Scattering to be the hands and feet of Jesus...
We exist to make the reign of God visible in our worship and then scatter to be Jesus’ witnesses in our communities and around the world.
—Purpose Statement of SMC
If someone were to ask you which focus is more important at Sunnyside Mennonite Church— worship or mission —how would you answer? When thinking about the purpose of the Church, which comes first—worship or mission?
I believe it is important to affirm that worship and mission are not competing aspects of the identity of the Church. How do we see ourselves as both a worshipping community and a missional community? During this season of reflecting on our journey, our identity and vision as a congregation, I believe it is important that we think about how worship forms us as a missional people.
Some churches see worship primarily as a venue to which we want to draw unbelievers. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but I think it misconstrues the true meaning and purpose of worship.
Worship is first of all about God. It is God-centered. So I think we begin with the wrong questions, when we attempt to shape our worship services to be appealing to our un-churched neighbors. I am not discounting the possibility that these neighbors can encounter God in the context of worship. I wonder, however, if what happens in corporate worship should primarily be about bringing others to Christ. So if worship is not primarily about evangelism, than what is it about?
From Genesis to Revelation, the Scriptures paint a picture of God creating, acting, revealing. At the center of this activity is a purpose to restore full communion with creation. As humans respond to God’s action, we see worship being a first response that incorporates them into a bigger Story.
We gather in worship to offer back to God the gifts of creation, to give thanks for every good and perfect gift that comes from God. We offer everything back to God—our lives, our moments and our days, our hands, our feet, our voice, our money, our jobs, our intellect, our will, our heart, our love, our family, our all. As we gather for worship with God’s people we acknowledge that God is at the center of our stories. It is in him that we live and move and have our being.
As we gather for worship, we are formed as God’s people for God’s mission in the world. If we were to
attempt to focus on mission without gathering for worship, I wonder how long that would last! My hunch is...not long. I don’t think it would be too long before we would lose our sense of identity. In gathered worship, we remember who God is and who we are as his people.
True worship sends us back into the world as a missional people. As we worship the Lamb who was slain for the life of the world, we step into the current of the Holy Spirit which is always flowing back out into the world to bring healing and hope.
And so we scatter, following the Spirit. After we have gathered together, remembering God and remembering our name and place in his Story, then he sends us in the power of his Spirit into the world he loves. He sends us to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
Brian (from the January/February 2008 Missional Compass)