Why Worry About Worship?

             Sometimes our lives become repititious. We get up, have coffee, go to work, come home, eat dinner, television, televison, bed. Tomorrow same thing. When in church, worship should be a balance between expectation, and the un expected.. meaning allowng God to say what he wants to say, versus our own forced perception of His messages. I have learned from my friend Tim that preparing for a service is what makes the presider "tune in". In many congregations, and many faith communities we have become used to our worship formats. This is good for new comers in some ways. Routines can give comfort. Never trying new worship avenues however, is not healthy. As our congregations grow, we need to try to experince God in different settings. Sometimes simple things such as moving the candle lighting before the offering, or having prayer requests after the invocation, can be the breath of fresh air we need. We don't have to toss all traditions out to experience new things in worship. Coming to care about our worship is an essential part of healthy congregational life.

                 To often when we get entrenched in a routine, we let our preparation go. This is a result of knowing each part of the service before we open the bulliten every Sunday. We also need to look deeper into our congregation's wealth of talents! There are many people who sit Sunday after Sunday wondering if they mean anything to their congregation. This is particularly true in larger congregations, where there are many preisthood memebers, and many members who don't get to use their ministry often. Yes I said member, and ministry. Members have a unique ministry in inviatation, and service to one another. Having a good discussion with the speaker can help you know what kind of servcie format will best work with the message. Having a few weeks worth of past bullitens can also tell you who may, or may not, be participating in worship. If someone doesn't want to do what we ask, I always follow with " no problem, is there something you might like to do?", it opens the door for future sharing, rather than slam it shut.

          My friend Tim and I did a contemproary program for a year. Although we used a particular form of preaching called "lessage" or lesson-meesage, the service formats were built around the various talents of the group. Tim built in scripture and video combonations, and some Sundays he used simple slides to display the worship's flow. Without many hours of work though, we could have fell into what some church folks jokingly call a "hymn sandwich".  I want to recognise that many congregations are small, some people are so burned out, routine is all we can do. I offer this advice out of the love of my heart. Borrow away! Have guest speakers, guest presiders, and guest piano players. In our faith community We are not alone. There is a helping hand from ministers in larger congregations who wait to help you. For those who have free time they wish to fill, call other pastors who are close, and lend a hand. The work of worship can be tiring, but preparation, planning, and sharing our gifts can be just the blessing you and your congregation have been waiting for!