Prior Editions
June 6, 2005
The
Discipleship Adventure – Worship
This first part of the Discipleship Adventure
is what Bishop Schol calls Celebration or Faith Celebration.
At Christ Church, we most often use the word Worship.
In both cases it describes that time when the community, the
fellowship of believers, comes together to meet with God through its
worship. Bishop Schol is right
when he says that this is where the Discipleship Adventure begins.
This is where the purposes of God for the church begin to be lived
out.
As we love the Lord our
God, “with all of our heart, with all of our soul, and with all of our
minds;” [Matthew 22:37] we worship God in spirit and in truth.
Followers of Jesus magnify God’s presence.
As we experience God’s presence in worship and live all of life
as though it were worship, we begin the journey of faith.
But faithful worship is
more than just our chance to experience God and be touched by God.
Faithful worship is also a witness to those seeking a relationship
with God through Jesus Christ. As
the Body of Christ worships, she bears witness to the saving power of the
Gospel, to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, and the ever-present
God of Scripture. In short,
worship is a proclamation of the Good News [the Gospel] and as such is one
of the primary ways that God draws people to himself.
There is no greater, nor more powerful, evidence of the reality of
salvation than a church that worships God as though its life demands it.
Acts 2:28 says, “You
Lord, have made known the ways of life and make us full of gladness with
your presence.” Hence, the
emphasis on worship as celebration. Our
worship should be the victory of celebration over regulation.
The Kingdom of God is a party, it is not a Board meeting!
However, let’s keep in mind that not all of worship is joyful and
“upbeat.” Celebration is
not only the loud voices of praise that fill the heavenly courts.
Worship is also times of lament and sorrow as we turn to God for
answers. It is also times of
quiet stillness when our own wisdom fails us.
It can be times of ritual and solemnity when our own words seem
inadequate. Worship is
celebration, but it is also sorrow. Worship
is joy and praise, but it is also peaceful and silence.
We magnify God’s presence not only when we celebrate.
We magnify God’s presence whenever we turn heavenward for
guidance, counsel, and meaning.
Worship, faith
celebration, is a time to be touched by God in worship and a time to touch
God through worship. When we
worship we experience a kind of significance in God’s presence that it
is impossible to feel in any other way.
Godspeed,
Pastor John
Next: The Discipleship
Adventure continues through Fellowship!
Mid-Week
Musings
An
Occasional bulletin from Christ United Methodist Church