Dear friends,
Over the last 50 years, the word Worship has been taken hostage by some of the Christian world and unhelpfully redefined. These days, when we speak of Worship what most readily comes to our minds is singing in church; and yet, according to the Bible, our Worship of God is to be so much grander.
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship.” Romans 12:1
“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice (worship) of praise – the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” Hebrews 13:15-16
Submission to Jesus as Lord and Saviour is the fundamental act of worship. Attending and participating in congregational gatherings is a necessary ongoing expression of that but we also need to see afresh that sharing the gospel with unbelievers is worship, financially supporting gospel work is worship, offering help (physical, material etc.) to those in need is worship and serving God in the workplace or wider community is worship.
In this context you can understand why I have a gut-wrenchingly negative reaction against the wrong use of the word. Our lives are to be lived in worship of God and there is no compartmentalisation of our lives into worship (90 mins on Sunday) and life (166.5 other hours).
Of course, this does not mean we undervalue our congregational gatherings – they are an earthly expression of our future heavenly reality and provide us with the best opportunity in a week to submit to and learn from Jesus and to love, learn from and encourage each other. Church is a weekly treasure with vertical and horizontal dimensions!
At Campbelltown Anglican we seek to express that treasure in different ways, recognising that people are different and if you do the “same old” things in the “same old” ways you just keep reaching the “same old” people. That is why all our gatherings are different. Some use a Prayer Book, some don’t; but they are all Anglican because the reading of God’s word and communal participation in prayer and praise are at their heart.
As I am sure you know, from August we will start using a new Prayer Book at church. This change will be felt most profoundly at St Peter’s 8am and Wednesday 9.30am but the prayers we say together at other services will change too. The use of a Prayer Book helps us ensure orderly worship and right doctrine and provides for unity with those around us. This new (to us) Prayer Book is already used in the majority of Anglican Churches in our Diocese and is the 5th one authorised for use since 1962. As language changes we need to provide for fresh expressions of the truth found in our foundational Book of Common Prayer (1662).
Thankfully, neither God nor His Word ever change!
In Christ
Nigel