The training of the devotional life

Front matter

TSheTRAININGOFTHE DEVOTIONAL LIFE

Bonk [A4 r

GcpightK?.

Introduction

volved, like other problems in religious education, has to do with aim, materials, and methods, and is of sufficient importance to justify separate consideration by teachers and parents desiring to become skilled in the fine art of religious nurture.

Training of the devotional life seeks specifically to establish the conscious relationship of the individual child to God and to develop the attitude of reverence, adoration, and trust toward God and good will, sympathy, and service toward people. It seeks further to develop appreciation for moral and ethical ideals and stimulates aspiration to Christlikeness in character and conduct. The material available for this training includes prayers, hymns, devotional and Scriptural passages, and ritual forms. The method of training has to do with the selection of materials adapted to the age of the child or group, the arrangement and direction of the program for the actual service of worship, together with the accompanying interpretation necessary in order to achieve the desired result in the deepening and enrichment of the religious experience of the pupil.

These are matters to which consideration is given in this textbook, a unit in the second year of a three years' course, "Training for Leadership," and is intended both for teachers in service and for training classes in the Young People's Department of the Sunday school. It should further serve a wider circle of readers and home students, especially among pastors and parents desiring help in their work of ministering to the devotional life of children and young people. The Editors.

Contents

Chapter Page

I. Need and Place for Woeshe? 9

II. The Nature and Elements of Worship 16

Chapter I Need And Place For Worship

There are a number of steel filings on a board. A large magnet is placed near them, and instantly every atom of every fragment feels the pull of the silent, insistent call and, yearning to answer, hurries to bring itself into vital touch with the magnet.

The Universality of Worship

In like fashion all peoples of all ages and lands have felt the silent, insistent call of God and have tended to make response to this call by some form of worship. Many of the myths and traditions that have come to us from the earliest times deal with man's conceptions of deity and with his attempts, more or less crude, of entering into communion with his deity, while records of later times show formulated systems of religion and established modes of worship. Hence we find that every tribe and nation upon earth at the present time evidences this universal need for communicating with a superior being and provides means or avenues through which this being may be approached.

In this connection it may be noted that when the heathen nations worship their idols of wood and stone they are obeying the same instinct which urges the Christian to worship the Triune God. They are reaching out after the true God, but because of ignorance they worship false and hideous conceptions of him. Their devotional life expresses itself in superstitious belief in "luck" emblems, charms, fetishes, and in revolting and degrading rites, instead of in the pure and lofty ceremonial of true worship.

Not only is there universal need for worship among all peoples, but it is evident that this social consciousness of need grows out of the universal need of the individual. This need of the individual for worship is evidenced in many ways. It is often revealed in an emergency or in a time of danger, when under normal conditions it does not appear. A person who spent many weeks in a hospital had occasion to note this. It mattered not whether a patient were American or foreign, white or colored, man or woman, saint or sinner, when in extremity of pain or grief he called upon the name of the Lord. It may, perhaps, be safely stated that the person who does not turn to God in emergencies and who instead assumes the demeanor of a stoic has at some previous time deliberately inhibited the Godward impulse.

That a consciousness of God is racial and therefore instinctive in the individual may be illustrated by the experience of Helen Keller. When she was told of God and of his love and power, she said : "I have always known him, but I did not know his name." Without sight, hearing, and speech, yet she had within her capacity for true worship.

However imperfect its expression, however much 10

NEED AND PLACE FOR WORSHIP

in need of guidance and instruction, the human heart instinctively joins in the cry of the Psalmist: "O come, let us worship and bow down ; let us kneel before Jehovah our maker." "O worship Jehovah in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth."

If it be admitted that the need for worship is universal, we may now consider the place that it may hold in the life of a nation, of an individual, and in religious education.

Place of Worship in the Life of a Nation

No one can doubt that religion expressed through worship forms an important part of tribal or national life. When a people accepts the same God and has similar forms of worship, a unity of spirit results which can be secured in no other way. Among the American Indians the tribe centered in large measure around the medicine man and his crude but stately religious ceremonies, while African tribes in similar fashion center around the witch doctor, with his fetishes and incantations. The unifying effect of a common worship upon a nation was recognized by Jeroboam, king of Israel. After the formation of the northern kingdom he realized that if the people continued to go to Jerusalem to offer sacrifice, an independent national spirit would not be easily developed. So he established religious centers within the territory of Israel and persuaded the people to assemble there for worship. A strong factor of national unity in Mohammedan lands is the daily prayer of the faithful with their faces toward Mecca. In our own land national life is unified by that faith in God which expresses itself in social worship in the home and the church. The general observance of Thanksgiving Day and the response to the call for the people to observe special hours of prayer are striking instances of national unity secured through worship.

