Evangelicalism today is in a liturgical quandary. Some believe that the essence of worship is teaching. For others the essence is praise. Yet others are interested in recovering the Lord's Supper as central. But the worship God appoints in the Bible is far more than all of these. Biblical worship is God's renewing the covenant with His people.
On the Lord's Day, the Day of the Lord, God comes to His people to renew His covenant with them. God renews His covenant by sacrifice, and so worship is sacrificial: We are united to Christ and become living sacrifices. A study of the covenant renewing events in the Bible can teach us about the order of worship, and we find the same patterns in the sacrificial service of Israel. Such patterns should instruct us as we offer our sacrifices of praise.
In this stimulating book, Reformed liturgical scholar James B. Jordan boldly attacks both many contemporary trends and certain hoary traditions of evangelical worship. Jordan calls for a return to the careful study of what the whole Bible says about worship, and particularly of what the Bible says about covenant renewal. Perhaps Jordan's most controversial point is his insistence that worship is private time between Christ and His bride, and should not be confused with evangelism.
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