Looking Forward to March 4 -- 2nd Sunday of Lent

The Scripture Readings this week are:

• 1 Chronicles 15:25-28
• Exodus 3:1-6
• Psalm 42-43 (Voices United p.768)
• Luke 4:14-20

The Sermon title is Worship, What is it Good for?

Early Thoughts: Every week people gather together to worship. Why? To what purpose? In many congregations there are [sometimes heated] discussions about the way we worship. Is there a right way and a wrong way?

Why do we worship? What is the point? How should we worship? Why are the various parts of a worship service there? Questions like these are frequently asked in churches all over the place. And they are questions that have many different answers.

There is no way to fully explain why we worship the way we do in one sermon. But we will explore the questions above and maybe some others. In the exploration we may well find that the answer to one will shape the answer to another.

We worship for many different reasons. We come to worship looking for different things. And what we seek to find will shape what we think is the “right” way to worship. How we find we can best meet God will determine what we think is appropriate and what is inappropriate.

There is a term used in the church -- "worship wars”. This refers to the fact that differing expectations about worship content and style can often cause great conflict within a congregation. This conflict often comes out in discussions about music but it can also touch on prayers, how Scripture is presented, what a good sermon is, on any part of the service. The problem is that both sides in these conflicts think they are right and the other is wrong.

But of course they are both right. And neither is wrong. It all depends on our own needs and tastes. This Sunday we will look at some of what shapes our worship services. And, as a speaker reminded me at a worship event a few years ago, what one person loves about worship (say a favourite hymn) may well be what another person can't stand.

Come and join in our discussion about worship. Just be prepared, the congregation will be invited to take part in the sermon!

--Gord