Joy Lutheran Church

Dear Church,

Every spring and summer, I select a theme or area of ministry for deeper study. Over the last several months I dove into worship and liturgy – specifically intergenerational worship. The time together we spend together in singing together, praying, hearing God’s Word, and sharing the Lord’s Meal is the core of the Christian life. In worship we come together in a particular way to encounter God’s loving presence anew, to hear words of God’s challenge and grace, and practice the very things we hope to emulate in our everyday lives: sharing peace, offering and receiving forgiveness, living in community, and more. This particular rhythm to our worship life is called liturgy.

I was reminded recently of something one of my professors said: liturgy forms us for a life of following Jesus. I have come to realize how true this is. For example, have you ever found yourself singing or whistling the tune with the words Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world…? Or exclaimed, “Thanks be to God!” after hearing good news? Or, sighing Lord, have mercy…when confronted with something tragic on the news?

I know I have (yes, I know, big surprise, right?). But I’ll bet many of you have had one of these liturgical moments, too. Liturgy gives us language that walks with us in our daily lives like a companion. It forms and shapes our faith in ways we might not even notice at the time.

This year, I am trying something new with our confirmation students. We’ll be using our liturgy and worship as a foundation for learning about the triune God we worship each week, our Lutheran tradition, and the many, many dimensions to a lifelong faith.

One of the ways our confirmation students will learn is by helping lead worship! This means our students will be more involved in our worship setting by performing two new roles: Cross-bearer and Gift-bearer. The most noticeable addition will be students processing into the worship space with a cross and the bible or liturgical book. Further, we will begin reading the Gospel passage from the center of the room near the baptismal font. This is a powerful way of reminding us that God’s Word – the Good News of Jesus – is at the center of our life together and that God’s Word has always been read aloud amongst God’s beloved people. There are some other additions you will notice too.

I want to emphasize these additions to our worship life will not only enrich our liturgy but also, importantly, provide our students with meaningful opportunities to be formed and grow through worship leadership.

Finally, I invite you to encourage our students as they learn these new roles and practice leadership. Saying “good job” or “thank you” can make be so impactful for them!

See you in worship! + Pastor Sean