WRSHP: Response
In this series of posts we discuss the format and vibe of our gathered Sunday worship at Foundation Church.
Response
Way back at the beginning, God preached to the children of Israel from Mount Sinai, through Moses his representative. He told them how they should live a life that radiates his glory to the world around them.
The entire speech would have taken several hours. But when it was over, the people didn’t simply walk away, with a load of new interesting information on board. They had to respond to God’s word, his express will for their lives. They had a choice to make. Were they going to commit to faithful response to God’s word or not?
Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient” (Exodus 24:7).
God still speaks today
After hearing God address us through the reading and preaching of the Bible, we take time to respond to what we have heard. It’s possible to hear lots of Bible preaching over many years but never deeply respond to God’s call. So we hardwire response time to each of our gatherings.
How it works at Foundation Church
Silence
We pause and take time to reflect at the end of each sermon. This often includes a time of silence and personal prayer, followed by prayer either led from the front or a time of open prayer for anyone to pray out loud if they want.
Singing
We also respond through singing songs that pick up the main theme of the teaching and scripture text, putting words and melodies to the response of our hearts.
Sacrament
Jesus gives his church two gifts that confirm and strengthen our faith – baptism and the Lord’s Supper (aka communion or eucharist). We take the Lord’s Supper each week as part of our response. The bread and wine point us directly to the gospel, but they also form our response, taking all that Jesus has said and done into ourselves by faith (1 Cor 10:16).
Foundation Church meets every Sunday 10:30am at Belmont Tower, Belfast, BT4 3FG.