Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come into his presence with singing.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he that made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name.
For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

These words from Psalm 100 are perhaps one of the most famous calls to worship in the Bible. These sacred words have been spoken and sung over the past 2000 years (maybe more!) to call God’s people to worship the Lord with gladness, singing, thanksgiving and blessing. Why? Because God made us, and we belong to God. Because God is good, God loves us, and God is faithful to us.

So why do you come to worship? What does worship mean to you? Whom do you worship?

During the season of Lent this year, we are not asking you to give up anything like chocolate or caffeine (phew!), but we are inviting you to worship God with greater intention and commitment. Why? Because worship is the most important thing we do as Christians and as a community of faith. Without worship, we cannot be faithful disciples and the church cannot be the church God calls us to be. Worship is the heartbeat of our faith and our life together as the body of Christ. If Lent is a season of reflection and growing in our relationship with God and one another, then there is no better way to do this than through the spiritual discipline of worship.

For the season of Lent through Holy Week and Easter Sunday, we invite you to make worship a priority in your life and your family’s life. Make a commitment to attend every worship service during this holy season of the church year (even and especially Maundy Thursday and Good Friday) and to engage in the worship services with intention and enthusiasm.

Pay close attention to what we do and why and what it teaches us about God and ourselves and how God calls us to live faithfully in the world.
If you have questions, ask!
Come to the Sunday morning Faith4Life class at 9:30 am so you can learn even more and discuss it with others.
Fill out the worship survey that you received in the newsletter or online.
Talk about the worship service afterwards with your family and friends to learn what they experienced and how the service impacted their faith and life.
Finally, bring whatever you heard or learned in worship into the rest of your week and practice it every day, whether it is praise or prayer, listening to God’s Word or serving others.

So join us for worship! Let’s spend the season of Lent growing in our relationship with God and one another and learning how to worship God together, so that we may follow Jesus faithfully to the cross and beyond to the joy of Easter Sunday.

See you in church,

~Tami