From the Rector: Worship and the Parish

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17 OCTOBER 2023

Our topic last Sunday at the Rector's Forum was "Worship and the Parish." If there is one thing that churches do, that is completely unique to being a church, it is worship. You will not find any other organization, such as a community gym, local coffee shop, or outreach agency, that performs the worship of God. Conversely, churches may have gyms, coffee shops, and outreach agencies, but such endeavors do not make churches unique in society. Since the Ascension, it is worship that has been the unique charism of Christ's followers.

I mention this because one increasingly finds the view in society that worship is superfluous. Sometimes people think that if a church focuses too much on worship, the church is being self-centered. We are told that churches are to be outward-focused, reaching into their neighborhoods, helping disadvantaged communities. This is certainly part of the work that churches should be doing. As Christ sought out the needy, so should the Church.

But people also misunderstand the focus and purpose of worship. Many think worship is about what they get out of it, but this is not to be the case. Worship is to be centered on God, and when we worship, our focus is to be on what we are giving to God. We set time aside each week to worship, because God is worthy of our worship. That's it.

While I was on sabbatical I read two interesting books on worship and parish life in England.

Both of these books were full of stories about worship being at the center of parish life, as well as the shenanigans that frequently ensue because worship is so important to the people. It was interesting to read how the challenges facing the church have not really changed.

As in the past, people today are often tempted to "get worship done on a Sunday," so that they can get other things done. Recently a high ranking bishop in the Roman Catholic Church even claimed that attendance was dropping in churches because masses are too long. Perhaps he was referring to long-winded announcements of in-house nonsense. We have all heard the clergy and lay leadership flap their gums excessively. Yet, parts of the church are often in a hurry too, racing to the next thing, and we seldom give ourselves space and time to rest in God's presence.

The truth is that none of us needs to do anything on a Sunday but spend time with God in worship. We have been given the gift of the Sunday Sabbath - a time to rest in God - a day in which the only thing we must do is go to church and worship the living God with fellow Christians.

St. Mark's is blessed each weekend with a robust offering of worship, calling us to focus on God and to rest in God's presence. These services are not superfluous, but rather they are life-giving and transformative. They form us to reach out into our troubled world.

Many churches have seen their worship life dry up suddenly due to secularism, and what follows is the end of all ministry. Without worship, there is no mission. Without worship, the outreach dies. Without worship, God is eventually forgotten, and everyone just makes up their own God to suit their personal tastes. Worship is anything but superfluous. Worship is always an essential service.

Father Paul Lillie +