God Is Here!

It is Saturday morning and my cup of Starbucks Home brew is starting to kick in as I sit here at church readying my heart, body and mind for part two of "God Is Here! Taking Worship to the Next Level" a Consultation/Seminar on Presbyterian Worship led by the Rev. Dr. Mark Smutny, here at First Presbyterian Church of Twin Falls, Idaho.

Last night we had about thirty people gather to consider what makes Presbyterian worship distinctive--not better--just distinctive from other traditions. At it's heart, Presbyterian Worship is centered on God, in contrast to a "Jesus and Me" approach. Also, our worship has at it's center God's Word Proclaimed, usually by a pastor delivering a sermon based on a Biblical text that conveys the good news of the Gospel--God's love for humankind found in Jesus Christ.

There was some give and take, but mostly the group was attentive to Mark's compelling case that Presbyterian Worship has something to offer, not so much as a niche in our consumerist culture, but because, in a world hungry for God--hungry for something more than self--a regular order of worship that attributes awe, honor, and glory to God is something worthy of our time and effort and when done with those things in mind will be of benefit because people of all stripes are looking for excellence.

Today we enter more into a discussion of what the implications may be for how we at FPC, Twin Falls manifest our regular worship of God. So we will remember that, as God was with us last night, so too will God be with us as we gather this morning for prayer, scripture, and an understanding of how God is directing us to worship and into deeper relationship with God who loves us.