Beginning With God

 

During my years of ministry I chose to begin worship with a Call or Invitation to Worship, then an Opening Prayer or Prayer of Invocation -- literally invoking God's presence in that place and time. I realized that this wasn't the custom for many congregations which chose instead to start out with announcements and then move to the God stuff. I even ruffled some 'we've always done it this way" feathers knowing that this has been a relatively recent development in United Churches. I've done it as a guest worship leader, but...

I can be quite opinionated, for good or bad, and I've chafed at times when announcements in services drag on before we've even acknowledged God in the house. Am I right? -- of course I am. Hey, I'm not really sure, but seeking God's presence in the company of the faithful is why I'm there, whether in the pulpit or the pew. It's my Sunday morning aha moment. 

I saw this  in the New York Times the other day and because it supports my preconceived notions I liked it. Tish Harrison Warren is a priest in the Anglican Church and author of a couple of books, including Prayer in the Night: For Those Who Work, or Watch, or Weep. While I never used such a basic Trinitarian formula to get our motor running I appreciate what she's saying:

Each Sunday in my Anglican church in Austin, Texas, the priest leading the service takes his or her place in front of the congregation and begins by saying the opening acclamation, usually, “Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” What has surprised me since I first attended an Anglican service just over a decade ago is that we begin not with welcoming anyone in the pews but with a direct announcement about God.

This just rings true for me, as much as I really enjoy seeing the human congregants. Beginning with God seems like a good start.