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Pastor’s Pen for June

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The Pastor’s Pen

    “O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!  

    O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!”

       – Psalm 95:1, 6

In his book, The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren reminds us that one of the main purposes of our lives is to worship God.  God is the one who created us.  God is the one who, through Jesus’ death and resurrection, has reconciled us to himself.  And God is the one who guides and empowers us through the on-going presence of the Holy Spirit.  To not worship the God who has done so much for us would seem awfully strange!

There are many ways to worship God.  Rick Warren says, “Anything you do that brings pleasure to God is an act of worship.”  Worship, in other words, doesn’t happen only on Sunday mornings in the sanctuary.  It also happens throughout the week – in our homes, in our workplaces, in our neighborhoods.  Whenever we are putting our faith into practice – whenever we are serving God or our neighbor – whenever we are responding in gratitude to what God has done for us – we are worshiping.  Every moment of our lives, when lived to God’s glory, can be an expression of worship.

It’s on Sunday mornings, however – or whenever God’s people come together to receive the gifts of Word and Sacrament – that the central act of worship takes place.  It’s in our services of worship that we gather to praise God and to hear the good news that we have been forgiven.  It’s in our services of worship that we are given the opportunity to respond to God’s grace with our prayers, our songs, and our offerings.  It’s in our services of worship that we are sent out into the world to live as God’s servants and witnesses.  Corporate worship – the worship that we do on Sunday mornings – is central to who we are as people of God.

Here at St. Andrew we have been blessed with a talented and dedicated team of worship leaders.  At both our traditional and contemporary services we are led by singers, musicians and other worship leaders who help us to glorify God in ways that are uplifting and enriching, and that have biblical and theological integrity.  I continually give thanks for those who lead us so faithfully!

On Sunday, June 3, we will have the opportunity to publicly recognize the singers and musicians who add so much to our congregation’s worship life.  There is only one worship service that day – our annual Festival of Music Service at 9:30 a.m.  Each of our musical groups – the adult choir, the bell choir, the brass ensemble, and the praise band – will participate in the service and help to lead us in worshiping God.  I encourage you to join us for what is sure to be a moving and inspiring service.

And as we head into these months of summer, I encourage you not to take a vacation from worship.  As Rick Warren says, you can worship God wherever you are and in whatever you are doing.  And you can also worship corporately – congregationally – either here at St. Andrew or wherever your summer travels might take you.

See you in worship!

Pastor Selbo


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