Holistic: Service Worship
Scripture Reading — Mark 12:28-34
“Love the Lord your God with all your . . . strength.”
In many Christian traditions like my own, the Sunday worship service is the high point of the week. We gather to bring God our praise, offer our prayers, engage with God’s Word, be nourished by the sacraments, and find renewal in our walk with Jesus.
A few years ago a diaconal leader challenged our congregation to think about our Sunday gathering from a different point of view. What if, instead of thinking about our Sunday experience as a worship service, we flipped that around and thought about it as “service worship”? What if we considered that acts of service can be just as worshipful as the other activities of traditional worship?
That started a beautiful new tradition in our church. Several times a year on a Sunday morning, we now gather for a short time of singing, prayer, and reflection, and then we disperse in teams throughout our city. Our teams volunteer at local schools, women’s shelters, food banks, and more.
What we have discovered in this simple change is that worship is so much more than what happens in a typical worship service. To love God not just with our heart, soul, and mind but also to love God and our neighbor with all our strength is a beautiful expression of worship. This is also a powerful expression of holistic mission.
God, may my life be an offering of worship to you, not just through my words but also through my acts of kindness and generosity. I commit my whole self to you today. Amen.
About the author — Kevin DeRaaf
Kevin DeRaaf is the director of Resonate Global Mission, the Christian Reformed mission agency working in more than 40 countries around the world. With a focus on encouraging others to join in God’s mission where they are, Kevin believes that God’s purpose for the local church is to shine as a community of love and grace, showing in tangible ways that Jesus is the hope of the world. He and his wife, Jacquie, have three children and four grandchildren and live in Burlington, Ontario.
Start your day with quick daily devotions.
See God's love, power, presence, and purpose in your life every day!