In the last issue, I began to write about the "Great Ends of the Church" found in our Book of Order which summarize the mission of the church:

F-10304  The great ends of the Church are:

the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind;

the shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God;

the maintenance of divine worship;

the preservation of the truth;

the promotion of social righteousness; and

the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world.

Last issue, I wrote about "the proclamation of the gospel...." This issue I am going to skip ahead to "the maintenance of divine worship." The worship of God, while third in the list of Great Ends, is the single most important task of the church. It is what distinguishes it from secular organizations and even faith-based enterprises. It is the primary means by which we fulfill the first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism: "Q. What is the chief end of man? A. The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever."

Presbyterians have been engaged in "worship wars" over the past two generations. As the church has lost its place of privilege in society, lost members, and tried to kick-start renewal, it has experimented with various forms of worship from folk services to healing services to contemplative services to rock concerts. As Presbyterians, we have a particular theology that informs our worship but we do not have a mandated style of worship. The rubrics of worship are found in "The Directory for Worship" in our Book of Order. The central themes of our worship are: The encounter with God mediated through the Word of God in scripture; the acknowledgment of our need for God's grace through confession of sin, and the recognition of that grace through the declaration of God's promises and the administration of sacraments; and our response of gratitude through offering of our lives to God's service in mission to the world.

These themes of Proclamation and Response, of Grace and Gratitude form both the essential shape of our worship as well as of our lives.

At the Presbytery meeting March 6, we will be voting on a major revision to our Directory for Worship. The revision is designed to consolidate what is currently a somewhat rambling and over-regulated Directory. It also lifts up as the organizing principal of our worship that foundational rhythm of grace and gratitude. During our equipping time, we will have the privilege of interacting with the Rev. Dr. David Gambrell of our General Assembly office of Theology, Worship, and Education, focusing on how the Directory for Worship can benefit the mission of congregations.

God acts in grace toward us, we respond in gratitude to God. It is a simple yet profound summary of the Christian life. The proposed Directory puts it this way:

God acts with grace; we respond with gratitude. God claims us as beloved children; we proclaim God's saving love. God redeems us from sin and death; we rejoice in the gift of new life. This rhythm of divine action and human response-found throughout Scripture, human history, and everyday events-shapes all of Christian faith, life, and worship. (W-1.0102)