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Archived 04/05: A Message From the Pastor
Rev. Alice Ann Bonham
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From the Pastor's Desk -- Worship the Lord with gladness; come into His presence with singing. (Psalm 100:2)
Have you ever wondered what worship really is or what it's supposed to be about? Have you ever looked the word up in a dictionary? We come together weekly (or most of us do most of the time) and worship, but do we really know what we're doing or why?The dictionary in the office (Concise Edition, Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language, published in 1956) defines worship like this: 1. a prayer, church service, or other rite showing reverence for a deity.I think that's a pretty good definition. The United Methodist Book of Worship defines worship this way: "Our worship in both its diversity and its unity is an encounter with the living God through the risen Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. When the people of God gather, the Spirit is free to move them to worship in diverse ways, according to their needs." I like this definition better. I had a class in seminary called "Theology and Practice of Worship." It was designed to help us understand why we do what we do in the context of worship. In that class I received a couple of definitions: "Christian worship is a dialogue between God and God's people." (I missed the author on this one.) "Public worship is what we say and what we do when we stand before God. We have an acute awareness of who God is and who we are. (Richard Davidson) I like these definitions too. As a class we talked about worship like this: Worship is what we do when the community comes together. God is both the subject and object of worship. Worship is formative for the Christian community and the individual Christian. We worship because God created us to worship. Worship has a mysterious nature. We worship to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. This is a lot of information, and I think it's good stuff. Now if you've managed to hang with me so far, you may be wondering why I've given you all this information. After all, we worship together weekly and everything's okay. Well, I hope that's the case. However it has come to my attention that some of the new things I've started are not truly appreciated by everyone. For that I am sorry. I wish it were possible that everything I do would be pleasing to everyone, but I don't imagine that will happen until Christ comes again. :) In particular there are some who don't like the modern praise music (I say "modern" because all church music is praise music.) that I've selected to be played prior to the start of the worship service. On the other hand several folks have come to me to tell me how much they enjoy the music and wish it were played much louder. I also know that many of you truly appreciate hearing June play before the worship service (so do I), but during Choir season, it's hard for her to rehearse with the Choir and get into the sanctuary in time. (Bi-location is a skill that neither June or I have learned yet.) I believe that all of the definitions and thoughts that I've given you are true about worship We do worship to glorify God and because we were created to do so I also know that worship is as individual as the individual worshipper. What we have to figure out is how to worship together so that we all have the opportunity to "Worship the Lord with gladness ...." One of the ways we do that is through an idea called "mutual sacrifice." What I mean by mutual sacrifice is that we all are willing to put up with things we don't like, because someone else does In practice is works like this, if we're singing or listening to a song that isn't helping you to worship, instead of fussing about it, offer up a prayer for those who are worshipping in that experience. Those folks will, in turn, offer up a prayer for you during another part of the service. In this way, we will all experience worship that is formative for us a community and as individuals. If at anytime you have a concern about anything that happens in the context of worship, please bring those concerns directly to me. I do the planning for the weekly worship services. If, for some reason, I am unavailable, talk with Joanne G. Joanne is the chair of our Worship committee. Joanne and the rest of the committee help with the broad picture ideas and special events that happen in worship, and I am extremely grateful for their dedication. I cannot address your concerns or answer your questions if I don't hear from you. I admit, we might not come to an understanding, but the conversation is still important. Worshipping with this congregation is one of the highlights of my week. I am truly grateful that God brought us together. Let us continue to worship Him with gladness and music, praise and joy, prayer and laughter, together. In Christ's great love, Pastor Alice Ann |
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