Time of Preparation
Begin by taking inventory of your surroundings. Are things in your vicinity conducive to a time of personal worship? Are there any changes or adjustments (turning off tech, making yourself comfortable) you need to make before you begin?
When you are ready, take some time to sit in silence and prepare your heart for worship. Ask God to clear away any distractions that might keep you from being truly present in this moment.
Encounter With God
In this first movement, we simply seek to see God for who He is: the One worthy of worship.
“Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as in fact there are many gods and many lords— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.”
—1 Corinthians 8:5-6 (NRSVUE)
When we enter a space of worship there is a bit of a battle already taking place. We enter that place from a world filled with so many voices competing for our attention. Some are simple distractions, but others are more insidious and destructive—voices that tell a story that stands in stark contrast to the one revealed in Scripture and illuminated by the Holy Spirit.
This first movement of worship serves to counter those voices and bring us back to the true story, the one which is rooted in the identity and actions of our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. By orienting our gaze upward and hearing again of the attributes and works of God, those false, competing voices are silenced and replaced by reminders of what grounds and centers us.
One of the tools the church has used to do this for centuries is the Apostles’ Creed, a collection of belief statements that remind us who God is, what he has done, and where it is that we find our mercy and hope. Set to music, the worshipfulness of the creed is highlighted even more.
Following the song, you are invited to meditate on the words of the Apostles’ Creed below. Which statements most lead you into that worshipful space today?
SONG OF ENCOUNTER: This I Believe (lyrics here)
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.