The Call to Worship

I'm not an expert on the history of worship services. I have not taken any surveys. I simply want to make a basic observation: It seems to me that one of the aspects of corporate worship that the modern church growth/seeker sensitive movement has pushed to the side is the Scriptural Call to Worship.

For centuries, worship services have started with a clear, hearty, and compelling call to worship God. Someone stood up, read God's Word, and said something like, "In light of who God is and what He has done, let us worship Him."

I don't get to attend a lot of different worship services (for obvious reasons). However, in the last 10 years, I have noticed that something very different begins most services. You almost expect something funny or loud to begin a corporate gathering. As a college student, I can remember countless gatherings where the Bible wasn't even opened until after the singing. Or, I've come to expect that whoever "starts" the service will begin with a joke to ease everyone into the atmosphere.

I'm not saying that every corporate gathering has to look the same or follow the same order of service. I am saying that there are good and Biblical reasons to normally begin with a Scriptural Call to Worship. Here are a few:

1. God is the initiator of worship. As in every aspect of life, God is the first-mover. God initiated the creation of the world. God initiated the nation of Israel. God initiated the plan of salvation. God initiated our personal salvation. God will initiate the end of this age through the coming of Christ. This is the pattern of everything: God initiates. So, we should reflect this pattern (as much as possible) in our corporate gatherings.

2. Worship is a response to God's nature and actions. God initiates; we respond. God reveals Himself; we worship Him. God speaks; we listen and obey. We need to position ourselves under God's Word as quickly as possible when we gather.

3. Worship is based on the character of God. If we try to worship God apart from His self-revelation, we will end up worshiping a false god. God is a specific God, with attributes and desires and plans. The only way to ensure that we actually worship God is to fill our minds with how He has revealed Himself.

4. We cannot worship God apart from the work of Christ. The main reason we need a Call to Worship is to be reminded that apart from Christ, our worship would be completely unacceptable to God. We must always approach God through the person and work of the Son.

Bryan Chapell's new book has a great chapter with examples and resources on the Call to Worship: Christ-Centered Worship.

For 3 years, my church read through the Psalms as a Call to Worship. You can read my post on that here.