How Sweet It Is!

A couple of weeks ago, one of our members shared with me the attendance records of our church from the first ten years of its inception (1957-1967).  Apparently, there were a lot more Lutherans in New Jersey about sixty years ago!  For instance, during the year of 1966, the average Sunday morning attendance here was 327 people, with nearly 100 adults in Bible study—each week.  Not too shabby! 
 
We are not quite there yet, but we are trending in the right direction. Thank you for being so faithful in our worship together. At the beginning of this year, we encouraged each household/family from our church membership to prioritize worship at least two Sundays a month. Why? Because we are stronger when we are together—praying together, loving each other, helping each other.  We are a healthier and more faithful church—and can make a more noticeable impact in our community—when we worship and Bible study together!  Twice a month… not too daunting. So many of you have done that. You have shown up. Thank you!  And if you haven’t, it is never too late!
 
Why is this important?  Worship is not about filling a box on a spiritual checklist. It is not about impressing God. It is not about satisfying the pastor’s quota.  Worship is intended for your benefit.  It is the spiritual comfort that God offers to us in the Word of Absolution, the Good News proclaimed in the sermon, our mutual prayers, and the peace bestowed in the Lord’s Supper.  Worship is not what we do for God as we sing or kneel, but chiefly what God freely gives to us through His Word and Sacraments.  It puts us in the most profound Gospel reception spot, where our loving God comforts troubled sinners with the tender words that our iniquities are pardoned for Jesus’ sake.  The reason we attend worship with our fellow redeemed is so that together we can receive the comfort of God’s precious gifts.  Author Roger Pittelko writes, “The dictionary understanding makes worship our action or our response.  It turns worship into an anthropocentric activity that is measured and normed by what we do, by what we understand God to be.  The evangelical Lutheran understanding of worship is just the opposite.  It is from God to us.  It begins with God.  It is Him pouring into us, lifting us up.  Worship has its foundation and sources with God.” (Lutheran Worship: History and Practice) 
 
May our church, King of Kings, continue to be an open, welcoming place for all who walk in to hear the bold, unapologetic teaching of God’s Word. Let us be a place where people are comforted by the Gospel and uplifted by their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.  We haven’t quite hit 327 worshipers each Sunday (yet), but by His grace, we will get there! 😉
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