In the next place, the modes of worship approved by a people serve as an index to its ideals and standards and in turn tend to perpetuate these ideals. When the Hebrew nation entered heartily and sincerely into the service of worship prescribed by the law of Moses, the ideals and standards of its national life were pure and lofty. When this service was corrupted and the priests offered "polluted bread" with the "blind, the lame, and the sick" upon the altar of Jehovah, the corrupted ideals of the nation were made more permanent by being thus expressed in its worship. W T hile the vicious and degrading rites of Baal worship reflected the lowered ideals of the chosen people, these rites also continually tended to keep their ideals permanently lowered. When a good king arose and the groves and altars of Baal were destroyed and the worship of Jehovah was reestablished, the nation's ideals became loftier and finer. Thus we may conclude that no nation can preserve right standards and attain to its highest development unless true worship has large place in its life.

The Place of Worship in the Life of the Individual

We shall now consider briefly the place filled by worship in the personal life. The intellect of every individual is capable of a cold, dispassionate belief

NEED AND PLACE FOK WORSHIP

in God. Worship is the process by means of which this intellectual belief is transmuted into a vital religious principle and acquires the added elements of love and trust. A conception of God which holds him as remote and untouched by human need as the law of gravitation is thus changed by communion with him into that which recognizes him as the Heavenly Father who loves and cares for his child.

Again, it is through worship that the individual keeps God in his thought. Without constant communion with the Father the "care of the world and the deceitfulness of riches," with the manifold interests and pleasures that life brings, will inevitably crowd out the consciousness of God and of his presence.

Lastly, it is by means of association or companionship with God through worship that the Christian grows by degrees into his likeness. Just as a loving child through his companionship with a wise and tender parent will absorb the ideals of that parent and make them his own, so the Christian through worship will come into vital touch with the personality of the Father and will reflect in his own life those ideals which found expression in Jesus Christ.

The Place of Worship in Religious Education

Since worship has an important place in national and individual life, it is evident that its value will be fully recognized by every adequate system of reli gious education. Any consideration of the whole matter of religious education will show that the Church has not fully apprehended the modern conception of its province and objectives. This lack of understanding is much in evidence among Sunday school workers. Let us, then, outline briefly the aims to be reached by religious education through the Sunday school. It will then be possible to determine the place which may be assigned to worship among the agencies which promote the accomplishment of these aims.

There was a time when the chief function of education in the Sunday school was presumed to be the promotion of Bible study. If the child were taught the facts of the Bible and some catechetical statement of doctrine or Bible truths, the task undertaken by the Church was considered well done. The modern conception of the matter is that the child through the processes of religious education is to be brought into consciousness of his relation with the Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ and led to express his religious life through service. The cultural means to this end may be considered in two groups. One group consists of those things which are used primarily to impress the child's thought and feeling ; the other consists of various modes by which impressions may be expressed. In the first group may be included courses of Bible and correlated lessons; and in the second prayer, praise, giving, and service, with other means of securing expression. It is to be noted that these groups inevitably blend into each other. When a child has had a desire to worship awakened in him and expresses this impulse in prayer or praise, that act of expression deepens the impression already made. No one can deny that the part of the educational process which deals with expression is as important as that which deals primari-

NEED AND PLACE FOR WORSHIP

ly with impression. In other words, leading the child to know the Father, training him in worship, is equal in importance to the teaching of the Word. It will thus be noted that worship naturally holds large place in the processes of religious education and challenges the earnest attention of the thoughtful educator and of the Church.

In succeeding chapters will be considered in detail the various aids to the devotional life and the ways through which this life expresses itself in worship, the highest exercise of which the human spirit is capable.

