Biblical Modes of Worship (Part 4)

New Testament Hymns

In its own complex way, the Bible presents several facets of worship. As we behold the breadth of Scripture and the story of God and his people, we can witness five modes of worship that facilitate the meeting of God and his people. Join us for the next few posts to unpack these following five modes of biblical worship.*

• Tabernacle / Temple Worship

• Davidic Worship

• Synagogue Worship

• New Testament Hymns

• Heavenly Worship in the book of Revelation

Worship leaders today can embrace characteristics of worship from these biblical modes and prayerfully implement them with their leadership teams and know they're not just relying on what seems current.

Hymns, Songs, and ...Canticles?

The New Testament is full of hymns and songs - or canticles as the Church has termed them. We know Paul's beautiful discourse on the self-emptying humility of Christ in Philippians 2:5-11 is considered a hymn. Equally beautiful and lyric is his hymn about the deity of Christ in Colossians 1:15-20. If you take a look at both of these, you can see Paul is trying to convey theology that is deep, mysterious, and beautiful all in the text that could be used liturgically in worship. These hymns have a distinct, New Testament flavor in their sole focus on Christ. But what about a song or canticle that gathers up the spirit of the Old Testament and the story of Israel and looks forward to God's work of salvation in his son Jesus Christ?

One needs only to read the birth narratives of John the Baptist and our Lord Jesus Christ in Luke's gospel to see several beloved hymns that make use of Old Testament forms and capture New Testament content in a way that reflects God's breaking in and doing something new yet familiar. We see in this continuity of form and content the continuation of God's salvation for His people and an example for our own worship leading in the 21st Century.

Two canticles in particular give us a great example of New Testament hymns: Zechariah's Song and Mary's Song, commonly called Benedictus and Magnificat, respectively, based on their first words in Latin. Both of these hymns have been used widely in the Church's daily prayer, the Benedictus with its focus on the coming light of God in Christ is used most often in Morning Prayer, and the Magnificat with its focus on the mystery of the incarnation in Evening Prayer.

Benedictus

A little context is in order. You probably remember the story of John the Baptist's miraculous conception and how the Angel Gabriel announced this miracle to Zechariah while he was serving in the Temple at his appointed time (see Luke 1:5-25). Key to this story is that because he didn't believe Gabriel's announcement, Zechariah is mute for the entire period of John's growth in his mother Elizabeth's womb. Then, when the boy is born and everyone wants to name him Zechariah, his parents both insist his name is to be John. Immediately Zechariah's tongue is loosed, he is filled with the Spirit, and he sings the song or canticle we call the Benedictus:

68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,

for he has visited and redeemed his people

69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us

in the house of his servant David,

70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,

71 that we should be saved from our enemies

and from the hand of all who hate us;

72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers

and to remember his holy covenant,

73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us

74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,

might serve him without fear,

75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;

for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,

77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people

in the forgiveness of their sins,

78 because of the tender mercy of our God,

whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high

79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Lk 1:68–79, ESV).

Zechariah's song begins in a classic way for a son of Israel: "Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel." This general blessing is the way many Jewish prayers begin to this day. Following on the first several verses simply establish God's faithfulness to Israel, his mode of speaking through the Prophets, and that God's purpose from Abraham to David to Zechariah's day has been salvation - rescue for God's people: "...that we should be saved from our enemies and the hand of all who hate us ..."

Having established this continuity with God's purposes up until now, Zechariah's song takes a turn toward prophecy about his own newborn son John who would be called the Baptizer:

"And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways to give knowledge of salvation to his people...to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death" (77-79).

Wow! This baby is going to have a huge impact on the world around him. Moreover, his role will be like the Prophets who came before in that he's going to be preparing the way for the Lord, getting people ready who have lived and walked in darkness to behold a marvelous Light in Jesus Christ. And all of this is captured in a song.

What does this say about our faith? Can you imagine these rich images narrating the sung prayer of your people at a weekend service? Now, we know these particular verses are about John the Baptist, so we may be caught off guard wondering, "wait a minute, we're not worshiping John are we?" Of course not! But in reflecting on the ministry of this one who is greater than anyone born of a woman, we are drawn to the reality and person of Jesus. When we behold this holy one of God, we behold the Holy One of God, Jesus Christ.

So the canticle has a power not only to tell us something about God's work in his people, but to draw our focus, attention, and affection to himself - that's worship!

Magnificat

Similarly, the Magnificat plays a tremendous role in Luke's narrative of Christ's birth. Here the Blessed Virgin has heard the message given by the Angel Gabriel and she's now visiting her cousin Elizabeth, John's mother. Elizabeth realizes by divine revelation that Mary is full of grace, that in her womb is the savior of the world: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!" (Lk 1:42)*

Mary responds with her own song of praise:

46 “My soul magnifies the Lord,

47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.

For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his name.

50 And his mercy is for those who fear him

from generation to generation.

51 He has shown strength with his arm;

he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;

52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones

and exalted those of humble estate;

53 he has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

54 He has helped his servant Israel,

in remembrance of his mercy,

55 as he spoke to our fathers,

to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” (Lk 1:46–55, ESV)

Mary's song comes off as more personal than Zechariah. Notice her first person exclamations: "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant" (46-48). Clearly, Mary is experiencing the grace of God in a powerful, tangible way. Indeed, the eternally-begotten Son and Word of God is now conceived in her womb by the Holy Spirit. So, Mary's response shows us what it is to be Christian: truly, to have Christ alive in us. And her expression can teach us about worship - it can also teach our people of what deep worship looks like despite difficult circumstances.

She was humble, lowly, hungry, and she experienced how God was giving her good things in spite of her state. We hear her announcing the upside down nature of the Kingdom her Son will bring in its fullness: "he has scattered the proud...brought down the mighty ....exalted those of humble estate...filled the hungry....sent the rich away empty." And the context of this isn't simply justice, abstractly conceived and applied, but in the context of God's promises to his people and creation.

She was cognizant that all of this beauty, power, and redemption that would be wrought through her by God Almighty was perfectly in sync with God's promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the patriarchs.

Truly, Mary's song is prophetic in that it announces something that is coming and yet does so in a way full of continuity with God's character, his promises, his word, and his kingdom as experienced and expressed up until that point. And like Zechariah's song, Mary's calls us to something higher, something that draws our attention to the truly beautiful, good and true.

So, what do these New Testament canticles have to do with us in our day in and day out work as worship leaders? They beg the questions of content and continuity. Are we giving sung prayers to our people that point to, reflect on, and sing the glory of salvation in Christ alone? And, are we singing hymns, songs, and canticles that are rooted in the concrete, objective acts of God's salvation throughout time and space? Are our songs in continuity with the worship of God's people down through the ages?

*Elizabeth's greeting and epithet of Mary "full of grace" and phrases "blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb" is the basis for the prayer / hymn "Hail Mary." The Greek word transliterated charitou (full of grace) indicates one who is suffused with the uncreated life and overflowing energy of God. Grace here is not so much "God's riches at Christ's expense," but God's presence and life. Here, then, bearing in her womb the Son of God, she is truly "full of grace," of the life and presence of God. In this way, Mary is the first Christian.

The biblical mode of New Testament hymns show us how canticles can gather up the spirit of the Old Testament and the story of Israel and look forward to God's work of salvation in his son Jesus Christ, and thus give us the content and continuity of what focused worship could be in our own communities.