Worship helps us see God

Lutheran, The, Nov 2003 by Honeycutt, Frank G

... and we're all part of its drama

Recent statistics reveal that more than two-thirds of 5.1 million ELCA members are absent from worship on any given Sunday. Consider this:

Can't I worship God just as well on the golf course or at the lake? Yes-but odds have it that you're there for other reasons. God can be experienced everywhere and anywhere. It's true: "The Most High does not dwell in houses made with human hands" (Acts 7:48). But I know of no better training than the liturgy to help us discover God through the week. Sunday liturgy is part proclamation and part rehearsal for seeing God in new places. It teaches us where to look. It's doubtful we'll learn on our own.

Won't worship become stale and boring unless we 're relevant and entertaining? If we view worship as a passive event such as a movie, yes, it'll become boring. In worship, however, we're part of the drama. This is our story-rebellion, forgiveness, reconciliation, feasting. Rapt attention to the details of our life is a must. We are the prodigal, the wounded one in the ditch, Adam and Eve with our fingerprints all over that apple core. The drama continues with unlimited acts. In baptism we're dunked into this story. We tell it again and again because we're strong, resistant swimmers who don't like going all the way under.

Isn't God aware of my gratitude without my having to make a public show of it? God can get along fine without our public display of affection. But it's fairly clear that we can't get along without God's. Ignore this God very long and another god will come down the pike soon enough. Everybody worships something every week.

Martin Luther maintained that an idol is that to which we assign ultimate allegiance. Work, money, even family-idols abound. Worship helps a Christian name out loud who is really first. Such naming matters greatly in how we choose to live and how we see ourselves as agents of God's love.

Why do I need others in order to worship? Can't I worship alone? You can't worship alone because you can't commune alone. The very word implies that others will be present, searching for forgiveness and acceptance right along with you at the table of mercy and grace. The eucharistie promise is best understood using Southern dialect: "The body of Christ given for y'all." We were baptized into a family, warts and all. We need to be present for Sunday dinner-weekly, gratefully.

Honeycutt is pastor of Ebenezer Lutheran Church, Columbia, S.C.