A History of Worship

Robert Webber offers an interesting, albeit brief, history of worship: From Jerusalem To Willow Creek. He has this quote from Justin Martyr describing a worship gathering in the second century:

And on the day called Sunday there is a meeting in the place of those who live in cities or the country, and the memoirs of the Apostles or the writings of the prophets are read as long as time permits. When the reader has finished, the president in a discourse urges and invites us to the imitation of these noble things. Then we all stand up together and offer prayers. And, as before, when we have finished the prayer, bread is brought, and wine and water, and the president similarly sends up prayers and thanksgiving to the best of his ability, and the congregation assents, saying the Amen; the distribution, and reception of the consecrated [elements] by each one, takes place and they are sent to the Absent.

He also describes the order of service coming out of the eighteenth century as "singing, preaching, and invitation."

As for the "future" (Webber's article dates back to 1992), he writes:

In the future I see a return to early Christian worship—rooted in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; having a balance of both Word and Table; seeking both intimacy and theater; and involving the people in a more participatory way.

I call this convergence worship. It is a worship full of promise because in it God speaks and acts, and the people respond. It is a worship that is not done to the people or for the people, but by the people.