Worship








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Worship

For Jesus, personal worship and prayer were central to his daily living. Again and again we see him going off for a time of prayer (Matthew 14:23). By his example and instruction (Matthew 6:5-13), Jesus means to emphasize that personal worship and prayer are the very heartbeat of the life of the Christian in the world. Through personal devotional worship, we are strengthened and equipped to live our faith.

When we gather as a community, we worship. Since we are a people gathered by the Word, Word and Sacrament become the heart of our worship. As we hear the Word, as we share the Holy Sacrament, we celebrate “the almost and the not yet.“ Our worship as a community of faith gives praise and thanks to God: “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord, Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him“ (Colossians 3: 15-17). By our worship together as a community, we celebrate the triumph of our God over all the forces of evil. By our worship, we point one another to the source of our ultimate affection: God. By our worship, we proclaim to the world Christ’s death and resurrection.

Adapted from “Toward a Vision for Evangelism,” by Marta Poling-Goldenne and Ted Schroeder

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