Q Pair up with a partner, and select one of the following worship topics that no one else has covered. Create a thread on this post, with each of you contributing to a very strong initial post on the topic. Introduce the topic, and after an introduction, cover the specific paragraph assignments. Read all of the responses. Respond individually to two other teams. A. Why Worship? Within the Bible, one major theme is the human expression of a relationship with God. God is the source of love: we love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). When people become conscious of God’s gift of grace, they are naturally led to respond in various ways. Often a response includes expressions of gratitude. Service to God is another frequent response. Worship of God is yet another. Some worship experiences recorded in the Bible are formal; at other times worship was spontaneous. Read about the general worship expressions in the following passages and consider the questions thoughtfully. • Read Genesis 8:15-22. What led Noah to worship God? How did Noah express his love for God? • Read Genesis 28:9-22. What did God promise to Jacob? What was Jacob’s response? • Read Exodus 14:29-15:21. What had God done for Israel? How did they respond? • Read John 11:1-12:3. What did Jesus do for Mary? What was Mary’s response? • Read 1 Corinthians 14:26-40. What points does God make for orderly worship? • Read Revelation 4-5. What kind of worship is described in these chapters? In the first paragraph, summarize what you believe the Bible says about the importance of worship. In the second paragraph, describe what you consider to be the major ways that worship in our culture reflects God’s design for worship in the Bible. In the third paragraph, outline your expectation for the visit to a Christian worship service due the fourth night. Responders: Suggest something for each of two other classmates to look for that might help you round out your experience. (e.g., Tina, could you let me know what the music is like at the church you are attending?) B. God’s Word and Worship Generally the central part of a worship service is focusing on the Word of God. Read and consider what the following passages say about this part of worship. • Read Deuteronomy 6. How would the people be able to continually remember the Word of God? • Read 2 Kings 22-23. What happened when God’s people neglected reading His Word? What was King Josiah’s response after hearing what God’s Word said? • Read Nehemiah 7:74b-9:3. What role did the reading of God’s Word have on the gathering of God’s people? • Read Luke 4:16-21. What was Jesus’ attitude toward the Word of God? In the first paragraph, describe why it is important to have the Bible be the central focus of a Christian worship service. In many Christian worship experiences, the Saturday/Sunday services are called the “Divine Service.” This reflects the belief that God does the work in the worship service, providing His Word, His promise to hear prayer, His sacraments, and His Holy Spirit to work comfort and strength in the lives of His people. In fact, it is based on the belief that being saved by grace means that God does all the work of creating faith and sustaining that faith in the life of a believer, but He does it through contact with His Word and formal extensions of grace. In the second paragraph, react to this “Divine Service” concept of Christian worship and what it means for our culture. In the third paragraph, describe why you think so many people neglect regular worship experiences. Responders: Comment on how two classmates view the role of the Bible in worship. C. Worship and the Sacraments Many denominational Christian churches involve some practice that is sacramental. The word “Sacrament” is similar to but different from “Sacrifice,” used particularly in the Old Testament, as a gift or duty people of faith offered to God to gain His favor. They did this most often by killing an animal oroffering newly harvested grain or some other material blessing and burning iton an altar. The greatest sacrifice ever was Jesus’ dying on the cross for thesins of the world to appease the wrath of God against sin. A sacrament, on the other hand, is God’s gift to people, through which He offers freely His gifts of grace, forgiveness, and life in a way that is received nowhere else. Various churches have different definitions of what constitutes a sacrament, but the two that are most commonly accepted (and those that are part of the Lutheran core) are Holy Baptism and Holy Communion. Holy Baptism. What do these passages teach about the rite of Holy Baptism? • Read Matthew 3. What was Jesus’experience with Baptism? • Read Matthew 28:19-20. What did Jesus command in His last words? • Read Romans 6:1-10. What does this section say about the meaning of Baptism? • Read Colossians 2:11-15; 3:1-17. What does this section say about Baptism and its impact on Christians’ lives? Holy Communion. Another frequent experience in Christian worship is the celebrationof the Lord’s Supper. What do the following passages say about this worship component? • Matthew 26:17-30. When did this occur in Jesus’ life? What do we learn from His Words? • Read Luke 24:13-35. How does Jesus reveal Himself to the disciples after the Resurrection? • Read 1 Corinthians 10:14-11:1. What do these verses say about how the early believers viewed the Lord’s Supper? • Read 1 Corinthians 11:17-34. What problems of misuse were associated with some of the people who celebrated the Lord’s Supper? • Read Acts 