Sunday Service

SUN., SEPT. 9, 1990, 6:14 AM
FARM, STUDY

A rather regular Sunday experience for you is the service of worship. Today you shall help lead that service at your church, so wouldn’t it be fine if I offered you some insights on this both normal and expected experience? Count on Me!

Sunday is the Christian Sabbath. It is a bit strange that the notion of a sabbath or a seventh day for resting and worshipping came from the first Genesis story of creation, but Christians use Sunday for this remembrance – the first day of the week. But it is of no great consequence. Always remember that I operate in timelessness, so the human concerns for exact time are unimportant to Me. (Consider last week when you woke up too late to make the plane in St. Louis. You did not look at your watch until you were close to the airport. That gave Me a chance to apply a bit of timelessness to your trip. That was a slight miracle, because I did want you to be there. Just a small digression.)

Before the service there is the gathering of the people. From a human perspective it is good to be welcomed. There are designated greeters, but I find it good that you like to greet people unofficially, and welcome them to the “temple.” Then comes the organ prelude, and I like it best when this is a quiet part of the service… a true prelude to worship rather than a time for more conversation.

Commence the formal worship service with a rising hymn, the opening sentences offered in a joyful fashion, and then a full hymn. Then comes the statement of need for forgiveness, the supplication for grace and atonement, and the assurance that I am the One who does forgive. (This knowledge does make studying the Book of Ezekiel a bit tiresome, I realize.) Then your part is done for a time.

The value in the children’s time up by the altar is in reminding the adult congregation that the church will continue because there are children who learn of their heritage. You note the strength of the Christian commitment in your secular students, and this should urge you to muse that much of this comes from earlier childhood experiences in the church rather than present active involvement. Thus, the other value is in the children feeling that they are a part of this congregation because the minister takes time to talk with them. Attention to what he is saying isn’t critical. The symbolism is.

It always is important for you to read the Scripture passages before the service (and this will be easy today) and then again along with the preacher. Your feeling that the Scripture passages tend to be too brief and rather irrelevant to the sermon is a valued one. Do what you can, in your own mind and spirit, to relate the texts to the sermon message. I urge you to pay more attention to the sermon message than you typically do. The preacher has spent time and used his education to develop the sermon, so… be a better “consumer” of this morning message.

Lead the worshipers in the unison statement of the creed and be aware of what you are saying that you believe. After the announcements comes a time of prayer, and I like the notion of going into this prayer time with a merry heart. You are a merry Christian, so you should try to bring others along this path also. Offer the prayers with sincerity and a certain amount of spontaneity. I shall hear them, never you fear. Ask for the offering with verve, even though this won’t make much actual difference in what is given. Lead the final unison prayer sprightly, and with thankfulness.