In this way, worship planners consider God’s activity, examine the common flow of the gospel through the different parts of the body of Christ, and make decisions in worship that witness to both. If worship is a form of ‘bearing witness to God’s activity in the world,’ then worship planners must always await the in-breaking of the presence of God in something new. The acceptance of God’s activity in the church encourages descriptive dialogue and open listening precisely because its primary focus is the experience of the incarnate God in, with and through humans endeavoring to bear witness to this experience. This recognition necessitates a shared awareness that God is constantly exhilarating many parts of the body. A primary foundation of ecumenical worship planning is the recognition of the incarnation of God in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit in places and experiences outside our own. Wherever practices flatten theological depth they dishonor the unique ecclesiological sinews within the body of the centrality of worship practice and technique within each communion. Worship planners must always look to the creative impulse far beyond a least-common-denominator approach. Worship planners from different denominational or communion backgrounds should always be encouraged to find ways to work with one another that exude accompaniment, encourage dialogue and flexibility, and result in a deepening awareness of both theological commonalities and differences, precisely as these are reflected in worship practices. Just as the root word for ‘religio’ and ‘ligament,’ is shared, so also worship is where we gather and are drawn together, bound up in the body of Christ. The unique realities for all of our ecumenical partners suggests that, not only are we different parts of the whole body, but indeed we are bound together. Individuals, congregations, communities, and communions, all proclaim in silence, praise, petition and gratitude, the fullness of that body. Worship is that sacred arena where the whole, unified body of Christ is gathered together. Ecumenically cooperative public worship has the power to both proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ for the sake of the world and to offer a model for accompaniment and cooperation among the people of God. However, years of entrenched denominational separation more often lead to observations of confusing divisions among the Christian church than its professed unity in Christ. On behalf of those who will believe - those who will witness these public gatherings around word and sacraments from the outside looking in - the church strives toward unity expressed, at times, in shared worship across communion lines. The assembly of believers around word and sacrament represents a public event that serves as a witness of faith to the whole world. I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one.

Planning christian worship