Wonderful worship a sign and symptom of renewal

The scriptures teach that there are few things as wonderful as people gathering for vibrant and passionate worship of God. Such stories are peppered throughout the bible. Miriam leads the freed Israelites in singing and dancing on the banks of the Red Sea. David writes and sings psalms that are collected and woven into worship as his fellow Jews pour their hearts out to God. Ezra witnesses the Hebrews, returned from exile in Baylon, begin to weep as they hear God’s word read aloud once again in Jerusalem. The first Christians are astonished as the Holy Spirit fills both Gentile and Jewish disciples of Jesus as they worship together. Human beings, it seems, have been created to know God and worship him! But how is worship connected to our spiritual renewal?

Ultimately, spiritual renewal is a mysterious and life-giving work of the Holy Spirit. It isn’t something we can manage or produce ourselves. However, we know that renewal has strong links to several key correlates: widespread prayer for renewal, a robust grounding in scripture, a strong commitment to worship, and a love for sharing the faith. In other words, worship is inextricably linked to spiritual renewal. It is both a factor in and a symptom of us being renewed in our love for Christ.

To this end, excitement is building for people of all ages, and from right across our diocese, to come together to worship God through wonderful music, inspiring preaching and joyful lay-witness talks at five distinct Eucharistic services. These services will also include an opportunity for people to receive the ancient ministry of prayer and anointing. Our worship will be followed by receptions that will offer both delicious food and plenty of time to reconnect with friends from other parishes. Churches across the diocese are already planning carpooling and bussing to enable everyone to participate in one or more of these gatherings.

All five worship services will be held on Saturday afternoons at 2 p.m. to enable as many people as possible to join in lifting up our hearts together to the Living God. The first gathering will take place at St. James Cathedral on March 22, and the second will be held at Trinity Church, Streetsville on March 29. These two Lenten services will have a focus on repentance as we humble ourselves before God in worship, seeking to know and love him more deeply.

The other three services will take place on May 31 at All Saints, Whitby, Sept. 27 at St. James, Orillia, and Oct. 25 at St. Paul, Bloor Street in Toronto. The service at All Saints, Whitby, taking place near Pentecost, will have a joyous focus on the Holy Spirit at work in God’s people. The two fall services, taking place during the season of reconciliation, will have a celebratory focus on God’s reconciliation of the world through God’s Son. I can’t wait to see what God does across our diocese as we come together in these various seasons to offer ourselves and our churches in worship.

Please pray for the members of the planning group who have been busy preparing for these diocese-wide services. This group is led by Major the Rev. Dr. Michael Peterson and includes the Rev. Canon Greg Carpenter and Ian Koiter. By February this group will include two more members who will oversee technology and hospitality requirements for the services.

And by all means, plan now to come and join in as many of these gatherings as possible. My prayer is that God’s rich blessing will be poured out on all gathered and that, as missiologist and Bishop Lesslie Newbigin (Church of South India) once said, the Church will be a sign, foretaste and instrument of God’s Kingdom.

Finally, let’s call to mind John 4:23. This verse reminds us that God loves it when his people gather to worship him “in spirit and in truth,” and that he “is seeking such people to worship him.” So, let’s put our normal schedules aside for just five Saturdays and plan to join in these wonderful services. Let’s come together to lift up our hearts as we worship the God who has and is reconciling the world to himself through our Lord, Jesus Christ.