"The Church has always experienced a tension between form and freedom in worship." "... the order for worship should provide for and encourage the participation of all." Those sentences from our denominational constitution remind us that during worship we come to God together. Private devotions, an important component of our spirituality, can reflect each individual's unique gifts and needs; but corporate worship seeks to unite us all in prayer and praise.
Contemporary music and language often help new pilgrims to hear and tell the old, old story in words they understand. The rumbling of a pipe organ and an occasional "thee" and "thy" often refresh long-faithful saints. Some feel especially close to God when our children gather for our Time with The Younger Church. For some, God speaks most clearly when we share silence. Drama and drums say to some, "You are welcome here." Some hear that message at font and table. The familiar provides something on which to depend. The new or different keeps us alert and alive. As we plan worship for a community, we typically choose not between right and wrong, but between trying to include everyone or making room only for those like us.
I rejoice that pianos have 88 keys; that some are black and some white, and that in three hundred years composers and pianists have not exhausted the possible melodies and interpretations. I rejoice that we do not have to worship alone, that parts of the liturgy evoke memories while others make memories, and that we all have opportunities to receive God's gifts and offer God gifts. Worship is rarely flawless. With us there, how could it be! Yet, flaws and all, God is praised and we are fed. Thanks be to God!
Grace and Peace,
LP
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