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In \u201cWhy is a church service called a \u2018service,\u2019<\/a><\/span>\u201d Anthony Smith says that many believe it\u2019s because we serve God through our time, treasures, and talents.<\/strong> However, he points out that\u2026<\/p>\n The shocking answer is that, when the church gathers for worship, it is not a time when we serve God by giving things to him, but a time when God serves us!<\/em><\/p>\n Jesus himself said that he \u201ccame not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many\u201d (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45, ESV). Jesus didn\u2019t come to take from us\u2014even \u201cthe best that we can bring\u201d\u2014but to give to us. He did that because God isn\u2019t the self-centred greedy God, but the generous, self-giving Trinity: Father, Son and Spirit, bound together in self-giving, overflowing love\u2026<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n I agree with Smith\u2019s point that the Sunday gathering is an expression of God\u2019s spiritual service to us. And there are ways that the Church can participate in this divine service by serving one another, and our communities.<\/strong> Here\u2019s how your congregation can both celebrate and serve on Sundays.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The church I attend has worship services on the first and third Sundays of each month. <\/strong>We could have worship services every week if we wanted to, but we intentionally decided not to be a community that is Sunday-centric. Instead of focusing on Sundays, our church encourages everyday Christianity, with fellowship at our midweek dinner parties. That\u2019s where we really develop a sense of community with each other. If someone involves themselves in all that our church has to offer, they go to a dinner party weekly but only go to a worship service twice a month. In this way, our church is not worship-centric.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n On the second Sunday morning of each month, we share a potluck brunch. <\/strong>Instead of singing and sermons, we serve one another through the sharing of food and table. This is reminiscent of the Koinonia meals<\/a><\/span> of the early church before the Eucharist developed into a ritual. Serving one another in the context of the table is exactly what Jesus modeled when he told the disciples to love one another.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n What does our church do on the fourth (and sometimes fifth) Sundays of the month? We encourage our members to go out and serve in the community.<\/strong> They might do this on a Sunday morning, picking up garbage on the side of the road. Or they might join one of the teams that serve a monthly meal at our local homeless shelter on Tuesday evenings. Opportunities for service are only limited by imagination. Taking Sunday morning off compensates for the time that people spend serving during the week.<\/p>\n Why compensate for that time?<\/strong> Because time is a tough thing to come by for many people. For example, I have a long work commute, so it\u2019s a real sacrifice to serve on Tuesday evenings. Taking a Sunday morning to go paddleboarding is a great relief to me! Our church recognizes that being a Christian isn\u2019t all (or even mostly) about worship and that service should play a vital role in what we do as believers. By taking a Sunday morning off, we give our folks time to either serve on a Sunday or at some other time in the month. To those who protest, saying, \u201cBut you\u2019re missing worship,\u201d I would remind them that service is a type of worship.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Here are a few other ideas of how you might be of service in your community: <\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n These are just a few examples of ways you can be of service to your community. The church isn\u2019t all about worship services. It ought to also be about service-worship.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n We engage in service worship when our volunteerism takes on the heart of namaste<\/a><\/em><\/span>. Many Westerners associate this Sanskrit word with yoga classes. Some understand it to mean, \u201cThe divine in me honors the divine in you.\u201d It recognizes that each of us is a vessel of God in this world. Jewish theologian Martin Buber offers a similar concept in his book, \u201cI and Thou<\/a><\/span>.\u201d True service means treating other people as, well, people. <\/em>It means putting the person first. So, instead of serving \u201cthe homeless,\u201d you\u2019re serving \u201cpeople experiencing homelessness.\u201d Instead of serving \u201caddicts,\u201d you\u2019re serving \u201cpeople with addiction.\u201d Putting others first honors the divine presence in all of us. (Click here to read more on person-first and destigmatizing language<\/a><\/span>.)<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Christianity has this same concept, with or without the word namaste<\/em><\/strong>. Jesus said, \u201cTruly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me\u2026 just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me (Matthew 25:40,45<\/a><\/span>). When we serve others, we serve Jesus. When we ignore others, we ignore Jesus. This is because the divine exists in every human being.<\/p>\n Our service is worship when we recognize the presence of God and those whom we serve. Jesus also said, \u201cWhere two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them (Matthew 18:20<\/a><\/span>).\u201d<\/strong> In this, Jesus pointed out God\u2019s presence in each person. So, whether we gather in the church building for worship services or get together with friends for service-worship, we do so in the name of Jesus and the spirit of namaste.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Churches should emphasize service-worship as much as worship services.<\/strong> Service should not be an afterthought.<\/strong> How can we do this? Perhaps on a regular basis, whenever it suits the congregation but not so infrequently that it gets forgotten, the church could offer service-worship on Sunday morning. Instead of simply encouraging people to \u201cget out there and serve,\u201d the church could gather for works of service during the regular Sunday timeslot. That way, not only do you get maximum participation, but you also teach the concept that service is<\/em> worship. You\u2019re not serving instead of<\/em> worship<\/em>. You\u2019re serving as worship. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Another way to have service-worship is to use the Sunday morning gathering to highlight the service that members perform during the week.<\/strong> Instead of a sermon, members are invited to share stories from their individual times of neighborhood service. This is not an occasion to humblebrag<\/a><\/span> about how generous people are with their time and talents. Instead, it\u2019s an opportunity to \u201cprovoke one another to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24<\/a>)<\/span>.\u201d By sharing the things that we are doing, we give other people ideas for things they might try. We inspire members of the body who may not be volunteering anywhere. And we highlight the joys of service by celebrating accomplishments. When a church regularly turns worship service into service-worship, it prioritizes the servanthood that it encourages in its members.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Worship services are great! I love attending Sunday gatherings and playing percussion on our worship team when I can. I\u2019m not knocking worship services. But maybe we could give service-worship a try. By doing so, we highlight that Christianity isn\u2019t all about singing songs and listening to sermons. It\u2019s about being the presence of Christ in our community.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cApocalypse\u201d Part 2: \u201cWorship for Believers in Exile\u201d<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Sure, your church has worship services. But does it have service-worship? Here\u2019s how your congregation can celebrate AND serve on Sundays. In \u201cWhy is a church service called a \u2018service,\u2019\u201d Anthony Smith says that many believe it\u2019s because we serve God through our time, treasures, and talents. However, he points out that\u2026 The shocking answer […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4628,"featured_media":3884,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,1],"tags":[2789,2801,2798,2792,2795,2786],"class_list":["post-3878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-challenging-the-church","category-uncategorized","tag-community-service","tag-koinonia-meals","tag-meaning-of-namaste","tag-service-project-ideas","tag-the-least-of-these","tag-worship-service"],"yoast_head":"\nNot Worship-Centric<\/h2>\n
Koinonia Meals<\/h2>\n
A Time to Serve<\/h2>\n
Ideas for Service<\/h2>\n
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The Heart of Namaste<\/h2>\n
Serving \u201cThe Least of These\u201d<\/h2>\n
Integrating Worship Services with Service-Worship<\/h2>\n
Worship Services, Or Service-Worship?<\/h2>\n
For related reading, check out my other articles:<\/h3>\n
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