The Problem Is Not "Formalism"

Due to some of the exchange that's taken place on my facebook page regarding "Dead Formalism", i wrote a short piece there in the comments section and decided to make it a separate post here.

I think i need to explain that this is not limited to corporate worship... it's not even what i had in mind when i wrote it. This is about the heart. Jesus was quite clear when he talked about the uselessness of words uttered as if the word...s alone were sufficient for prayer. If you remember he castigated those who uttered "vain repetitious prayers." So does that mean using particular words more than once in prayer make the prayer a "vain repetitious prayer"? If so, then what are we to do with the prayer Jesus gave his disciples when his disciples asked him to teach them how to pray? Is that prayer (the Lord's Prayer) considered "dead formalism" or "vain repetition"?

Again, the issue is not with formalities... or lack thereof. Repetition itself is not the problem. And simply changing from one to the other (formal to informal or vice versa, repetition to wholly original or vice versa) is not the solution, either. The solution is getting one's heart right!

John Michael Talbot wrote a book called The Fire of God that i highly recommend. While he talks about various kinds of "fires" that can burn within us (and consume us!) he is talking about passion. It is *passion* that is the issue, regardless of the "form."

God gave us forms because we, ourselves as physical creatures in a physical creation, are creatures of form. Jesus came in "the form of man." Formal forms (formalism) are good.

"Dead" is the enemy, not formalism.