I’ve been thinking lately about why we gather in one place at a specific time to worship (Sunday mornings in our auditorium) and thought perhaps this might be helpful for others
as well. No one time or gathering is more sacred than another, but we choose to designate a particular time for this purpose. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far
I’d love to hear more ideas from you, too.
We gather to remember, reflect on, and respond to what God has done and is doing, especially among and through us.
We gather to remind ourselves who we are (a community) and specifically whose we are (God’s community in Christ), realigning ourselves to God’s point of view
We gather to receive from God the will of God (like the ancient Israelites did at Mt Sinai), to hear from God, and to seek the common good
We gather to nurture the renewing of the minds of each other in Christ (Romans 12:1-2), including confession, correction, encouragement, reconciliation, and alignment with Christ
We gather to proleptically practice praise in light of God’s Kingdom coming (Isaiah 43:21; 1 Peter 2:9; Philippians 2:10-11; Revelation 5:13)
We gather to proclaim the presence of God among and within us (Acts 1:8)
We gather together in one place to proclaim the unity of God’s people (Philippians 2:1-4), which is a gift of the Spirit to the world
Can you think of some other ideas for why we gather together as a community in Christ to worship God?