1. Give an original illustration of the fact that the need for worship is universal.

2. What is proved by this universal need for worship?

3. How does neglect of worship by an individual affect his religious development?

4. Why are many Churches not providing proper training in worship for their children and young people?

5. Classify the reasons just given.

6. Which are causal, and which are merely effects?

7. How may these difficulties be overcome?

Chapter II The Mature And Elements Of Worship

What Is Worship?

It is defined as the act of paying divine honors to a deity believed to be supreme. It is, therefore, not peculiar to Christians. In all lands, from the time of primitive peoples down to the present, we find traces of men's efforts to express their religious feelings. Nor have these untutored peoples been lax in their religious observances. In fact, it is their religious Ibeliefs which have really governed their whole lives. Even to-day the ceremonial laws which have to do with eating and drinking and with all social relations are observed so strictly that these peoples are virtually slaves to their religion.

Differences between Pagan and Christian Worship

It is in the attitude toward worship that we find one of the chief differences between primitive religions and the Christian religion. St. Paul may have had in mind the burden placed upon the man who was obliged to observe the minutest details of the many ceremonial laws when he wrote: "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law."

Another difference between primitive religions and the Christian religion lies in the method of communication with the deity or deities worshiped. Savage peoples have not learned, as have we, to know the character of God — that he is unchangeable, that he can do no wrong, and that he loves truth and jus-

THE NATURE AND ELEMENTS OF WORSHIP

tice. We know that certain actions, because of their very nature, are in harmony with his will, while others are not. But the untutored man has no written record of revelation, knows little of the laws of nature, and must, therefore, inquire in each particular instance what is the will of the gods. The routine work of daily life cannot be undertaken without consulting them or sacrificing to them. It is said that the Pueblo Indians were much surprised to see the white settlers plant corn without any religious ceremony, and their surprise was even greater when they saw that good crops were produced.

Some peoples have erected statues of enormous size to express their ideas of the greatness of their gods. Other statues show an effort to express power and still others serenity, a spirit undisturbed by the changes of the external world. But, no matter how imperfectly it has been expressed, it is the thought of the divine, the idea of God in the soul, that has inspired progress by means of ideals toward which men strive and will ever continue to strive with constantly increasing reward.

Thus Christ did not come to make men more religious, but to give them the highest form of religion. And the Christian missionary to-day who goes to the non-Christian peoples of the earth does not go with a spirit of intolerance, but rather with sympathy for those for whom he labors, recognizing the sincerity of their searchings after the Infinite, endeavoring to build upon the knowledge of God which they already possess and giving them a purer and more spiritual form of religion.

2 17

What Is Christian Worship?

In the sense in which we as Christians know it, worship consists of more than specific acts; it is rather an attitude, an emotion which pervades the whole self. And specific acts of worship are but a form of expression of the desires and aspirations which are constant in the heart. Expression is, however, necessary to the strengthening of these emotions. We have seen that the desire to communicate with the Divine Spirit and to honor him is common to men ; but, in order that they may receive the greatest benefit from worship, the native impulse must be intelligently directed and encouraged.

Essential Elements of Christian Worship

Perhaps the first essential to worship is a realization of the nearness of God; and Christian worship differs from that of other religions in that we are taught that God is always with us, that the divine Power whom we approach is always accessible, that he does not have to be propitiated by offerings nor urged to be gracious, but that he is ever ready to hear our prayer. And, more than this, he even offers himself. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock : if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him." (Rev. iii. 20.) This characteristic is peculiar to the Christian religion. In no other are men taught that God seeks them because of his love for them and his desire to have them live righteous and holy lives. We have in the traditional language of worship many expressions of beseeching and entreaty, as if man desired good things more than

THE NATURE AND ELEMENTS OF WORSHIP

God desired theru for him; but these expressions do not really belong to Christian worship.

Another essential element of Christian worship is a realization of the character and attributes of God — his holiness, his goodness, his justice, and his loving-kindness. St. Francis of Assisi spoke of his divine bounty whereby the rain falls on the just and on the unjust, and the sun shines on the evil and on the good, as "the great courtesy of God." If these thoughts of God fill the mind, worship will be reverent. A sense of awe, wonder, adoration, and thanksgiving will fill the heart, and it will echo the words of the Psalmist : "What shall I render unto Jehovah for all his benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of Jehovah." "O that men would praise Jehovah for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men !"

