Last week, I talked about what we do in each Sunday worship service. We start by making a transition from what we have been doing to give our attention to God and the things of God. We gather, we settle into the worship space, we pause, we join our voices in a responsive call to worship and we offer a prayer.
That brings us to the next step in the worship service called “Proclamation and Response.” This involves heard the scripture lesson read aloud, hearing a selection of music, and listening to the preacher interpret the scripture and offer a word of hope or challenge that invites all the people to move towards greater faith and trust in God. Sometimes I have felt that I have done my best preaching while talking with the children rather than standing in the pulpit. Sometimes the sermon may lead us to a new understanding or resolve, while other times, the significance of the sermon may not be apparent, at least at the time. But each time a sermon is delivered, we have the chance to hear (or overhear) a word that God wishes to convey to us about God, about our world, about ourselves and about what it means to be faithful.
And notice that the proclamation is not complete without a response. The people in worship have to bring something to the event. We all have to “do something” about what we have heard. The sermon isn’t complete when the preacher stops talking. We as listeners need to consider what is said and make some decision about what to do next. It may be that we say a Creed, offer prayers either individually or as a congregation. This is the opportunity to take a step forward in Christian discipleship. If we pass over this too quickly, we begin to think of worship as what happens in front of us rather than what happens within us and among us.
I have more to say next week about what follows after the “Proclamation and Response.”
See you in church,
Pastor Steve Larsen
P.S. Last Sunday, I offered a sermon that looked at some of the ways that God has been at work in our congregation. After the service, a few of you have asked if a copy of the sermon might be made available and some asked about the written church history that I mentioned. I will be happy to provide such things soon.