“There are no mere theatergoers present, for each listener will be looking into his own heart. The stage is eternity, and the listener…stands before God during the talk. But the main concern is earnestness: that the listeners by themselves, with themselves, and to themselves, in the silence before God, may speak with the help of this address.” – Soren Kierkegaard
As the calendar turns and we bid farewell to 2020, we unfortunately return to virtual-only worship. Hopefully this will only be a (relatively) short time, as we allow COVID rates to diminish and it becomes safer to once again gather in person. We will keep the worship format the same as it has been, including the use of worship assistants, so that we will be able to resume quickly and easily once the opportunity is available.
One thing about virtual worship is that it does require more of us. Of course, those who hadn’t yet returned to in-person are all too aware of that. For the rest of us it will be a reminder. Something teachers have faced with their shift to virtual learning is that students are used to being passively entertained or informed when viewing a screen. Schooling however, like worship, isn’t passive – it’s participatory.
Philosopher and theologian Soren Kierkegaard reminds us that there are no passive participants in worship. It’s not theater, film, or television show. Live or viewed later as a recording, what we see is not, in and of itself, worship. What makes it such is that we bring to it, what we do with it, whether we are active participants or simply bystanders, whether we allow ourselves to into God’s presence.
In order to help you participate more fully in the liturgy and prayers we post each week a printable bulletin. Whether you print it out or view it on another electronic device, it’s a way for you to involve yourself more fully in worship, speak the prayer responses aloud, look up the scripture for yourself in your Bible. This is your performance for God, where you become the actor, offering your heart, mind, and soul in worship.
Peace for the journey,
Pastor Steve
As the calendar turns and we bid farewell to 2020, we unfortunately return to virtual-only worship. Hopefully this will only be a (relatively) short time, as we allow COVID rates to diminish and it becomes safer to once again gather in person. We will keep the worship format the same as it has been, including the use of worship assistants, so that we will be able to resume quickly and easily once the opportunity is available.
One thing about virtual worship is that it does require more of us. Of course, those who hadn’t yet returned to in-person are all too aware of that. For the rest of us it will be a reminder. Something teachers have faced with their shift to virtual learning is that students are used to being passively entertained or informed when viewing a screen. Schooling however, like worship, isn’t passive – it’s participatory.
Philosopher and theologian Soren Kierkegaard reminds us that there are no passive participants in worship. It’s not theater, film, or television show. Live or viewed later as a recording, what we see is not, in and of itself, worship. What makes it such is that we bring to it, what we do with it, whether we are active participants or simply bystanders, whether we allow ourselves to into God’s presence.
In order to help you participate more fully in the liturgy and prayers we post each week a printable bulletin. Whether you print it out or view it on another electronic device, it’s a way for you to involve yourself more fully in worship, speak the prayer responses aloud, look up the scripture for yourself in your Bible. This is your performance for God, where you become the actor, offering your heart, mind, and soul in worship.
Peace for the journey,
Pastor Steve
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