The First Baptist Church of Redlands
T A PE S T R Y
J U LY 2 0 2 1
Wo v e n To g e t h e r I n L o v e : C o l o s s i a n s 2 : 2
Living Worship A Message from Pastor Shawn
After this year of lock-down and having worship online we have gotten excited about having “live worship,” worship that is happening in “real” time. Some of us are worshiping in-person and some of us are worshiping at home with the live-stream, but now it is possible to worship with FBCR live. I have been enjoying worshiping in-person, but even on the week that I was on vacation in Michigan, I enjoyed “tuning in” online, knowing that I was experiencing worship at the same time with everyone else. Live Worship! But more important than “live worship” is “living worship.” It makes me think about the passage in Romans 12:1, And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all God has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind God will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship God. (NLT) Worship is what we are called to do every day. It may involve the things that we do in a worship service, prayer, singing, reading and studying scripture. But worship is also how we live, how we behave, how we treat people, what we think about. Living our lives as a grateful response to all that God does for us, in the everyday and in the big cosmic picture. What have we learned in the past 15 months about “living worship?” As our lives have been turned upside down, as we have had to figure out how to be church together apart, what new insights have we gained about worship? When we come together, “live,” on Sunday morning, how is that time of worship impacted by our “living worship” every day? And how does that Sunday morning experience impact our “living worship” when we leave that place or turn off the livestream? What are the activities that we do during the week that helps us with “living worship” ---setting aside time for prayer, Bible study, meaningful fellowship, service, anything else? “Living worship” is more likely to become a part of our lives when we are intentional about setting that direction for our lives. May we all become intentional about living worship every day. Grace and peace in Christ, Pastor Shawn
Issue No. 7
