Our Commitment to Worship

Our Focus on Worship

Last week I met with a troop of Brownies -- young Girl Scouts -- who were having their first meeting in one of our classrooms.  Their leader is very excited about the possibilities for joint service projects, and I came to  welcome them to St. Mark’s, show them around, and tell them about all the good things we do here.
 
We started our tour in our sanctuary.
 
Because it all starts with worship.
 
The good things that have happened at St. Mark's, do happen, and will happen begin in worship.
In worship we are called and gathered, almost despite ourselves, by the Holy Spirit.  
In worship we hear the encouraging Word of God calling us to serve.  
In worship we bow our heads in confession and prayer, acknowledging that we have not been living the kingdom life to its fullest.  
In worship we hear words of forgiveness and love, as the baptismal water of life splashes into the bowl.  
In worship we are set free to see each other -- and everyone we meet --- as beloved children of God.
In worship we are fed, again and again, with bread for the journey.  
In worship we respond, doubting and believing, with songs, Hallelujahs, and Amens.
And after worship we are out in the world again, doing the work of the kingdom, either as individuals or together, but always as Servants of Christ the Servant.

 So, how are we paying attention to worship as a ministry?  We've tried to make worship easier to attend by adjusting our worship time.  We've tried to include as many members in the worship service as possible and streamline our scheduling of worship leaders.  In the future we need to expand our hymn choices, catch up on the maintenance of the piano and organ, upgrade our sound system, and reconfigure our seating to make it more accessible, especially to our older and less physically able worshipers.  Of all the ministries at St. Mark's, worship is the prime ministry, the source of our inspiration and power.

- Pastor Elizabeth Larsen