Worship Puzzle

Have you ever worked really hard on a puzzle - let's say an intricate one that requires alot of time? You've got a good deal done...and you need a Diet Dr. Pepper fix. You rise up from the coffee table you're working on and your leg bumps it, knocking all the pieces out of place. You say a toned down "christianized" form of some curse word ("well-golly-gosh-fudge- n'-fiddlesticks!"). That's how I feel about worship planning write now. I'm a wee-bit frustrated. I've been experimenting with moving a few things around here and there.

Should the offering go before or after the sermon?

Oh but if it goes there...then it's too close to another hymn and the songs aren't stretched out evenly over the entire worship service.

Hey! where did I put the prayers of the people? Oh yeah, it get's cut out because it's included in the Communion liturgy and I forgot to put it back in....

but I moved this other thing...so where do I put it now?

and so on.

Sometimes it does feel like I'm always finding pieces and trying to put them together. I struggle to make a single whole entity out of it.

So right now, I'm meditating on the "fourfold pattern of worship". This is the basic pattern that churches for millenia have held to. It originated from the two things that used to be a part of every Christian worship: Word and Table (Scripture and Sacrament, Bible teaching and communion). Later it was divided into these four catagories

1- The Gathering: Song and prayer that brings the worshipping community together and centers them on God. It is meant to prepare us for recieving what God has to give to us in His Word and at His table.

2- The Word: Scripture is read - always. And then there is a response. For the bulk of churches that means a sermon. But I wonder - what if we did something different? How about a dramatic telling of the scripture followed by a discussion in the congregation? Or what if the sermon was more of a teaching moment - where questions were asked and discussed in worship? Or how about testimonies? I really think that the sermon as we understand it (essentially a speech) is due for a facelift...

3- The Table: It used to be that all churches practiced Communion every Sunday. That is hardly the case in most protestant churches and I think that's a shame. Nevertheless, most churches enter into a "eucharist" anyways (the word means "thanksgiving"). That is what the offering is (it is also a response to the Word, I suppose). But I love the sacrament of communion. I love offering it and I love partaking of it. I love being fed by the body of blood of Jesus - I love the presence that I feel as we take communion. I love the sharing in the community. I love that we are together, gathered around one table like a family. I just love it. (Gee, ya' think I like communion?) I'm really thinking Faith will start sharing in communion every week...

4- Finally there is the sending out into the world. Ussually it includes singing victoriously and vigorously (not always an option given the songs in our hymnals...) with a benediction that encourages that the church goes out into the world in the power of God's Spirit.

Maybe one day our worship bulletins will be simpler and reflect this more. But this is what I'm mulling over in my head as I struggle with worship planning.

The peace of Jesus be with you!