Sunday and Worship - a Corporate Faith
Last month I shared some musings on what the Church actually is and its
significance. I want to develop that this month in thinking about public
worship, coming to church and Sundays. I say 'musings' because I am thinking
about this afresh in my own life with the change of circumstances in coming
here - namely that no longer is there an evening service weekly in our parishes
and neither many around in the area either! As part of my regular Sunday
routine has involved worship on a Sunday evening as well as a morning for as
long as I can remember that's quite a difference!
So here are some basics that are informing my thinking:
For the first Christians Sunday would have been a normal working day but they recognised there was something special about this day as it was the day Jesus rose from the dead and so seemed to make a special effort to meet together specifically on that day (Acts 20.7, 1 Cor 16.2). Jesus himself regularly attended the synagogue (Luke 4.16 although that was of course on the Sabbath/Saturday).
What did they come to do? Well that might be summarised by "they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers" (Acts 2. 42) and "not neglecting to meet together, but encouraging one another and provoking one another to love and good deeds" (from Hebrews 10.24 & 25) There's something here that is more than what many of us think of as "coming to church" and relates to the vitality of our life as individuals and as part of the body of Christ.
Within this the celebration of Holy Communion has a particular part to play as the words from the licensing service remind us of:
At the
Holy Table a parishioner says:
Let us hear the words of St Paul:
“The cup of blessing that we bless,
is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ?
The bread that we break,
is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?”
Presenting bread and wine, the parishioner continues:
Receive this bread and wine,
All - and lead us as we celebrate the breaking of bread.
Some interim conclusions:
- Gathering together as Christians is a fundamental part of who we are and what God calls us to be.
- Those times of gathering together are therefore something important and so must be something of a priority in our lives.
- How and when they may happen is not something we can lay down universal rules about but we need to recognise that there's something special about the first day of the week in acknowledgement of what God did on it through the resurrection.
Maybe there are other times and venues when and where we can join together in the spirit of Acts 2 and Hebrews 10 (see above) - indeed I have wondered about having an occasional informal get together on a Sunday evening here at the Rectory...
As ever I'm always very pleased to hear any comments, thoughts or suggestions as we seek to live as God wants us to.
My God himself continue to lead and bless us in our corporate life together.
David Wilson
The Rectory, 7 Cedar Fields, West Coker, BA22 9DB, Tel. 862328
E-mail: thevicar@fastmail.co.uk
The Churchwardens may also be contacted by email: Jonathan Chadwick or Brian Dodd