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Worship is an encounter with the Triune God. Jesus tells us that where two or three gather together in his name, he is in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20).
Through the eyes of faith, we see more than simply a few people gathering together each Sunday to sing a few hymns and songs and say a few prayers. Rather, Jesus comes to us through his Word (the Bible) and through the special means (Sacraments) of Baptism and Holy Communion.
Each week God invites us to bring our brokenness before him. We bring our sins and struggles, our fears and worries, and through what Jesus has achieved by his death on the cross, he comes to forgive and set us free (1 John 1:7-9). All this is a gift, received through faith, and given to us by our Heavenly Father who loves us dearly. God doesn’t want or expect that we live our lives without hope. Rather, he wants us to live in and rejoice in knowing that nothing in all creation can separate us from his love that is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8).
Each time we gather in worship, we read from the Bible and the pastor shares with us a message to bless, comfort, and equip us in our Christian faith and life. The Bible is God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:16) and is a Lamp for our feet and a Light for our path (Psalm 119:105) as we live our daily lives guided and comforted by it.
Throughout his ministry, Jesus often ate with tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 9:9-13). Today, Jesus still eats with sinners as he comes to us through the Lord’s Supper (also known as the Eucharist or Holy Communion). In this meal, Jesus comes to us with his body and blood, in, with, and under the simple means of bread and wine. In this meal he forgives our sins, nurtures our faith, and strengthens us to go in peace knowing that we live in freedom and new life through the blood of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Romans 5:1-11; Colossians 1:20).
In worship, from time to time, you will see people being Baptised – from babies through to adults. Baptism is God’s gift to us through which he forgives sin and delivers us from death and the devil (2 Thessalonians 3:3; 1 Peter 3:21; Mark 16:16). In Baptism, God pledges himself to us and gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; Galatians 3:27; Ephesians 2:8-9). The Holy Spirit continually points us to Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6) and he helps us to strive daily to lead and live a holy life (Galatians 5:22-23). Through faith, we rest in the blessings of Baptism, knowing that Jesus will walk with us in this life and lead us into eternity to live with him and all those who have gone before us in the faith.
In worship, we rejoice in knowing of what is in store for us. Through faith in Jesus, a faith that is a gift and work of the Holy Spirit, we know that our heavenly Father loves us dearly and by his grace and mercy has gifted us an inheritance that won’t spoil or fade, an inheritance that is heaven itself (Ephesians 1:13-14; John 14:1-3). Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, he has paid the price for sin and opened for us the gates of heaven. He extends to us an invitation to come to him, weary and burdened folk that we often are, so that we can rest secure in his promises and live with a true and lasting hope. Each week as we gather in worship, Jesus says to us “come to me, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28-30).
You are invited to come along and join us this Sunday, and may you take comfort in all that Jesus has to give you through the gift of gathering together in worship. Come, and find rest for your soul (Psalm 62:1).
