When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.
--Acts 2:1
Christians have this odd and wonderful tendency of gathering together at a certain times and places. Not much happens without a time and a place!
Worship has a time and a place -- and here we speak not of personal devotions but of corporate gatherings. Worship is not, primarily, a free-lance kind of thing. We worship with our brothers and sisters. Together, we find ourselves on the receiving end of the Gospel and the Sacraments (Baptism and the Lord's Supper). Through these means of grace the Holy Spirit nourishes and strengthens us in faith toward God and love toward our neighbor.
There is often talk of what we do in worship. The word liturgy, for instance, literally means "work of the people." But the "work of the people" in worship is not at point number one. Our participation is of secondary concern. The thing to keep first is what God is doing through His Gospel and Sacraments. Some Christian traditions have called worship the "Divine Service." In other words, in worship we are served by the Divine. God dishes out His very best, and we are there to gladly receive it.
The first Christians did not choreograph the action of God at Pentecost. But they were together, and they found themselves on the receiving end of a gift that keeps on giving to this very day: the Holy Spirit!
PD
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