Our Journey into Worship

Dear Worshippers,

Do you think you have experienced all there is of God through your participation in corporate worship? In other words, do you think you have “arrived”? I certainly hope not, for there is always more of Him to see, and more of ourselves to surrender. We are on a journey, all of us at different places, but coming together to go deeper into our understanding of God, and our abandoning of ourselves. Though the journey is joyful, it can also be arduous.

For the next several weeks, I want to share a little bit of that journey the Lord is taking us on as a church. I think it is important for us to know where we are and where we are headed, if we have any hope of moving forward. Are you picking up on the movement theme here? Worship is a journey, from a life of rebellion to resignation, from self to Himself, from pandemonium to peace. Put on some comfortable shoes and we will journey on together.

This journey, or at least the place I feel we should start for now, begins with Pastor David’s annual report. He communicated that the Elders spent our annual Prayer and Planning Retreat in January talking about our corporate worship, enjoying a strong sense of unity and purpose. We affirmed that we were “walking” step in step with each other. Out of this meeting came a subcommittee which I chair that has been laboring to define our core values. It has been a very rewarding journey for us and each time we have brought our work back to the Elders, it has been confirmed.

In March, the Elders adopted this statement, “We are committed to worship the Lord corporately by giving Him the opportunity to reveal Himself and ourselves the opportunity to respond. When we gather to worship, all that happens should serve these two primary purposes, revelation and response.” This was very affirming because it is an adaptation of the vision God has given me for the worship life of our church, centered around these two words, revelation and response. I had wrestled through this process as to how to reconcile the vision while defining the essentials of worship in our church. This assured me that I was on the right path.

Another partial statement that the Elders considered at that meeting fueled the next part of the work for the committee. “We are committed to allowing these things to happen by…” The key word in this phrase is not committed, though it is powerful, but instead allowing. Even in our most recent meeting the committee discussed the word affirming and I had to explain the choice of that word. Next week I will attempt to explain that word choice to you, and continue to direct you along this path we are walking together. Thanks for taking the journey with me.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott