| True Worship - article by Joel Hempel How should we worship God? What is the best, most God-pleasing way for a congregation – when gathered together – to reverence our Lord? When Marcia and I were at Valparaiso University, worship in the Chapel of the Resurrection using traditional Lutheran liturgy was glorious. I served as an acolyte and loved it! At the seminary, I grew in my understanding and appreciation of traditional liturgy. Then, after seminary, we were called to the inner city of Cincinnati. Traditional liturgy didn’t work – at least for most services. We made the necessary adjustments and hired an African American pianist. It wasn’t long before we fell in love with Michael’s adapted version of traditional hymns and the introduction of Negro Spirituals to our worship. He turned our mostly white group of singers into a swaying, almost Gospel-sounding choir. Since joining GLC in 1990, worship services have been a combination of traditional and blended liturgies, as well as informal Saturday evening services. Then about ten years ago, a cantor who worked briefly for GLC stated, “True worship is traditional liturgical worship”. Like some of you, Marcia and I have children and grandchildren who now attend non-denominational or other-denominational churches - and we are thankful to God that their faith in Jesus Christ is solid and God-pleasing. But their worship in no way resembles traditional Lutheran liturgy. Is that God-pleasing? What is the biblically mandated order of a true worship service? Maybe you can prove me wrong, but I can’t find anywhere in Scripture where God describes or dictates the prescribed order of corporate worship. I can find no specific format or style that is more pleasing to God than another. The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. (Jn 4:23–24) In the past and continuing into the present, there have been “worship wars” within our denomination as in other church bodies. We bicker over traditional v. non-traditional or contemporary liturgy, music, instruments, and songs. We disagree on whether officiating ministers should wear robes or not. We argue about whether or not to have video screens on the wall or paper bulletins in hand. Guess what? These are not God’s issues. What does he care about when it comes to worship? - Do we worship the One True God: Father-Son-Holy Spirit?
- Are the words and messages in worship based on the truth of Scripture?
- Are we worshipping together as one (see Hebrews 10:24-25; John 17:20-21)?
- Do we care about and attend to one another when we come to worship (see 1 Cor. 11:17-22; Acts 2:42-46, 4:32-35)?
- Are we ensuring worship creates peace, builds up one another, and is conducted in a decent and orderly manner (see 1 Cor. 14:26,33,40)?
- Do we include the Sacraments, prayer, songs of praise and thanksgiving, and the proclamation of God’s Word (1 Cor. 11:23-26; Psalm 150; 2 Tim. 4:1-2; Col. 3:16; Eph. 5:18-20; 1 Chronicles 25:6-7)?
- Are we giving financially for the church’s work and the care of those in need (Matt. 2:11; 1 Cor. 16:1-2; 2 Cor. 9:6-14; Proverbs 3:9)?
- Are we loving and worshipping God with all of our heart, strength, body, soul, and mind (see Matt 22:37; Mark 12:30; Romans 12:1-2)?
What is true worship? It is worship that is true to God’s Word. Let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe (Hebrews 12:28). | 
