The new math: 1 + 1 + 1 = 111

Tonight we conducted our first family worship event. Based on our estimates, we believe around 80 adults, youth and children attended our special Palm Sunday Family Worship service. It was a great time of worship together and I have a few thoughts on how it came together.

1. Planning a service like Sunday night's family worship is a team effort. Graham brought together a group of parents from the Parent Leadership Team to plan all of the elements of the service.
   
2. Conducting a service is a team effort. We had greeters, folks in the kitchen, scriptwriters, dancers, musicians, costumers, and actors.
3. Attending the service is also a team effort. We had children who participated in a triumphant entry with Jesus, parents and youth who cheered and waved palm fronds and folks who attended who wanted to know the difference between a hamburger and a cobb salad.

In the Bible the predominant form of worship is in the context of the community of faith. While there are notable examples of individual experiences (Moses and the Burning Bush, Jacob and his ladder, Paul on the road to Damascus) the majority of the worship experiences in the Bible are in the context of the corporate worship. Even Jesus tells us that if more than two or three of us come together in His name, that He is there with us.

So 1 + 1 + 1 = 111?

My point is simple, the sum is far greater than the parts. Planning worship is hard. Try trading places with our dedicated church staff for a week. Consider the effort you might expend planning an elaborate birthday celebration for a beloved family member. Now try to do it 52 times a year. And that is just one weekly event, usually our church staff plans multiple events in any given week.

Tonight's worship service was a success because as best as I can determine at least 20-30 people were involved in making it happen. When than many people are involved a lot of good things can happen: We had music, drama, dance, prayer, message, food, excellent visuals and printed take-home items. Even with all of these elements, the service had a consistent flow and pace and went without any significant problems. A great outcome for a first-time worship service.

When you have a bunch of folks working together to plan and conduct a corporate worship service the following good things happen:

• People will come to the service: Many folks have ownership and want to see it succeed. Even more so, they invite others to join in.
• Our gifts are used more effectively: God has given each of us gifts to be used in the church.
• Our experiences come into play: Our variety of perspectives give us a broader view of who Christ is. Just think the Bible has four different gospel writers, giving us a complete picture of Christ.
• Our skills and talents are used: Some would say the service had music, drama, dance, and a message. But the total worship experienced friendly greeters, palm fronds, announcements in bulletins, directional signs, and some awesome desserts (I loved the PB cookie sandwiches!)

I'm sure we'll do this again. As an exercise for the reader I leave the following assignment:

If the equation is 1 + 1 + 1 = 111, where can you fit into the equation?