Calvary United Methodist Church helps people grow in their walk with Christ through practicing and promoting five discipleship pathways. We’ve been looking at these in our worship this month as well as in a series of these “pastor ponderings.” Last week I lifted up serving God through serving others. This week the pathway is “worship and prayer”
When we WORSHIP, we open ourselves in order to encounter the living God. As we offer thanks, give God praise, sing and listen we are sharing with others in actions that open our hearts and lift our spirits to experience more of God. When we come together with others who are also seeking God, we are much more likely to find what we are seeking. The worship and praise we do together helps me to be more worshipful than I would be alone by myself. Music, the reading of scripture, the sermon, the sacraments and even the act of coming together with others can lead us to a closer connection with God. One thing I learned during the covid pandemic was just how important it is to be together face to face and shoulder to shoulder with others when we worship.
Prayer is a closely related to worship. Prayer is not only talking to God and sharing our thoughts and needs. It is also listening and paying attention to the ways that God might be communicating or stirring something in us. In both worship and prayer, we place ourselves before God with the hope and expectation that God will meet us in some way.
Questions to consider:
- Do I take time to give thanks for the many blessings that have come my way?
- Do I make room in my busy life to be with others in a place and time that lifts my heart and spirit to focus on God?
- In what ways can I foster a conversation with God?
Grace and peace,
Pastor Steve