, liturgical church background, I have had a sense of the story embedded in the weekly worship - whether it’s the Divine Service from the Lutheran Service Book or a revised form for a contemporary service. However, it can be easy to fall into the weekly rhythm of the service without stepping into the story. Or, being from a small congregation where everyone has a part in making the service happen, it can be easy to focus on the mechanics instead of the gift of the service. So, I truly enjoyed the opportunity to step away my practice and see the liturgy from a different perspective - particularly from someone outside of the liturgical church.
Castleman wrote Story Shaped Worship to help examine and explain the elements of a worship service - walking through both the old and new testaments of the Bible, and two thousand years of church tradition. In this survey she summarizes seven elements essential to a Christian worship service.
Called
Praise
Confess
Forgiveness
God’s Word
Response
Blessing
Reflecting on recent worship services, I was reminded of each of these elements, but more importantly, was reminded to take time to immerse myself in story presented - to hear God’s call to worship, to praise the One who calls, to recognize my brokenness before Him, and then to hear his grace filled forgiveness. Then, having been brought into God’s presence, to be prepared to hear His word through scripture and preaching, and respond through accepting God’s presence in Holy communion and communicating with him in prayer, and, finally, to leave in blessing.
One of the things that particularly strikes me about this story - the characters are within the words and music on the pages or screens, but also within the people present as they recite and listen. It’s a story to be shared together and with all ages.
Most importantly Castleman shows how a good liturgy follows a story completely within God’s grace - both salvation and sanctification.
Castleman wrote Story Shaped Worship to help examine and explain the elements of a worship service - walking through both the old and new testaments of the Bible, and two thousand years of church tradition. In this survey she summarizes seven elements essential to a Christian worship service.
Called
Praise
Confess
Forgiveness
God’s Word
Response
Blessing
Reflecting on recent worship services, I was reminded of each of these elements, but more importantly, was reminded to take time to immerse myself in story presented - to hear God’s call to worship, to praise the One who calls, to recognize my brokenness before Him, and then to hear his grace filled forgiveness. Then, having been brought into God’s presence, to be prepared to hear His word through scripture and preaching, and respond through accepting God’s presence in Holy communion and communicating with him in prayer, and, finally, to leave in blessing.
One of the things that particularly strikes me about this story - the characters are within the words and music on the pages or screens, but also within the people present as they recite and listen. It’s a story to be shared together and with all ages.
Most importantly Castleman shows how a good liturgy follows a story completely within God’s grace - both salvation and sanctification.
July 9, 2013
Castleman combines the shape of worship in both Old and New Testaments as well as its historical developments through the centuries, and does so in only about 200 pages. Most books on worship don't deal with the actual biblical texts systematically or chronologically and frequently overlook Old Testament worship, unless the Psalms and other selected texts get a special emphasis.
Many books on worship have an agenda, e.g., charismatic emphases, Reformed emphases, Catholic or Orthodox emphases, postmodern emphases, a move toward tradition, a move away from tradition. Castleman stays on track, and her emphases can be applied in any church setting.
Many books on worship have an agenda, e.g., charismatic emphases, Reformed emphases, Catholic or Orthodox emphases, postmodern emphases, a move toward tradition, a move away from tradition. Castleman stays on track, and her emphases can be applied in any church setting.
September 7, 2013
Good book for pastors, pastor-wanna-bes, worship leaders, etc.
The full review is on my blog:
http://mphilliber.blogspot.com/2013/0...
The full review is on my blog:
http://mphilliber.blogspot.com/2013/0...
May 6, 2014
Totally awesome, Scriptural, and well written!
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