Thank you for that quote from the Prof.  I found that tied back in to the earlier post about "working the crowd".  If it is a "service"  who is it a service to, for, etc.?  Are the worship leaders serving the congregation by helping them worship, and then the congregation serves God with their worship?  

 That is my biggest concern with our current style of worship.  It is very difficult to move beyond the feeling that it is a concert and the "professionals" up front are worshipping and the ones in the pews are observers. 

Which called to mind the article posted on another blog I follow entitled "The Oddness of Pews".  The blog is hosted by Christianity Today Int. Leadership Journal and is called Leadership Blog: Out of Ur.  

As a church, should we be looking at the entire set up of the sanctuary and the perceptions people receive upon entering a sanctuary with pews, etc.

Diane 

Wise words from "the prof."  They remind me of a conversation I once had with my grandfather.  His question was "If we understand worship to be service, and if we believe that service is an act of obedience, then isn't it possible that everything we do which is in accordance with the will of God, in effect, worship?" 

Granted, we may not all agree on the two suppositions he made, but I think there is value in considering that our worship may involve our entire lives.  That is not to say there is not something particularly special about the Sunday gathering (or whatever day your congregation covenants to meet together).  On the contrary, I believe we gather regularly because it reminds us of both who we are, and who God is, which enables and empowers us to go out into the world to live lives of worship.

So, there are some more thoughts to ponder.

Amy

Interim Pastor, The Bridge Covenant Church, Riverbank, CA

Actually, your grandfather had it exactly right. In the back of the blue hymnal, in the Worship Resources section (number 967) there is an offering prayer that says, "O God, our offereings proclaim that work and worship are one, that life is individed." Why?

Because when we give our offerings, we are taking of our substance, the results of the work of our hands, and giving it up to God. In this way, we connect the rest of our week to the Holy Even of Worship. We could consider our time the same way. We set aside time to offer it up to God by gathering with His people to worship Him.

The language of "service" has other implications. There is a "craft" to worship. We free and easy 21st century american-types kind of wanna think of worship as something that just happens to us, yet if we view it as service, as work, then does that not imply that it is something that involves a certain degree of method, and that it is something we can be good at (or bad at). 

Good to hear from you Michael. Hope you are settling in well at North Park.