A TIME FOR WORSHIP

From My Perspective - - -

Sunday should be a special day in the life of an individual. It was designed by God as a day for rest. It is also a day when Worship of God should be incorporated. Why? The traditional purpose and meaning is that it represents the day of the week when Jesus Christ was resurrected from among the dead. For this reason, the Christian Sabbath is designated as the first day of the week, The Lord's Day. The broader issue is that which God determined for the Sabbath Day and Worship of Him.

It is clearly stated in the fourth commandment – Exodus 20:8-11 – “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Deuteronomy 5:15 attaches an additional reason for the Sabbath, “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.”  

God has commanded a day to be set aside and observed regularly and faithfully. When Jesus Christ had a conversation with the woman at the well, the concept of Worship became central to that dialogue. The summary of it is stated in John 4:23-24, “…a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." It is apparent that worship is not something to be done occasionally. Worship should be done frequently and faithfully. A valid question can be asked in terms of how worship is to occur and what must be included in the set time when people gather for corporate worship. Basically, what are the necessary components in a worship service and who makes that determination? Those who do surveys and establish statistics regarding church attendance indicate that the Millenials and the Generation X groups are declining in many churches in our nation. A reason that is given by some is that a worship service is more boring than uplifting. Are they correct?

In the religious exercises in the context of a church, has a tradition and ritual emerged as something that must be observed at all times in order for worship to be valid? Why are some worship services as long as they are? What is the attention span of an attending parishioner? Why is it a requirement to sing all the stanzas of the Hymn selected? Does it add to the focus of the worship service? Is there a connection in a worship service with (a) the Hymns selected, (b) the choir anthem sung, (c) the responsive reading or the Scripture selections, (d) the Prayers offered, (e) the recitations included, and (f) the sermon preached – is it too parochial, too long, illogical, labored? Has the Minister/Pastor prepared a sermon properly? Did he prayerfully zero in on the conclusion and then build the sermon to arrive at that thrust and point? What is the one major truth one should learn and carry home following a worship service? As a person leaves the worship service, is he more inclined to acknowledge benefit and blessing, or to ask himself or anyone who is interested – so what?

The individual purpose for a person in terms of Sabbath observance and life commitment is given in Hebrews 10:22-26, “let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience…Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Find your way to a place of worship where God is the focus and the Word of God is faithfully proclaimed. Consider these things with me.