Momentous significance

Evangelicals are often concerned to be friendly and informal. We don't want our worship to be stuffy and we have often done away with some of the trappings of high church tradition.

But there is a danger of our worship being slap dash and far too ordinary. The Pastor can easily become the genial MC and can even slip into Quiz Show host mode.

All of life is worship but there is such a thing as special public worship when the Lord assembles his people to renew his covenant with them. It is a Royal Command Performance when the Lord of hosts reviews his troops, gives them his marching orders and feasts with them.

We do not believe in transubstantiation. But we do believe that God Himself meets with us in a special way here. We are gathered up into the heavenly throne room in the Spirit. We participate in the body and blood of Christ.

By all means there may be a laugh and a joke on a Sunday morning, but let us also recapture the momentous significance that God is speaking to us and feasting with us.