My Account

Guiding Worship

For those who plan and lead worship events.

Unhurried Worship

by Marlene Kropf

Most of us come to worship on Sunday morning expecting to experience a time of rest and renewal in God's presence. But how often have our work-world habits come with us and intruded on our worship? Programmed for productivity, we design our Sunday morning gatherings accordingly. We fill every moment with words and move through the actions of worship with assembly-line efficiency.

How difficult it is to "be still and know that I am God" (Ps. 46:8)! And yet, this is what Sabbath keeping calls us to do. At creation, after six days of labor, God rested on the seventh. Among the children of Israel, this seventh day became a sign of God's covenant (Ex. 31:12-17), a day set aside for God's people to renew their relationship with the One who called them into being. Later, the Sabbath also became a day to renew a vision of God's coming reign of peace and justice (Is. 66:22-23). Sabbath is a weekly rehearsal of God's liberating, life-giving intentions for all creation.

Rather than envisioning worship as a time to learn or accomplish something, think of it as a retreat. Call to mind the millions of Christians around the world who are pausing to revel in God's mercy and love. Breathe deeply. Play before the Lord.

How can busy worshipers be delivered from the stress and frenzy of everyday life and enter into God's peace and rest? How can they experience that lively sense of God's presence that is so essential for true Sabbath-keeping? While we do not control God's activity, we worship planners and leaders can make choices that will create more space for God's Spirit to move:

1. Prepare for worship.

In Jewish tradition Sabbath begins the night before. Encourage families and individuals to deliberately slow down their pace of activity on Saturday evening, and model it in your own household. Eat a simple meal together, and read the Scriptures for Sunday worship. In quiet moments, spend a few moments reflecting on the week just past and pray for those who will lead worship the next day.
On Sunday morning, signal that Sabbath has begun by serving a different breakfast menu, listening to a special piece of music, or spending a few minutes in silent meditation.

2. Plan the opening and closing moments.

If you are leading worship, get to church early. Set aside 10-15 minutes for leaders to walk through the service, center their spirits, and offer prayer for the service.
Prepare ushers and greeters for their ministry of welcome. Encourage an unhurried spirit of warmth and gentleness as people are guided into the sanctuary. Pay attention to what people will see when they enter. Invite those with artistic gifts to prepare a visual center that invites people into God's presence or proclaims the focus of the morning Scripture texts.
If a musical prelude is the tradition in your congregation, include a line of poetry or a centering prayer in the bulletin for those who desire a focus for meditation during the prelude. If your congregation is incorrigibly noisy as worshipers gather, try starting the service with announcements. When the announcements are completed and the last stragglers have entered, let the prelude begin as a call to prepare for worship.
Occasionally ask people to enter or leave the sanctuary in silence. Let them feel the spaciousness of being together in God's presence without words to interfere.

3. Slow down your Scripture readings.

Frame Scripture readings with silence. Let each word be spoken distinctly and lovingly. Once in a while, provide two or three minutes of silence for worshipers to reflect on God's call to them through the text.
Select musical responses to Scripture readings that open a space for receiving the Word. Or choose a short refrain to sing after each portion of text is read, engaging the congregation in prayerful dialog with the Scripture.

4. Avoid clutter.

Nothing destroys Sabbath peace as much as thoughtless or excessive wordiness. Pare down unnecessary words and actions. Try eliminating all words of transition and announcements of song numbers, relying instead on the bulletin or overhead. Such a practice-even if you do it only as an exercise-can help your congregation be attentive to the flow of worship. It also helps worship leaders to use language more judiciously. Such paring back may not only improve the sense of flow in your service but also add more contemplative space in worship.

5. Create musical paths to God.

At the beginning of the service, sing songs that are addressed to God or illuminate the face of God, the Center of our worship. Save the songs that call people to action for later in the service.
Don't be afraid of repetition. When the Spirit is moving, repeat a refrain until a sense of completion comes. Or go back and repeat the first stanza (or even the whole song), letting people revel in the experience of God's presence released by the music.
Sing more rather than less. Pay attention to the flow from one set of songs to another. Let music do its work of creating Sabbath peace and joy.

6. Let preaching have Sabbath character.

Though sermons are meant to challenge worshipers to action, many people need time for listening and reflection in order to discern God's call. End a sermon sometimes with a question or silence.
Perhaps the most important way sermons contribute to the Sabbath experience is by having one clear purpose. When sermons meander from one idea to another, they distract people from remaining in God's presence. Give listeners the gift of a well-crafted sermon that only tries to do one thing. With 52 Sundays a year, there are many opportunities for shaping the congregation's spiritual life through preaching!

7. Let your prayer time be contemplative.

Provide ample space for prayer. Instead of relying on many words, precede or follow the pastoral or intercessory prayers with silence, or include moments of silence within the prayer for people to offer their own petitions to God.Regularly choose sung or spoken responses as a way to expand the space for prayer. If your congregation includes people who are skilled in liturgical dance, invite them to lead the congregation in through movement.

8. Take time for rituals.

When rituals such as baptism, communion, or anointing occur, slow down to a leisurely pace. Enter deeply into the experience and savor its meaning. Make larger gestures than usual. Lift the bread and cup with reverence and grace. Touch gently but generously with oil. Allow the Spirit to move in the spaces beyond words.

9. Rest in God's goodness.

Rather than envisioning worship as a time to learn or accomplish something, think of it as a retreat. Call to mind the millions of Christians around the world who are pausing to revel in God's mercy and love on the Lord's Day. Breathe deeply. Play before the Lord.

Refreshed by Love

Poet T.S. Eliot asked, "Where shall the word be found, where will the word resound?/ Not here, there is not enough silence." When all is said and done, Sabbath is about slowing down and paying attention to the God who so lovingly reaches out to us in every moment. As the body of Christ waits together in God's presence, the fears and tensions of daily life recede, and we are refreshed by love. In the strength of such intimate communion, worshipers return to the world with new energy for living and loving as God does. Worship leaders who faithfully guide congregations into such moments of Sabbath rest give them a rare and wondrous gift.

Marlene Kropf of Elkhart, Ind., directs the Office of Congregational Life for Mennonite Church USA. She coordinates the development of seasonal worship resources included in Leader.