Worship services should point to God. But if worship is to speak gospel (good news) in the face of the needs and hopes of the world,they should point to God and also answer the question: So what?
Let me develop this just a bit more.
The Scriptures, the Holy Spirit and the actions of Jesus Christ while here on earth all bear witness to the fact that Jesus is at the same time fully God and fully human. In Jesus Christ there is full communion between God and God’s creation. When we look at Jesus, we witness the awe and the wonder and the power of God. And when we look at Jesus we witness God’s deep concern and involvement for you and for me and for all creation, and God's empowerment of creation to respond as part of God's activity in addressing these needs. Every Christian worship service should therefore point both to the wonder and power of God, Who inspires such awe and worship in us AND to the actual involvement of God in the nitty gritty, earthy things that we are involved in.
To put it in other words, a worship service should tell us something about who God is, and should tell us in such a way as to inspire or reinforce our devotion to God. But a worship service should also point to what response this awareness of God requires of me and my generation of faithful people. A worship service that speaks of God but does not connect that awareness to the hurt and hopes of the worshiper and therefore engage them in either proper attitude and/or work in the real world is not enough.
Worship services should point to God. But if worship is to speak gospel (good news) in the face of the needs and hopes of the world,they should point to God and also answer the question: So what?
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