“Salvation’s Song” by Marcus Green - Survivor, Kingsway 2004

This is a book about worship. Marcus Green is the Vicar of Pontypridd in South Wales and is passionate about worship. He has been and still is a worship leader, in the sense that he leads worship in song using a guitar and/or keyboard but this book is not about that. This book is about what worship means and what it means to be a worshipper.   Of course one way or another everyone is a worshipper.   We all worship something.

This book examines these issues in two parts. Part one deals with the theological issues of sin, the cross, the Lordship of Jesus and the grace of freedom. The key for the Christian is whether or not the real object of our worship is God, if He is not then the object of our worship is an idol and we are involved in false worship.   Getting this fundamental thing wrong is the ‘common condition of humanity in a fallen world’ (p.38). Sin is wrong worship. Looking to Jesus and especially the cross as our example of perfect worship we learn that right worship changes our hearts because it encounters Jesus and his forgiveness. The empty tomb really does show us that Jesus is Lord of all things and recognising that he is Lord gives Him his proper place in our lives and so in our worship.    Recognising these two things changes us and  changes the values of our lives so that we really do discover what it means to live in the freedom of the Gospel.

Part two looks at worship especially through the eyes of Matthew’s Gospel and most especially through Matthew’s use of the Greek word proskuneo.    Here he examines the themes of worshipping the King, saying what you mean and meaning what you say, worship stories in scripture and in the lives of living Christians – including the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams – and worship as the big picture or main thing in the life of the Christian.

There is a clear teaching in this book that worship is really about the whole of your life and Green is able to communicate this message in a conversational style which is both engaging and helpful, especially when it comes to explaining difficult theological ideas in simple language. One comment by a friend of mine is typical of my reaction to this book – ‘Started Marcus’s book, Wow – why didn’t I think of that!’

This really is a book for everyone who is serious about living out their Christian faith in obedience to God’s command to worship Him.

Paul N Thompson