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What is said and done in our church services, automatically
and repetitively invite the question, "Why do we do this
and that in the worship of the church?"
We pray! We ask for a definition of prayer and the
poet gives us:
"Prayer is the soul's sincere desire,
Uttered or unexpressed,
The motion of a hidden fire,
That trembles in the breast". Montgomery
It is the voice of faith; the expression of our devotion
and commitment to God in words that convey our feelings for
Him to whom we are indebted for life and who is with us in
all the experiences of our lives.
Our faith in God is the governing factor in what we think
about life and those who share it with us intimately and collectively
and in whatever relationship and capacity. And God has given
us an example of the qualities of life He wants in us. The
pattern person is Jesus the Christ who is the presence of
God showing us what God is like, what he requires of us and
what He gives to us in response to faith in Him.
By His life, death and resurrection Jesus brings us by faith
in Him to a relationship with God of inestimable value and
benefit to us.
Because in our human weaknesses we fall short of the standards
God has set for us we repent our sins and ask Him to forgive
us and to help us to do much better. We pray for the people
and things that have an intimate relationship with us and
others who are our concern for reasons and purposes common
to people everywhere.
In our prayers there are petitions for church, community
and country where there are problems inevitably and endlessly.
We pray because we need the resources of God to face up to
our deepest needs. The troubles we have drive us to prayer
and prayer drives troubles away. Prayer is not eloquence but
earnestness.
We listen! We know that "we should take heed
how we hear." The scriptures are read and if we are good
listeners God speaks to us by His Word. Someone explains,
"The Bible is God's ordinary means of communication with
people."
The reading of scriptures in church is never to be taken
lightly. Readers need the voice to be heard clearly, the articulation
to have the necessary emphases and prior preparation so that
what is read is meaningful to the listener.
Listening in church is not easy. Thought, concentration and
imagination is required if what we are hearing is to be of
value to us. The sermon is meant to be a commentary, exposition
and elucidation of a scriptural theme, a ministry of the Word.
It has the aim of presenting the truths of the gospel in words
and thoughts relevant and applicable to the time and place
of the preachment.
The gospel is timeless while the presentation of it by the
preacher is as different as he differs from others in personality
and ability.
The task of the preacher is to preach Christ, to make plain
humanity's indebtedness to Him and to live their lives as
believers in God who love their neighbours as themselves.
He speaks the truth in love, confidently, for preaching is
the presentation of truth through personality.
We sing! The deepest human emotions are often expressed
in song, hence the psalms, canticles and hymns which are integral
to the worship of the church. By them faith in God is voiced,
the faith extolled and Christian experiences described meaningfully
and akin to our own with their emphases on the Christian's
aspirations, hopes and commitments. An enthusiast for singing
stated the obvious when he said:
"A song will outlive all sermons in the memory."
There is always the thought:
"We must not praise God in our singing in church and
disobey Him in His requirements of us. He asks for works as
well as words, not just songs but service in His name and
for people who need what we can give them and do for them."
The worship of the church is the opportunity to give to God
adoration and devotion for what Christ has done for us by
the Cross, to ask for strength to meet the demands of life
and to pray for others in their needs spiritual and material,
for the faith speaks to everything that matters to people
individually and collectively. The public worship of God in
the fellowship of the church is of the essence of our Christianity.
Rev. Canon Dr. S.E. Long
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