The irony is not lost on me
that this reflection focuses on worship at precisely the moment in which
we are unable to participate in worship as we’ve (almost) always engaged in it
before. While I briefly considered
waiting to write this reflection, I realized that now might be the perfect time
to examine worship at St. Andrew’s and why it matters enough to be one
of only eight words chosen for our new mission statement.
When most of us think of worship,
I imagine we associate it with sanctuary, liturgy, ritual and/or music. A little research indicates that the word
originated from the Middle English word worshipe, which meant
“worthiness, respect, reverence paid to a divine being.” That origin suggests that our understanding
of worship can be a flexible one provided we emphasize reverence and respect to
a divine being. In other words, while
certain images immediately rush to mind when we think of worship at St.
Andrew’s, our current inability to live out those specific images does not mean
we cannot worship in new ways.
For instance, if you’re
following your weekly newsletters, daily emails, the church website, or our Facebook
page, you will notice: opportunities for
worship through Anne’s and Marc’s daily reflection videos; a daily Signs
of Life Lenten “challenge” and prayer; and musical selections from Brad. Coming soon will be new chances to engage
with different forms of worship through a special Stations of the Cross
offering and a live, interactive Palm Sunday service (and perhaps more!) As our mission statement reminds us, worship
– in whatever form it takes – is but one of the ways we at St. Andrew’s will
realize our goal of building God’s kingdom. And until we’re back together in
our church building, perhaps “being the church” in this moment means, among
other things, embracing new forms of worship that might bring us all a
little closer to God.
Lindsey Nicolai
