Liturgy: The Call to Worship
It is Friday night. You are sitting there maybe not doing too much. Then, the phone rings. It is a friend and they want to hang out. You have two options. Do you stay at home, or do you go out? Either way, you respond to the call. Or, how about this, you have just come home from work. There are many things calling for your attention, but you feel the strongest call from the couch; you just want to sit for a minute and watch some Netflix. Will you relax, or will you do more work? Either way, you are responding to a call. Let’s think about one more example. You are experiencing a struggle with some old or new sin. You hear the call of your flesh, but you also hear the words of Christ calling you to obedience and perseverance in the Spirit. How do you answer? The world is always calling us to many things, some good and some sinful. We are always responding to a call when we decide to walk in either direction; sometimes our response is good, but sometimes it is not. It matters how you respond.
Every Sunday, that day which we call the Lord’s Day, we receive a call. This call is kind of like a call from a friend; it is also a call to rest; it is also a call to obedience. This call is the call to worship. If you have been to a church that has a more formal worship service, the call to worship issues forth at the very beginning of the worship service. Truly, the call to worship marks the beginning of a dialogue that I wrote about recently. The service leader stands up front and reads a portion of God’s word that calls God’s people to worship. Make no mistake, when that call goes out, it is not Mike Mazzye that calls you; I, Ethan, am not calling you. No one who leads the service is calling you. God is calling you. And, what do we do when God calls? We respond in faith and dependence to our merciful and gracious God with praise and thanksgiving.
The call to worship reminds us that we are not calling to God in our own strength or uninvited. God is the one who institutes worship. He is the one who arranges it in His word. He calls His people across the globe in individual churches through the call to worship. Even though many of us work very hard to organize a worship service, we are reminded at the call to worship God is getting the first word and that He is ultimately the one arranging this holy and sacred meeting. The Triune God is calling, and we respond in worship that is through the Son and empowered by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.
We deeply need God to call us in the call to worship. Away from false gods and worldly troubles, the Lord lifts us up by His word and Spirit and calls us to worship Him for who He is, what He has done, and what He is doing. We need the Lord to call us into His worship. The week has been crazy; sometimes it seems like everything changes and life is nothing more than a wild bag of ups and downs. Behold, “I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed” (Mal 3:6). Perhaps you have a difficult boss and are filled with seemingly unending anxiety about work and providing for your family. Take comfort, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). Whatever worldly trouble God’s people have, the Lord knows and reminds us of Himself and calls us to His worship. God’s people are not without God and His promises when coming to His worship. This is what the call to worship does: the Spirit lifts up God’s people through the word and brings us into His presence. God calls, and we respond.
So, when it is Sunday morning, you can expect a call. It is from a friend, but also from a King; it is a call to rest, but a rest that points toward our eternal rest in Christ; it is a call away from the sins that plague us and toward the God who saves us. When it is Sunday morning, and you expect the call, will you respond?
Here is a list of Biblical calls to worship that you can expect to hear at the beginning of a worship service:
Psalm 111:1 – “Praise the LORD!
I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.”
Psalm 66:1-4 – “Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
sing the glory of his name;
give to him glorious praise!
Say to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.
All the earth worships you
and sings praises to you;
they sing praises to your name.’”
Psalm 95:1-3 – “Oh come, let us sing to the LORD;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
For the LORD is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.”
Hebrews 12:28-29 – “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.”
Matthew 11:28-29 – “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”