Fifteen years ago, a dedicated and faithful group of Saint Peter members took seriously Jesus’ instruction to make disciples of all people and developed the "Five Habits of Discipleship" to incorporate into the culture at Saint Peter. This group of folks was convinced that when these five habits are practiced over time and become part of the rhythm of your life, we will grow individually and as a community as God’s faithful people.
Seeing how I've only been at Saint Peter for seven years, I've come to learn about the Five Habits in bits and pieces, so I'm seeing this as a good time to revisit these ideas. Maybe there are some other newcomers out there who don't know about much about the habits. Maybe there are some oldtimers who could use a refresher! Wherever you land, thank you for taking the time to dig deeper into the habits with me.
Habit 1: Weekly Worship
Other churches these days are asking how to create worship services that will attract, inspire, and enlighten. In our Lutheran tradition, we approach worship a bit differently.
Rather than ask what we can get from a service, Lutherans prefer to ask what can we give to make the service complete. The primary reason to worship is to join our hearts and voices in thanks and praise to the God who has done so much for us.
Sure, there will definitely be times when we are inspired and enlightened – but worship is not primarily about what we get from showing up. It is about what we bring to God, as a sign of our intent to give the whole of our lives to loving God and loving our neighbor.
A disciple of Jesus Christ is one who makes regular worship with God’s people a central component of their faith life. It is in worship that we:
Meet Christ in word and meal
Affirm our baptismal promises
Join together with our brothers and sisters in faith
Offer ourselves to God – that we might become instruments of love and grace and renewal for others
So, whether we are worshiping inside the Saint Peter Worship Center or participating remotely online, our worship is not fully what it can be unless each and every one of us is there, fully present and offering ourselves to God.
This Sunday is a great time to re-commit yourself to Weekly Worship. Follow the Zoom instructions on the home page, and we’ll see you there at 9:30 a.m. this Sunday.