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When we come to worship we are gathering with
other believing Christians and entering into the presence of
the Creator of all that is, offering a sacrifice of praise and
thanksgiving. Astonishing as it may be, God not only tolerates
our offering, but invites us into intimate communion. If there
was ever a cause for joy, no matter what the condition or circumstances
of the rest of our life may be at the moment, such a God-given
invitation should be it! No matter what size a congregation
may be; no matter how eloquent or simple the proclamation or
praise may be; no matter how old, how young, how blessed, or
how oppressed a particular church may be; when Christians gather
for worship, and that worship is truly focused on God, there
will be joy.
Praise and glory belong
to God
The very first words we utter in worship determine
the focus of the service. How did your worship begin last Sunday?
Were the first words spoken by the worship leader God's Word
or human words?
When hymns or choruses were sung, what did
the text describe? Was it praise, prayer, thanksgiving or lament
involving God — or were the words focused on the needs,
feelings or condition of people?
Was the Bible front-and-center in the sermon,
or was the sermon a message desperately seeking a Biblical text?
Many who lead worship feel an Emily Post-induced
compulsion to hospitality, welcoming "their gathered guests"
with a friendly "Good morning!" But the congregation
is not there to visit with the worship leader; the people have
come to worship God. Even worse than an innocent "Howdy!"
are the pre-packaged commercial liturgies that force those who
lead worship to pose unfortunate questions such as "Why
are we here?" (with an equally shallow printed response
demanded of the congregation), leaving religious skeptics and
the more astute believers in the congregation to think to themselves,
"If you don't know why we are here, we're in bad
shape already!"
From the call to worship to the benediction,
praise, honor, glory and power belong only to God. When we are
seeking the words to offer to God, God's Word is a wonderful
place to start.
God is here!
Don Hustad, a prolific writer and seasoned
worship leader, has suggested, somewhat whimsically, that a
banner should be displayed over the entrance to any place of
Christian worship reading, "Warning: God Is Here!"
Our worship as Reformed people is not only about God,
it is a direct response to God. As worshipers we must always
remember that God is truly present, active, and involved
in our worship, and that our worship is a response to
what God has done, is doing, and is about to do in our lives.
Remembering God in the
past
A poster text from several years ago read, "All I have
seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all that I have not
seen." Therein lies the truth of our initial response to
God in worship. Every Christian knows that God has played an
essential role in his or her life, shaping, forming, guiding
and directing them to the place they find themselves on the
day of worship. The liturgy itself calls us to actively remember
God's faithfulness, individually and collectively, as we offer
ourselves in praise.
We know this Biblical God through the
events outlined in Scripture, the stories we have read of the
lives of Christians from other times and places, and the testimonies
we have heard of God's activity in the lives of those around
us. As we come to worship, we trust God with our today
based on our knowledge of God throughout all those yesterdays.
Christian worship is where we remember God's
salvation most vividly. "Do this, remembering me."
Whether or not worship includes Christ's invitation to the Table,
when we worship, we remember.
Trusting God in the
present
Equally important in our worship is the act
of trusting the living God with the complexities of our present.
In response to God's faithfulness, and in
response to the redeeming work of Jesus Christ, true Christian
worship is punctuated with vivid reality. We earnestly confess
our ever-present sin, an essential part of worship for Reformed
Christians, and we hear God's assurance of forgiveness and peace.
We actively listen for the contemporary relevance of God's Word
by praying for the illuminating power of the Holy Spirit, also
a hallmark of Reformed theology shaping worship. After the Word
has been proclaimed, we gather the prayers of the church for
the very present and very real needs of the world around us,
seeking God's will, Christ's peace, and the Holy Spirit's power.
Following God into the
future
Finally, we offer our most radical act of
worship when we allow God to lead us out of the sanctuary and
back into God's world.
Like the disciples who followed Jesus off
the transfiguration mountain into a village where a child lay
dying, we Reformed Christians believe that our final act of
worship is found, not in the pews or even in the vestibule,
but in the streets, the malls, the offices and the schools throughout
God's world, where the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ is
simultaneously scrutinized, confronted, maligned and eagerly
sought.
Transformed and sent
forth
In the final portion of the Directory for
Worship, in the section titled "Ministry of the Church
in the World," we find these words, including Philippians
2:9-11: "In worship the church is transformed and renewed,
equipped and sent to serve God's reign in the world. The church
looks for the day 'when every knee shall bow, in heaven and
on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.'"
As we plan, lead, and participate in the worship
of Reformed Christians, may this always be so.
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