clayton faulkner

NT Wright – video by The Work of the People.

from The Work of the People.

Silence has long occupied an important role in both individual and corporate worship. Its presence implies the fulfillment of a biblical admonition: “The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him” (Hab 2:20). In some current worship practices, however, silence has become all but lost. Many churches whose worship is strongly influenced by revivalist traditions have dispensed with silence as “too liturgical.” Other contemporary
churches from a wide variety of denominational traditions, whose weekly worship practices have been shaped by either the demands of radio and television production or the influence of the television medium, have abandoned silence as a component of corporate worship from the mistaken assumption that it creates “dead time”—either in the broadcast/telecast of the service or in the flow of worship elements. To the contrary, appropriate moments of silence contribute to the rhythm of revelation and response in worship by providing “waiting space” for the revelatory work of God’s Spirit.

Furr, Garry, and Milburn Price. The Dialogue of Worship. Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, 1998, p. 12.

Given the clear precedent for the reading of scripture in wor-
ship, and given the importance attributed to scripture as the
“Word of God,” it seems curious that in a number of evangelical
churches the weekly reading of scripture is limited to a few verses
heard immediately before the sermon. By contrast, in other wor-
ship traditions one might encounter an Old Testament lesson, a
Gospel lesson, and an Epistle reading in the same service, as well
as the reading or singing of a psalm. For settings in which the
reading of scripture in worship is minimal in current practice, the
inclusion of additional readings would be appropriate. The use of
a lectionary can provide helpful guidance to the inclusion of a
wider scope of scripture readings.

Furr, Gary, and Milburn Price. The Dialogue of Worship. Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, 1998, p. 9.