Holy Redeemer Lutheran Church
1948 The Alameda
San Jose, CA 95126
San Jose, CA 95126
"Relating" at Holy Redeemer is made up of worship and fellowship. Worship is interacting with God and involving others; fellowship is interacting with others and involving God. We worship in community. We fellowship in community. In both of these activities the relationship we have with God is our context.
The dictionary defines worship as "reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage; formal or ceremonious rendering of such honor and homage; adoring reverence or regard."
When I think of worship, phrases pop up like "wonder", "awe", "refuge", "JOY", "MARVELOUS!!'. Worship is coming to give thanks and praise and honor. Worship is receiving nourishment, being re-charged, being continually forgiven and welcomed and blessed. Worship is being with our community as we thank and praise and honor and are forgiven and blessed. Worship is being with God within community, it's not just me and God and forget! ignore those around me.
We sing, and our music is filled with the joy, thanksgiving and praise. We hear God's word spoken, in readings and sermon, and are filled and challenged to live out our faith. We greet each other and wish God's peace on each other. We receive the gift of God and the presence of Christ in the bread and wine of communion, and are reminded to go out into the world to care for the least within God's realm. We can truly say "How good, Lord, to be here!"
Fellowship is caring for one another and extending the God relationship of worship into the other relationships of our life. We don't fmd out what is going on within each other's lives when we are in worship; we do that when we fellowship together. During fellowship, we say: "How are you?" "I'm glad to see you, hope your week was good." "I understand that you're struggling; would you like me to pray for something in particular for you, or just that God bless you and strengthen you in your journey, your struggle?" "I heard a great story … "
We meet to worship, we greet each other and ask that God's peace be with each of us. We get together after worship for fellowship - to laugh and cry together. We are community.
At the last Evangelism Small Group Ministry meeting, we were feeling a need for something that would help us prepare for worship on Sundays. We are going to put on music for meditation, starting at 9:40 each Sunday. It will be a quiet time. Some will be quietly doing altar preparation or setting up music or choir materials. If you want to talk, please do so outside (not in the narthex or entry area - the usher / greeter needs to focus on their job). Thus, those who wish quiet time to prepare for worship have the place and the space. Brad will start his prelude at 9:50. We will begin worship at 10.
And when we've finish worshipping, we'll go to the parish hail for fellowship!