PurposeA Call to Prayer for Revitalization. We encourage all churches to pray, even if you're not actively involved in the initiative. ArchivesCategories |
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Spirit-Inspired Worship11/30/2020 For 7 weeks in November and December, we invite all members of the presbytery to pray for the revitalization of our churches and presbytery. Our weekly prayers are based upon the 7 marks of a vital congregation. The focus of this week’s prayer is Spirit-Filled Worship. Worship is about God. We come on holy ground, encounter God and experience wonder. Worship is active participation in the living relationship of the triune God, thus all should feel welcome just as they are to come. Worship challenges, teaches, transforms, encounters, convicts and sends people out changed. The worship of a vital congregation is Spirit-inspired. This does not necessarily mean that it is full of spirit (as in exciting or emotional) but rather that the Holy Spirit is present and leading the people into giving God glory. Spirit-inspired worship is not self-gratifying worship. It is not consuming an entertaining experience or a stale ritual divorced of meaning. Worshipping as a community of faith has become extra challenging during the pandemic. Churches struggle with the question, “Should we worship together in person? Is it safe? If we don’t worship in person, what do we do?” Many churches and church leaders have experimented with alternative ways of worshipping together, whether that’s “drive in church” (congregants stay in their cars and tune into a common FM radio signal to hear the service) or broadcasting a service on YouTube or Facebook Live or gathering the congregation together over Zoom. We have discovered that the Spirit can move across radio signals and internet cables, connecting us in ways we might have denigrated as less than ideal nine months ago. There are many ways to embody Spirit-inspired worship. To learn how one church has adapted to worshipping during the pandemic, visit https://www.presbyterianmission.org/story/online-worship-is-not-a-show-that-you-consume/. Living God, we give you thanks and praise for the new things you are doing among us. Especially we thank you for the transforming presence of Christ. Living God, by the gifts of your Spirit, help us to bear witness to the risen Lord by proclaiming the good news of salvation. Living God, in the great mystery of our faith receive us each night and revive us each day, that we may be dead to sin and alive to you; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
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