2:42-47. What did they call the Lord’s Supper? What role did it play in the life of Christianity within the early church? In the first paragraph, describe your interpretation of the importance of Holy Baptism, based on the reading. In the second paragraph, describe the importance of Holy Communion based on the Bible readings. In the third paragraph, comment on why it might be that God chooses to connect His Word of grace with things like water, bread, and wine. Responders: Include an insight you gained from your study of this topic into the threads of two classmates. D. Worship and Prayer Prayer is another common element in Christian worship. What do the following passages teach about Christian prayer? • Read 1 Kings 8:22-61. What do we learn about prayer from this formal prayer of worship? • Read Matthew 6:5-15. What does Jesus teach about prayer in His words? • Read John 17. What does Jesus do the night He was betrayed and arrested? In the first paragraph, describe what you think most prayers consist of. Talk about what you think are appropriate topics for prayer. In the second paragraph, comment on the meaning of each of the phrases of the Lord’s Prayer. In the third paragraph, describe how God’s promise to hear and answer every Christian prayer spoken in Jesus’ name is a gift of His grace. In the fourth paragraph, share your thoughts about times when God answers “no” to a Christian’s prayer. Responders: Comment on two classmates’ experiences with prayer. E. Worship and Music Music plays an important part in Christian worship. What do the following passages say about the role of music? • Read Psalms 96-100 and Psalm 150. These are some of the early hymns used in worship by Hebrew and Christian believers. What do they teach about music? • Read Ephesians 5:19-20. What kinds of music are mentioned? • Scan Revelation 4-5. What role did singing play in this worship experience? • Read Matthew 26:30. What do you think music meant to Jesus and His disciples? In the first paragraph, describe your favorite style of music. Comment on whether or not you feel that Christian music should be done in this style, or not, and your reason why. In the second paragraph, share whether or not you have a favorite hymn or religious song, what it is, and why it is your favorite. In the third paragraph, describe what you believe to be the value of music in the worship setting. Responders: Reflect on and comment about your musical preferences in relation to one classmate who has different tastes and one who may share close tastes to your own. F. Offerings and Worship Some people are offended that the church asks for money. Yet over 2000 passages in the Bible have something to do with money or possessions. The overall Biblical message about our material possessions is that God owns all things: people are merely stewards, or managers, of God’s things. People are to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness,” knowing that everything else we need “will be added unto it as well” (Matthew 6:33). What do the following passages say about offerings? • Read Psalm 50:7-15. God may not need our offerings, but the Bible indicates that people need the opportunity to manage God’s gifts well and to give a portion of their possessions to God. • Read 2 Corinthians 8-9. What do these chapters say about Christian stewardship? In the first paragraph, think about your own personal financial goals and philosophy about finances. How does the Bible’s view of money relate to the view of most Americans? In the second paragraph, react to the 2 Corinthians section that reminds Christians that Jesus already gave the greatest offering and our use of money is only a response. How does that fit into your lifestyle? Responders: Provide reflections to two classmates about experiences where you believe that the work of the church has benefited you and/or society. G. Miscellaneous Worship Elements The following are also portions of a worship experience in many churches. • Confession of Faith (Creed). Read Romans10:8-13 and Philippians 2:9-11. What is the importance of making a public confession/profession of faith about what one believes? • Confession of Sin. Read Psalm 32; Psalm 51; and 1 John 1:8-9. What is the importance of confessing our sin before God? How important is the immediate announcement of forgiveness? Does confession describe what we do because we are in relationship to God or what we must do toearn His forgiveness? • The Benediction/Blessing. Read Numbers 6:22-27. What is the value of having the blessing of God be formally placed upon His people? In the first paragraph, describe the role of a confession of faith. Throughout the millennia since Christianity has begun, persecutions have been fairly constant. How does the confession of faith that won’t recant, even at the threat of death, help or hurt the cause of Christianity? In the second paragraph, describe the importance of confessing sin, specifically identifying ourselves as sinners and receiving the announcement that God’s grace has forgiven all sin. How and why is this process both frightening and beneficial? For the third paragraph, read Hebrews 10:19-39. What does the Bible say about the importance of believers participating in formal worship throughout their lives? Responders: This might be a good time to – privately, if you choose – make sure that you are at peace with the other members of the cohort. It is a difficult thing to initiate, but you are encouraged to send a note to someone and apologize or do a “relationship check.”