In November, my introduction to this topic of the worship service began
this way:
Do you see that there is a certain flow, a
certain direction to the movement?
Coming in, receiving, and going back out changed. It’s kind of like a hospital, a restaurant,
or even a gas station. We come in with a
need, we receive what is offered (healing, nourishment, a fill-up for the car),
and we go out again, strengthened to continue our life. The purpose of this order in our worship
service is basically the same: we come to church needing to know God, we
receive the Word, we worship, and we go back out into the world strengthened,
knowing God better and ready to serve Him.
We have come a long way over
the months as we looked at the worship service, from coming to worship God as
we are, to hearing His word proclaimed in a variety of ways, to responding in
love, faith, and renewed commitment! We
came in with a need, we received what was offered, and now we are ready to go
out again, strengthened—and known by God!—to continue our life. We are ready to see how we can take our
renewed hearts and spirits out into the world to share with others.
In the Presbyterian Book of Order, this
final movement is called “Bearing and
Following the Word into the World.” First,
we take (bear) the word (Word) with
us out into the world, the word that we have received during the proclamation. During the service, the Word begins to hide
itself in our hearts and minds and spirits, like a seed, so that we must
carry it out with us. What are some specific ways we can express during the
service to show that we intend to integrate this Word into our daily life?
To sing a hymn of going into the world is the most
basic way that almost everyone does this in almost every church. We can also be asked to make an act of commitment
to discipleship such as being reminded of our Christian education opportunities
following the service or the small groups that meet each week. What are other ways you think of?
But we also follow
the word (Word) out into the world. The Word goes before us and leads us as
we go. During the worship service, this is
a time to recognize those leaving our fellowship for further education, national
service, or career change. It can be a
time of commissioning those who are following the leading of Jesus to go into
the world to do short- or long-term missionary service or for those who have
been led to get involved with specific corporate and/or personal acts of
evangelism, compassion, justice, reconciliation, and peacemaking.
The service concludes then with a formal dismissal
which may include a charge to the people to go into the world in the name of
Christ. It includes words of blessing,
using a Trinitarian benediction or other words from Scripture, such as the
benediction in 2 Cor. 13:14: May “the
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the
Holy Spirit, be with you all.” This
is one that I use most often.
I hope that you have begun to see that as we
understand how and why we order our weekly
worship service the way we do, it begins to inform our personal spiritual formation and
inspires us to acts of service
for each other and our community.
