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{"id":2702,"date":"2007-06-29T01:30:39","date_gmt":"2007-06-29T06:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/community\/jesuscreed\/2007\/06\/29\/friday-is-for-friends-47\/"},"modified":"2007-06-29T01:30:39","modified_gmt":"2007-06-29T06:30:39","slug":"friday-is-for-friends-47","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2007\/06\/29\/friday-is-for-friends-47\/","title":{"rendered":"Friday is for Friends"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

We\u2019re back with Jon Wilson\u2019s fine book, Why Church Matters: Worship, Ministry, and Mission in Practice<\/a><\/em> \u2014 and this week we look at another chp on worship and it is about the significance of the Trinity for worship. Good topic.
\nDoes the Trinity really matter to your church? to you? Is this something we confess but not something that really does make a difference? Many theologians today would say most Christians are either functional deists \u2014 God is out there somewhere and we hope he shows up \u2014 or functional tri-theists \u2014 there are really three gods: Father, Son, and Spirit. Have we thought about this sufficiently? Jon Wilson points us to Roger Olson, Chris Hall, <\/em>The Trinity<\/a><\/em>. I\u2019ve not seen the book; I shall.
\nWilson\u2019s focus in this chp is to delineate the two primary traditions about the Trinity \u2014 the Western and the Eastern. Good. And to show how each shapes worship. Better.
\nAnd the Western tradition, ever following the trails charted by Augustine, has focused on the oneness-in-the-threeness<\/em>. This \u201crule of oneness\u201d puts to shame our tendency to see the majesty in the Father, the friendliness in the Son, and the emotional in the Spirit. God is not divided against Godself (this expression avoids the \u201chim\u201d in \u201chimself\u201d). This division of labor approach to the Trinity is called the \u201ceconomical\u201d Trinity.
\nSo, what about worship? He makes two points: first, Father, Son and Spirit are Trinitarian language. To convert this to Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier divides the persons of the Trinity against the Godself and turns the Trinity into a discrete and divisive division of labor within God.
\nThe Eastern tradition, ever following the early lead of John of Damascus, has focused on the threeness-in-the-oneness<\/em>. So, the focus is on the \u201csocial\u201d Trinity (vs. the economical Trinity). God is a family or a communion of persons in the Eastern tradition \u2014 where there is a dynamic life of mutual glorification and mutual love of one another.
\nSo, what about worship? If God is glorifying within the Godself, then worship is participation in the Father\u2019s, Son\u2019s, and Spirit\u2019s worship or it is not good worship at all. And, if God is ushering us into that very presence of threeness-in-oneness of never ending glorifying and loving, is not simply what we offer to God but what God is offering to the Godself!
\nThink about it \u2014 we are summoned into the glorious praise and intimate love of God. Now, that ought to get our weekend off on a right note!<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"