Sermon for Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, Aug. 24, 2014
St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wallis, Texas
Sermon Text: Romans 11:33-12:8
Sermon Theme: “What Is Worship?”
(Sources: Anderson’s Cycle A Preaching Workbook; Emphasis Online Commentary; original ideas; Emphasis Online Illustrations; Concordia Pulpit Resources, Volume 24, Part 3, Series A)
Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
What is worship?
Today’s sermon text boils down to that one question. In other words, what do we really mean by worshipping God?
We often think of worship as something we do in a church service, such as sit down, stand up, sit down, stand up, walk to the chancel area, kneel down, stand up, return to pew, sit down, stand up, doing such things for religious purposes in a building that is used primarily for religious purposes.
However, if our bodies aren’t set apart for serving God, then we are merely going through the motions on Sunday morning, merely burning calories as we sit, kneel and stand. If songs of praise, prayers, and meditation are not connected to what we do the rest of the week, then our worship is merely physical exercise. Continue reading