In every age and social setting, people use language, music, gesture, movement, visible signs and symbols, space, and time as means of worshiping God. The nonverbal aspects of worship are as important as the verbal. Christian worship engages all our senses as we receive the arts, which touch the deepest parts of our lives. In this new century, we have a marvelous opportunity to use the arts of many cultures in our worship services. God created a wondrous diversity of humanity.
Christian worship requires a deep social memory.
What we sing and preach and pray connects us with the whole of creation, with the liberation of the children of Israel, and with all who love God. The essential elements of prayer, Scripture, proclaiming Christ, eating and drinking the Holy Meal in his name, giving and receiving, forgiving and being forgiven, seeking justice and mercy, and practicing hospitality and healing must be kept alive in the hearts and minds of worshipers. The memory of human suffering and pain must be kept, along with the dangerous memory of Jesus and the communion of saints. At the same time, the practice of remembering must find ways to express the memory in ways that connect with new generations. Christian worship must learn from the human heart.