Why Do We Presbyterians Worship the Way We Do?
(This is the first of a three-part series) 

Recently a couple asked me about our church. I began to tell them that it’s the Presbyterian church on East Main in Ionia. Before I could say anything more, the woman interjected: “Oh, that’s the church that sings traditional hymns and has a very formal worship style.” I nodded without saying a word because I was unsure how to give her a concise explanation of the principles of Presbyterian worship. After an awkward pause, we went on to discuss other things.   

The woman’s observation reflects a popular perception of worship in churches such as ours. Worship is classified as either “traditional” or “contemporary.” The first features traditional hymn singing accompanied by organ or piano, while the second popular praise medleys are led by a praise band, usually consisting of singers, guitarists, and a drummer. The worship in our church obviously belongs to the first. 

At first glance, this division into two distinct styles seems to suffice in characterizing Christian worship. But actually, it does very little in bringing clarity to the principles of Presbyterian worship. The fact is that our order of worship is determined not by the music we sing, but rather by the true and living God who calls us into his presence each Sunday.  

Our God is the creator of heaven and earth. Do we ever really stop to think about this? Consider that a mere one hundred years ago astronomers believed that the extent of the universe is the edge of our own Milky Way galaxy. The subsequent invention of the space telescope has compelled them to revise this view. This new technology has revealed that the universe is far greater than we had ever imagined. Today conservative estimates put the total number of galaxies at 2 trillion! Now, our own galaxy contains about 100 billion stars. When we multiply this figure by the former, we arrive at a number that’s so big that it’s really impossible for our finite minds to comprehend. If we had enough 8-ounce dixie cups to empty out the world’s oceans one cup at a time, we would still need to multiply that number by 10 to arrive at the approximate number of stars in the known universe! 

God’s power is unfathomable. The Bible affirms that God brings out the starry host one by one, calling each of them by name. Because of his strength, not one of them is missing (Isaiah 40:26). But the God of the very big spaces is powerful enough to be the God of the very small spaces. In this regard, the Bible teaches that not a sparrow can fall to the ground apart from God’s knowledge. Indeed, each one of the hairs on our heads is numbered by God (Matthew 10:29-30).  

When God calls us to worship, the most appropriate response is one of reverence, wonder and awe. That is why after the Call to Worship, we respond with a hymn of praise. We sing of God’s eternal power and majesty, of his wonderful works everywhere on display. When we are thus drawn into the divine presence, we come to realize that not only is God infinite in power, but also in goodness, justice, and holiness. That awareness leads us to the next part of our worship, the Prayer of Confession. We will say more about this next month. In the meanwhile, may you bask in the priceless privilege of knowing and worshiping our great God.   

Pastor Chris