Clergy/Leaders’ Mail-list No. 0-176

WORSHIP: RECOVERING A SPIRITUAL DYNAMIC FOR RENEWAL

From ‘Sunrise Sunset’ (HarperCollins/Harper San Francisco), Rowland Croucher’s book of daily meditations. Feel free to use or adapt it.

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host! Psalm 148:1,2.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow Praise him for one hour here below; Praise him with nickel and with dime, Praise God we’re getting out on time.

‘It’s dead, a mechanical routine. We do the same things, ritually, week after week. I don’t get anything out of it.’ ‘My friends have voted with their feet and stay away.’ ‘Our church services are so cold, they’re like mournful funerals: everyone is so sombre and distant.’ ‘Ours are like a fowl-yard: so much chattering and giggling and irreverence.’ ‘We’ll have to rescue ours from show business!’ ‘Why not cut the preliminaries and have a better sermon?’ ‘Let’s liven it up with happier singing.’ ‘Let’s be more experimental.’ ‘Our vicar has the liturgical fidgets; you don’t know what to expect.’ ‘Let’s give people what they want or we’ll lose them.’ ‘It’s people’s duty to attend worship, no matter how dull and boring it may be.’

Do you ‘resonate’ with any of these comments?

Lord Jesus Christ, the well is deep and I have nothing with which to draw. In these next few [days], help me to understand why I can’t really face the world with integrity until I have truly met you. Amen.