When I plan worship, sometimes I am working on a service for a few weeks down the road (if it’s Thanksgiving, I am usually thinking about Christmas Eve service). Other times, I might be planning the worship service a few days in advance (for example, Pentecost is already planned, but that’s because we’re having company, however, next Sunday is just starting to take shape). Whenever I plan worship, no matter the particulars or deadline, I start invariably with the same ritual:

I start a new Microsoft Word document and type across the top of the page four simple words: The Worship of God. What happens next in worship planning happens in part by the liturgical time of the year, the scriptures recommended for the day by the revised common lectionary, the needs of the congregation, and last but not least, the awareness that whatever we do in worship, it is inadequate.

I call our worship service “inadequate” not to browbeat others or myself. I simply recognize the humility and audacity that any church on a Sunday morning needs to have when gathering for worship. “The Worship of God” is a time of praise, confession, proclamation, and sacrament raised by our voices, joined together, though none of us are able to give the fulsome praise of God that God truly deserves. The Psalm reading suggests that we are part of a much bigger choir, human voices just the beginning, joining the cacophony of praise as all Creation sings to God.

Alongside Creation, whether to be found over hills and dales, ocean depths and mountaintops, we worship God, Creator of the Universe, the Redeemer of all sinful humanity and mends this broken world, and the Spirit through whom life draws its breath. It is a daring thing to do, to come to this place, and claim we worship God. Coming before the divine Presence is not for the faint-hearted. This time of worship recalls Moses at the burning bush or Isaiah caught up in the divine worship. The awesomeness of God and the overwhelming sense of humans being on holy ground should be treated with due reverence.

The worship of God is inadequate as we only begin to offer worship. Our human frame can lift voice and hands, kneel, and intone prayers of thanksgiving and confession, yet we are just nudging the beginning edges of the awesome mystery we claim to worship.

I return to the wisdom of Thomas Merton, a 20^th-century spiritual writer. He gives us a word of great help: “We do not want to be beginners. But let us be convinced of the fact that we will never be anything else but beginners.” Embracing our limitations, we see worship in its appropriate light: we cannot ever completely be in God’s presence (in this life at least), but God welcomes our best and most heartfelt efforts. With the psalmist, we can worship God, and even take the lead in summoning Creation to join the particular song we seek to sing to God. The emphasis is not on perfection, but earnest effort to praise God.

I started with where worship planning begins: four simple words laden with meaning: “the worship of God”. What comes next? The computer screen awaits, ready for a worship order to begin. What will I write down?

A few months ago, I was speaking with an Episcopal priest. In all innocence, the priest asked if it was hard planning worship. You Baptists do not have a prayer book as we do. How do you do it—making it up every week?

To be honest, I winced a bit. There are some Christian traditions that have a prescribed order of worship followed quite closely and with little variation from the prescribed worship order. You juggle a Bible, a hymnal, and a prayer book in some traditions, where in this tradition, certainly what happens in worship varies. Baptists are part of the “free church” worship tradition, meaning that we have the freedom to vary in our worship practices. To a person versed in a “high church” tradition, Baptists might appear to be “making it up”. To use a kitchen analogy, some Christians have recipes for worship they follow. Baptists take worship seriously, however, our tradition errs toward “potluck” even when it comes to worship. We have certain things we do (sing, pray, proclaim the Word, and we gather at the Table less than some Christians); yet there is more openness to varying the form of what we do in worship. We “make to taste” in our worship sensibilities, though like any church ought to do, we realize that it is less about “us” and more about “God” when it comes to deciding whose opinion about our worship service’s style and approach we value most. Christians may differ in their approach to the worship of God, however, our hearts aim to be directed to the right place.

This morning, we are invited to talk about worship. The questions we ponder are open-ended. Your thoughts on our worship service are valued. All voices are welcome, respected, and needed as we prepare to search for a new music staff person. As with anything else we do here at First Baptist, your voice counts, so please share what is on your mind and heart and be prepared to listen to other voices around you as we work together to staff our music position here at First Baptist.

During our conversation, I will move into the role of facilitator, asking questions and assuring that all voices are heard. The music committee will be on hand to listen as they rework the job description for our worship staff person and begin the search process. Before we get to our dialogue, allow me a few moments to share some questions that I have about the worship of First Baptist:

1) Each week, the worship service is largely planned by me with a little input from the music staff person. Some congregations develop worship planning committees comprised of the minister, relevant church staff, and a few laypersons who work collaboratively to plan worship. When I arrived in 2006, the bylaws suggested that it was the chief duty of the minister to plan worship with assistance from the deacons. The deacon board does not function in this manner, nor have the deacons really taken this up as their duties over the past three years. Certainly, the deacons have “deaconed”, but “worship” has not been one of the emphases of the board. Would the congregation like more input on worship and if so, who should be involved in planning worship alongside me? Is it a “staff only” or a staff and laity effort? A good example of worship-related collaboration is the fledging altar guild. Each week, a person takes the responsibility for designing the worship space, with color, greenery, and other ways to beautify the altar. I give a few ideas based on my advance worship planning, however, our volunteers beautify the altar through their giftedness. (Watch the CAT-TV broadcast and you will see with greater appreciation for how much this improves and enhances what we do with our altar area on Sunday mornings.) No one has to be “the” expert, but everyone who chooses to get involved learns and grows in his or her craft and enriches the visual aspect to our worship. We can collaborate in more of our worship service planning! We just need to try our hand at it for a spell.

2) First Baptist has not had a significant conversation about worship in many years. I can account for at least three years without a sustained conversation about worship; however, I have a suspicion it has been longer. Can we look at this morning’s meeting as the beginning of a longer and potentially fruitful conversation? It will take collaboration and conversation. Can we commit to engaging in a sustained time talking about Sunday morning worship? We have been involved in good conversations about our physical plant and our community-based missional focus, and if we look at these conversations as indication, you will see that “big picture” conversations take time, yet they yield results when we choose to engage in conversation. What would worship look like if we set some benchmarks now and worked together (lay leadership, ministry and music staff, and yes, even you!) over the next two years?

3) Can we give one another permission to think “outside the box” while assuring one another that we will not make any quick or drastic changes? We will still sing “The Old Rugged Cross” and “Amazing Grace”. However, can we also explore music written in this era as well? Can we attempt to sing old AND new songs, enjoying the broad and enriching wealth of music sustaining Christians from generation to generation while taking on the responsibility of all Christians to add new songs to the deep well of our tradition?

Can we keep the conversation in balance? Let us talk earnestly about the worship life of First Baptist. It is an important conversation, as worship helps us connect with our lives, making sense of the sorrow and the joy that is Life. How does our worship service connect you with your life, how does our worship service connect us with one another, the gathered people who support and pray with one another? Ultimately, let our conversation return again and again to the main challenge before us: how does our worship experience bring us closer to God and invite others to taste and see that the Lord is good?