Sometimes, I read a book by one author recognizing another author. In “Aiming To Please,” Wes Bredenhof refers to Bryan Chapell’s “Christ-Centered Worship” when he speaks about the Call to Worship. A Call to Worship should call people to DO SOMETHING.
As a call to worship, a (familiar) Scripture verse is not sufficient in itself: people will wonder why it is quoted, Rayburn comments in “O Come, Let Us Worship.”
In his book “On Worship,” Baptist minister H.B. Charles remarks in this context that the minister should not start the service with “hello everybody” or friendly words of welcome, “as they do not communicate the gravity of what is happening as we gather for worship. Find a way to say to the assembled worshipers, ‘Behold your God!'”
Many Evangelical churches create their own Orders of Worship. As students, we had to develop a Scripture-based Order of Worship based on what we were taught. The Call to Worship was my starting point. Indeed, it was a call for the congregation to do something, and it called them to follow.
Ministers don’t have to sweat finding a suitable call: in “Aiming to Please,” Bredenhof provides a selection of Scripture texts for a Call to Worship from both the Old and New Testament.
Pay attention on Sunday to what you are called to do when the service starts – and if you “Behold your God.” (Isaiah 40:9)