guarding the meaning

The way we speak about things reveals the heart behind the subject matter. There are a few words that make me shutter when people use them in reference to worship. Depending on the person and the situation, I may or may not correct someone. For instance, if someone refers to the musical part of a corporate worship service as the "worship" it may reveal that they don't find the preaching or reading of Scripture as worship. However, when someone turns over their life to Christ, their entire life becomes worship. So, worship is not limited to the singing part of a Sunday morning service, but includes most (I wish I could say all) of life. A definition of worship that I have come to use as my own is from Dr. Parrett at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. One of the ways he defines worship is "Bowing all that we are before all that He is." It's a life thing, not a singing thing. In his article "Defining Missional" in the Fall 2008 issue of Leadership, Alan Hirsch says:

"There are consequences when the meanings of words become confused. This is particularly true within a biblical worldview. The Hebrews were suspicious of images as conveyors of truth, so they guarded words and their meanings carefully. Part of theology, therefore, includes guarding the meaning of words to maintain truth within the community of faith."

I couldn't agree more

just so you know....
You are invited to share your thoughts, ideas, prayers, etc. on the sunday symposium posts...
"symposium - 1. A drinking together; a merry feast. -T. Warton. 2. A collection of short essays by different authors on a common topic; so called from the appellation given to the philosophical dialogue by the Greeks."
symposium. Dictionary.com. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary. MICRA, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/symposium (accessed: December 14, 2008)