Together Worship

This Sunday morning, First Baptist Church is all about together. It is the culmination of our 40 Days of Community campaign. Your church staff decided that it would be silly for us to celebrate the completion of the study that’s all about “together” by worshiping separately. One of the main reasons we are combining the services is that we will be sharing with each other what we have learned in the studies. We didn’t want people in one service to miss what someone shared in the other service, so we are worshiping together Sunday morning. One service. One congregation. United. Diverse in personal preferences? Yes. Diverse in how we look? Yes. United in Christ. By all means, yes, yes, YES, YES, YES!

Although there will be elements of the service that will look and feel traditional, and that will look and feel contemporary, the service will be unlike either of our usual Sunday morning services. That is by design. We have put a lot of thought, prayer, and mental effort into the plans for Sunday morning. Every aspect of the worship service has a definite purpose. The main reason we’re doing one service is that we will be sharing with each other what we have learned during the campaign. We everyone to hear what anyone has to share about what God has taught them through this process. We feel very strongly that God has something important to say to us through each other.

A few weeks ago I bumped into a quote by a theologian that addresses the very thing we have been trying to wrap our collective minds and hearts around during this 40 Days of Community endeavor (something about me still doesn’t like the word “campaign.” Sounds too military … or political … or something). Marva J. Dawn writes:

We have turned our churches into ‘vendors of religious services and goods’ where people shop for worship, instead of ‘a body of people on a mission.’ People choose a church by what makes them feel good, instead of belonging to a community in which God will kill us, and then raise us up into the new life of obedience. (Living in the Lamblight)

That’s enough to think about for now. The peace of Christ to you.