In the presence of God, man will also feel a sense of humility. He will be made conscious of his needs and will desire to ask God for help and strength. Or it may be that there will be revealed to him a sense of guilt for some sin committed, and, grieved and ashamed, he will wish to ask forgiveness.; for true worship must always be sincere and whole-hearted. The Psalmist recognized this when he said : "If I regard [harbor] iniquity in my heart, Jehovah will not hear me." Prayers for forgiveness are sometimes offered by those who harbor an unforgiving spirit. If, however, a man really feels the weight of his own sin and earnestly desires to be forgiven, it will be impossible to be unforgiving toward others.

The Social Aspect of Worship Worship has a social as well as an individual aspect. We know that the ear of God is open to the cry of the individual, that neither the force nor the influence of numbers is needed to bring pressure to bear upon him ; but we know also that certain conditions, both within ourselves and in our environment, assist or hinder, as the case may be, our communion with God. In seeking God's gifts, his favor, his spirit, we desire them not for ourselves alone, but also for our friends, our community, and for all people. The highest religious values and greatest blessings cannot be realized by the individual alone. They must be realized by a group seeking together and working toward the same ends. A sense of fellowship is, therefore, the greatest of all aids to worship. A conscious harmony prevailing among a group of worshipers produces a feeling of kinship and comradeship. It not only greatly enhances the sense of rest and elevation which accompanies worship, but gives a desire to promote the welfare of the group, to assist any who may be weak or in trouble, and to share the joy of those who rejoice. In fact, worship may be regarded as the highest social fellowship and its chief purpose the cultivation of Christian attitudes of mind and heart toward God the Father and toward all his creatures.

Worship together in a united family group or in the services of the Church or Sunday school gives an inspiration for practical effort that does not come in the same measure from worship alone. It also serves to strengthen our purposes, just as the courage of a company of soldiers acting in concert becomes many

THE NATURE AND ELEMENTS OF WORSHIP

times as great as the sum total of the courage of each individual soldier. Jesus said : "If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done" — not because of greater willingness on the part of the Father, but because those who are "agreed" will work with redoubled energy to create conditions which will make possible the answer to their prayer.

The Right Atmosphere for Worship Wherever a service of worship is held, it is, of course, of the utmost importance that the leader or those in charge should see that conditions are such that the worshipers will be free from disturbance. If the majority of a group is restless and inattentive, it is difficult for the minority to derive much benefit from the service. Especially is this true in the Sunday school, where the worshiping group is composed of children not yet able to exercise much voluntary control over their thoughts. They cannot give attention to the leader simply because they are asked to do so or have been taught that they should. All the influences of the school should unite to assist the worshiper — the music, the decorations of the room, and the behavior of older members. Above all, there should be a recognition of the presence of God and of the purpose for which the school has assembled — namely, to learn about God, to speak with him as a company of his children, and to listen to his voice as he speaks through music, the words of Scripture, and the beautiful thoughts and emotions that fill mind and heart.

It is not always easy to take one's thoughts from 21 the paths they have been following and enter heartily into a service of worship. The leader should recognize this and should carefully plan to lead the group into a frame of mind that will enable them to appreciate and receive help from such a service. In one Sunday school this frame of mind is secured through the processional by which the children enter the main auditorium for their service of worship to the deep-toned but inspiring music of the church organ. In one home the family worship is a source of inspiration and real joy to the members of the family and to the friends who occasionally share this service with them. At the close of the evening meal one of the daughters goes immediately to the piano and, while the other members of the family are assembling in the living room, plays one or two devotional hymns. Then a hymn is sung, and when at its close the family kneel together for the prayer the minds of all have been attuned to worship.

Neglect of Training in Worship

In closing this chapter we cannot omit an expression of regret that, great as is the recognized value of worship, there is now no other part of the program of the Sunday school which is so much neglected as is the service of worship. In fact, in a very large number of schools — perhaps in a majority of them — there is no spirit of worship and no attempt to give instruction or training in worship. The first half hour after the school assembles is given to "opening exercises," in which hymns selected at random are sung, Scripture passages from a lesson leaf or hymn book are read responsively by the leader and the few

THE NATURE AND ELEMENTS OF WORSHIP

pupils who are sufficiently interested to find the page, a prayer is offered in words which the children are unable to comprehend, announcements are made, and the groups of children separate noisily to go to their various classes. There is disorder and confusion such as would be tolerated in none but a Sunday school. At Christmas time Christ's birthday is celebrated by having as the chief attraction a "Santa Claus" who behaves like a clown.

