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Text Box: Centre News

Text Box: Dear Congregation of God: Summer is fast approaching, and as I have shared with you before I love summer church. Once again this summer we will be worshiping together as one large church family. In June, July and August our Sunday morning worship service will begin at 10:15 AM with a time of fellowship to follow. Let’s take advantage of the opportunities that one worship service presents. I also encourage you to capitalize on the slower pace of the summer months: for worship, for fellowship, for mercy, for an afternoon nap, for reading a theological book, for thinking about God and taking stock of our lives, for lingering around the sanctuary after church and sharing good jokes and tender words and personal prayers. Wow! I can’t wait. During the month of June, my preaching will focus on the topic of worship. Not long ago one of the elders reminded me of a poignant quote on the primacy of worship by Pastor John Piper: Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever. Worship, therefore, is the fuel and goal in missions. It’s the goal of missions because in missions we simply aim to bring the nations into the white-hot enjoyment of God’s glory. The goal of missions is the gladness of the peoples in the greatness of God. What a great reminder that all of life revolves around the worship of our great and mighty Three-in-One. I like to define worship this way: “In sincere response to God’s initiative, worship is our yielding to the triune God, so that God is glorified and we are transformed by his grace.” Note the three separate phrases of the definition. One, we don’t go to worship, we exist to worship. So when we respond to God’s sovereign initiative we are doing what we were created to do. Second, worship is yielding our heart, mind, and soul to our Heavenly Father. In other words there is a relational dynamic to worship. To worship is to be fully present with God. And within our Heavenly Father there is a burden to reclaim the lost and the lonely and to bring them home. Finally, the result of worship is the satisfaction of God’s heart and ours. There should always be a holy expectancy in our understanding and practice of worship. Why? Because when we come to worship we know full well that our risen Lord will not allow us to stay as we are. Will you bring with you such a holy expectancy this summer as we gather for worship? Who knows the experience might just be transforming. See you in church this summer! Billy