By Clayton Todd
The word “liturgy” can often land archaic on the ears, as something that was once considered long ago. However, the truth is every church has a liturgy whether they know it or not. Yes, standing and greeting one another after the opening hymn is part of the liturgy.
With the average Baptist worship service lasting roughly a little over an hour, how can we maximize our time together as the body of Christ? I might suggest one way is having a Call to Worship. This is a staple in the Baptist liturgy upon which the people of God are addressed from the Word of God and led in prayer to God that the body would be empowered to worship God in Spirit and Truth. Here are four ways in which a Call to Worship supports the Church’s worship.
- Fights Individualistic Worship
The Call to Worship addresses the People of God. The body of Christ is summoned together to worship despite differences in generations, ethnicities, socio-economic classes, gifts, etc. For the next hour or so, this diverse group of individuals are one in Christ. This serves as a consistent reminder that being a part of the body means those around me are edified by hearing my singing, being discipled together under the same sermons, and having our spirits are lifted by the same prayers. The Call to Worship address the Church as a congregation, an assembly of those unified in Jesus.
- Teaches Biblical Theology
The Call to Worship is from the Word of God. The Call to Worship provides a great way for pastors or worship leaders to teach the unity of the Bible. Biblical theology is the study of the unified message of Scripture. The Call to Worship provides an opportunity to show this to the congregation.
If the sermon text is found in the New Testament, chances are there is an Old Testament passage that alludes to the fulfillment in the sermon text. Old Testament sermon texts can often find their fulfilling counterpart in the New Testament. For instance, several weeks ago, our church looked at Jesus’ command to love your enemies (Luke 6:27-8) which intensifies Moses command to love your neighbor (Leviticus 19:9-18). Designing a Call to Worship this way shows congregants the interconnectedness of Scriptures and our need for the entire Bible.
- Recalibrates Our Focus
The Call to Worship leads us in prayer to God. Let’s add it together: we’ve addressed the entire body of Christ with the Word of God, thus our praying is shaped by the visual truth of our gathering together and the truth that has been read from the Scriptures.
The prayer of the Call to Worship is just that, a petition that God would lead and guide us in worship of Him. You spilled your coffee on your shirt getting out of the car, your youngest child had a meltdown as you left them in the nursery, you sit down in the pew and realize your Bible’s in the back seat — what’s the last thing on your mind? Worship.
The Call to Worship recalibrates our focus. We’ve gathered to this place not because we have it all together, but because Christ has risen and the tomb is empty. A Scripture led prayer calls the Church to Worship God based off what He has done, not based off our current circumstances or the moments leading up to worship.
- Reminds Us that Worship is Trinitarian
The Call to Worship makes us rely on the Holy Spirit. Jesus explained to the woman at the well that true worship of God is carried out in Spirit and in Truth. A preacher once quipped that most protestants are more binitarian than trinitarian — often speaking of the Father in our prayers, and surely, aiming to preach Christ-centered sermons.
We need to be reminded it is the third person of the Godhead empowering our worship. Apart from the Holy Spirit’s enabling, our worship falls flat. The Call to Worship reminds the congregation to ask the Holy Spirit to enable their singing, attention, applying the sermon, fellowship, prayers, and so much more. What a comfort to know the triune God is jealous for the praise of His name and is willing to empower His people to do so.
The Call to Worship unites the people of God under the Word of God through prayer to God empowering the worship of the Triune God.
Todd is pastor of First Church, Belmont.