Lack of Reverence among Young People

Those to whom local Churches look for leadership have become careless or have themselves lacked training; and children are seldom taught the sacredness of the Church, the Bible, the Lord's day, or the sacredness of the body and the duty of keeping it clean and pure, and of life itself as a gift of God for the use of which we are accountable to him. Such teaching as we urge does not mean slavish adherence to the letter of the law, but a just appreciation of and regard for the things that have proved to be of abiding value. In one of our most progressive States a minister who has the oversight of rural Churches testifies that the lack of reverence among children and young people in the communities he visits is appalling. In failing to give the young people this element, which is a vital part of education and one of the things which makes life noble and great, the parents, teachers, and leaders whom they have trusted as guides are guilty of denying them a most important part of their heritage.

What May Be Accomplished

It shall be our purpose in the chapters which follow to show what has been accomplished by the few schools that have regarded seriously the importance of training in worship and by those who have realized the great opportunity afforded by the Sunday school. It is possible to make this period in the Sunday school service the one most enjoyed and appreciated by the children. It is possible, with the aid of a helpful environment, wise and sympathetic leadership, and the use of appropriate hymns, psalms, and prayers, to lead the little child to the Father and to observe the gradual unfolding of the religious life, the impulses toward which are inherited, but need to be directed, strengthened, and given opportunity for expression. It is possible to note in these children the transformation of thoughts and ideas into ideals toward which they strive and to see young people become more and more responsive to those things which the human race has found to be of greatest worth.

1. In what respects does Christian worship differ from pagan worship?

2. May there be a difference between a religious man and a Christian man?

3. If so, which is the better man?

4. What does the word "Christian" mean?

5. Is there a lack of reverence in your Church?

6. If so, what is the cause?

7. What can you do to improve conditions?

8. What differences will a generation trained to appreciate and to participate in a service of worship make in your Church?

Chapter III The Kinds Of Prayers Men Offer

Why Do Men Pray?

"We hear in these days of scientific enlightenment a great deal of discussion about the efficacy of prayer; and many reasons are given us why we should not pray, whilst others are given us why we should. But in all this very little is said of the reason why we do pray. . . . The reason why we do pray is simply that we cannot help praying," wrote Prof. William James. In the preceding chapter we have discussed the universality of religion. We have seen that all men, even the tribes farthest removed from civilization, have some form of worship; and those who have studied carefully the nature and the laws of the human mind tell us that the wellsprings of religion are an integral part of human sympathies and emotions. Paul, preaching to the men of Athens, whom he called "very religious," told them that God had made men that they should seek after him, "if haply they might feel after him and find him." Jesus, quoting from the Psalmist, said, "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations" ; and in the erection of the Hebrew temple there was "the Court of the Gentiles," providing a place of worship for any stranger who might come to Jerusalem, it being taken for granted that he would wish to worship.

Involuntary Prayers

The prayers that are involuntarily offered because "we cannot help praying" are usually prayers for individual aid or protection. They are called forth, by some strong emotion, often that of fear. A recent photograph reproduced by some of the newspapers shows a group of African men, some with their faces bowed to the earth, others with hands raised toward heaven, the position of each indicating most intense earnestness in prayer. Above their heads can be seen an airplane, the first they have ever seen. An old sailor, whose life harmonized in but few respects with the teachings of Christ, used to tell to any who would listen a story of a time when the ship on which he sailed was wrecked, and himself and a few companions found themselves in a small boat in mid-ocean. Days and nights passed, and no ship appeared. Finally one of the number suggested that they all pray, and pray with all their might. The speaker led them, and they cried aloud to God. Before nightfall the captain of a passing ship discovered them and took them aboard. The old sailor always ended his story by saying: "Now, you may think what you like about prayer, but since then I've always believed there was something in it."

Selfish Prayers

Not unlike the prayers offered under stress or in time of peril are the prayers of children who ask and sometimes tease for material things they very much desire. One little girl was overheard to pray: "Please, please, please let me have this, and I won't ask you for anything more for a long time." Although couched in different language, the spirit of many prayers offered by adults is not different. They are largely petitions for gifts or favors and are