Worship Explanation: Service of the Word
In our worship services recently, the liturgical leader has been explaining various facets of the service, one per Lord’s Day. This Sunday, it’s my turn, and I thought I’d share my outline (if for no better reason than that this blog has been rather inactive of late).
There’s plenty of Bible in our services, from the beginning (call to worship) to the end (benediction).
But there is a particularly Word-centred section with multiple readings and a sermon that aims at unpacking at least one of those readings.
What are we doing in the service of the Word?
In the ancient offering rites of the old covenant, following the laying on of hands – which had to do with the transfer of guilt, and thus with receiving pardon, as we have just done moments ago – after that, the animal was chopped up and placed on the altar.
Remember that the animal represented the worshipper. The worshipper was, in effect, being chopped up, rearranged, set in order, so that he could become fit for ascending to God as a “burnt offering.”
That is what the Word does to us: It “chops us up” – it rearranges us, interprets our lives, challenges us for fitting service to God. So says Hebrews 4.12:
For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Surely it is no mere coincidence that this appears in the NT book which says more about sacrifices than any other; nor is it mere coincidence that immediately after this, Hebrews goes on to speak about ascension: that is, it talks about our great High Priest who has “passed through the heavens.”
We are being rearranged here, so that we can ascend with Christ – ascend to feed with God, just as the sacrificial animal was arranged on the altar, and then went up in smoke to be consumed by the glory cloud.
Therefore, we are not hearing the Words of Scripture, only to take in information. We are no here to master a set of data, but to be mastered by the One who speaks, who is God Himself. Let us hear the Word with open ears, ready to be changed.