For: The Institute Of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt

Here is a brief reflection on some of the theological ideas related to God’s nature, His purpose in the world, and the role of human beings that I’ve been studying over the last few weeks on the Essentials Blue course:

God is the original and complete source of creation, justice, community and salvation. In choosing to make human beings in His image, [1] God crafted us to reflect His nature, back to Himself and to the world He created. All creation responds to God in worship but, as His image bearers, He has instilled in us innate beauty and value [2] and the understanding of why He is worthy to be praised. [3] Beyond merely recognising His superiority, we have the opportunity to invest in our song a deeper melody that resonates with the intimacy of relationship He offers us. With this comes the responsibility to live lives full of love, goodness, wisdom and creativity – all to the end of learning to rule and reign with the living Christ. [4]

The breach in relationship in the Garden of Eden resulted in us becoming broken, fractured images of our creator. In our human imperfection we always fall short of our holy intentions. God, in His mercy, provides a restoration promise that is woven into our past, present and future. He has been pursuing us throughout the biblical story: ‘We love Him because He first loved us.’ [5] That love has been a constant through all the times of separation and reconciliation with God throughout our history. In Jesus’ death and resurrection, God’s intention for us to be eternally reconciled with Him was made complete. This pivotal point in our eternal narrative is where God’s intention in creation was finally fulfilled, that His kingdom would come and His will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. [6]

At this point, the present and future move of God to right all that is wrong in this world began. [7] Instead of the presence of God residing in the temple, Jesus’ resurrection was the point where Heaven and Earth came together once and for all. [8] The kingdom of God; His rule and reign; is the means by which He is renewing and re-creating His people and the world in which we live. We play an active part in this because His Spirit dwells within us; [9] therefore Heaven and Earth meet in us. We are the agents in bringing His future Kingdom into the present.

Human history will resolve itself in fulfillment of our hope for shalom wholeness. Through Jesus we are being restored, to become fully alive, [10] glorifying the God whose image we bear. All things will be made right again. The unlimited intimacy of Eden (which we glimpse but fleetingly in the present) will be restored. We will know a new, amplified, glorious expression of our shared community as human beings; the communion we were made to have with God in all its fullness and goodness. [11] And until that day, we worship, and pray, and work, and proclaim, and celebrate. [12]

[1] Genesis 1:26
[2] Jean Vanier (Dan Wilt, Essentials in Worship Theology, The Nature of the Human Being (New Brunswick, Canada: Institute of Contemporary and Emerging Worship Studies, St Stephens University) 2008)
[3] NT Wright, Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense (San Fransisco: HarperCollins Publishers) 2006
[4] Dan Wilt, Essentials in Worship Theology: The Nature of Human Beings…
[5] 1 John 4:19
[6] Tom Wright, For All God’s Worth (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company) 1997
[7] Dan Wilt, Essentials in Worship Theology: The Nature of Human Beings…
[8] NT Wright, Simply Christian…
[9] John 14:17
[10] Irenaeus of Lyon
[11] Dan Wilt, Essential Worship Theology: The Nature of Worship (Audio)
[12] Tom Wright, For All God’s Worth…