by L. Charles Jackson (Author)
Jesus did not say "take and think." He said "take and eat." This is embodied worship. It includes gestures, rites, kneeling, raising hands, and of course eating and drinking a holy meal with God. These activities are liturgies. Liturgy is the physical, embodied activity of worship--it's what we do in worship--everyone has a liturgy! As such, worship is the church's primary means of discipleship. Instead of fearing to kneel because it's "Roman Catholic," or fearing to raise your hands because it's "Pentecostal," perhaps we should simply see what God recommends in the Scriptures--then without fear and by faith (at the appropriate time) start kneeling, raising our hands, and eating a covenant meal with God (on a weekly basis). The hope is to replace a fear-driven approach to worship with a faith-driven, embodied worship that offers deep, robust, and beautiful worship experiences combined with the hope of great blessings. In doing so, we hope for nothing less than a new reformation--a reformation in worship.
Author Biography
Charles Jackson is principal and professor of historical theology at Knox School of Theology in Mbale, Uganda. He works as a missionary at Knox for the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Jackson has almost thirty years of pastoral and academic experience. He is the author of Faith of Our Fathers: A Study of the Nicene Creed; Bible Studies in Ruth; and Riots, Revolutions, and the Scottish Covenanters: The Work of Alexander Henderson.