<aside> 💡
Notes from a talk on the Call to Worship at a church meeting.
It might be helpful to think about the ringing of the church bells. This is something that has been happening in this country since the 7th Century. Canon F8 ‘Of Church Bells’ in the laws of the Church of England says, “In every church and chapel there shall be provided at least one bell to ring the people to divine service.”
So, in every village, the church bells would ring on a Sunday and during the week when the service was about to begins, to say to the people, “Time for church!” The bells are calling people to attend.
The Call to Worship is calling people to worship God. But it’s not the service leader saying, “Come, let’s worship God.” No, it is God saying this. This is why it comprises of a verse or two of Scripture being read.
We don’t decide to worship God. He calls us to worship Him.
This was something He first did when He called us through the gospel into a relationship with Him. “Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.”
But having done that, He now calls us to meet with Him again in worship.
“Let the whole earth shout triumphantly to the Lord! Serve the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.Acknowledge that the Lord is God. He made us, and we are his—his people, the sheep of his pasture.Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.Give thanks to him and bless his name.For the Lord is good, and his faithful love endures forever; his faithfulness, through all generations.”
God invites us to come into His presence and join in with the heavenly praise that is already going on. He wants us to join with the angels and the saints of old in doing what we have been made to do.
As with His invitation to call us into relationship with Him, this call to worship Him in His presence is a gracious invitation because we can do this however far we’ve wandered or however filthy because of our sin we’ve become the previous week.
Christ wants to meet with His people however weak and weary and wandering they are.
The call to worship is God’s call to us to worship Him.
And it’s a call that demands a response, which is why the next thing that happens after the Call to Worship is that we respond usually by singing a hymn of praise, adoring our great God for who He is and what He’s done.
The Call to Worship is not simply a way of telling you that the serve is starting, though it does that. The Call to Worship is God calling His people to come into His presence and meet with Him again in worship.
Now why does this matter? Why is it important for us to have a Call to Worship? Why choose to begin a service this way and not with notices or a friendly welcome?
When we arrive for the church gathering on Sunday morning, let’s be honest, we’re all over the place.
Some of us are full of what we need to do.
Some of us are still thinking about what’s happen that morning (way our spouse annoyed us; child was a pain, overslept and getting to church was a rush).
Some of us have the cares of the week weighing us down (pressures at work; financial worries; suffering with ill health; anxiety because of the news).
Some of us will be thinking about all they’ve got to do in the week ahead.
Some of us will be looking forward to seeing friends and catching up with them.
So, what is our greatest need as the service begins?
It is, to adapt a line from a hymn, to have our hearts tuned to sing thy grace. To have our distracted hearts and minds turn to God.
The Call to Worship is God tuning our hearts by reminding us that He is worthy of our worship and by His grace has made it possible for us to worship Him.
This is why it is important to arrive on time. So you don’t miss the call!
But it’s not just when we come to church we’re all over the place.
Everyday when we wake up, all the cares and worries and distractions come at us and fight for our attention.
The Call to Worship on Sunday we are to take into the week ahead to remind us as each day begins that the Lord is God, He made us and we are His, and we are to live for His glory.
</aside>
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