It is that time of year again, the end of one church year cycle and the beginning of another. Here in the Church we keep time in a different way. Our calendar is arranged quite differently. In short, we order the passing of time around the life and work of Christ. By doing so we then are not merely “passing the time” from one hour to another, one day to another, or one month to another. Rather, we become participants as we live through our hours, days, and months.

This month we will consider the question, “What is the purpose of Christian Worship?” The Sunday morning Worship Service is referred to in the Lutheran Church as the “Divine Service.” This title is an English translation of the German word, Gottesdienst. The title communicates a great deal. Above all else, it communicates that Worship is first and foremost about God serving us. It is about God meeting our daily need for a sure word and promise of his forgiveness, life, and salvation. It is about God continuing to provide, preserve, protect, and defend us now, even in the midst of the struggle which is the Christian life. The struggle, which the Apostle Paul aptly described, as one in which “the desires of the flesh” war against “the desires of the Spirit” (Romans 8:4-8). A struggle to resist doing “the very thing I do not want to do” (Romans 7:15-16). If the Christian is to daily receive the help and service of God’s grace then Christian Worship must start with God. The preface of the hymnal, Lutheran Worship, says it well: