Holy Redeemer Lutheran Church
1948 The Alameda
San Jose, CA 95126
San Jose, CA 95126
We come together as the faith community at Holy Redeemer each Sunday to worship. But what is worship? Why do we worship? Lutherans use liturgical worship. What is liturgical worship?
I’ll start with the last question: “What is liturgical worship?” Liturgical worship is formal public worship, a form of public worship ritual. Literally, liturgy means “the work of the people”.
What is worship? Why do we worship?
The book that some of us are studying for six months is “Real Faith for Real Life; Living the Six Marks of Discipleship” by Michael W. Foss. The second chapter is titled “Our habit of Weekly Renewal; The Mark of Discipleship; Weekly Worship”.
Foss says “In creating the Sabbath, God set aside a time for rest and for worship, a time for humankind to recognize its relationship to the Creator and all created things. Worship was not an afterthought of the Creator but affirmed what is essential in human beings.” Foss points out that throughout the history of human civilization, worship has always been present, in one form or another.
Further, Foss says “Worship is God’s gift to the human soul. The soul’s thirst to know God is sated in worship. God is present when hymns or songs of praise are sung, when prayers are said, when the Scriptures are read, and when the sacraments are celebrated. In worship, which is less about what we do or how we do it and more about the One in whom we gather, the longing of our souls is touched by forever.”
So, Foss asks “What do you expect in worship? Do you come expecting to meet God? Do you prepare to be touched, healed, and changed by the love of this God who alone is God?”
Foss proposes “a three-step process for honoring God is our worship”
enter the sanctuary, sit down, greet those around you, then be silent for a moment to pray that, in honoring God in worship, your heart and mind will be opened and filled be with the power of the Holy Spirit
pray with thankful recognition that you are with others who have come to worship, to honor God and that you are surrounded by others who worshipped and who have gone before you
give thanks for all that God has given you: relationships, guidance, opportunities, support, healing and love. Give thanks for God’s love and grace.
Foss also observes that “Worship is witness.” And that weekly worship “serves as a ‘weekly compass’ to reorient our lives to that which is good and true”.
So – think about worship, think about how to tap into the power that worship offers you for your discipleship journey.