Lex Orandi Lex Credendi

I recently heard a good story.  A pastor from one of our sister churches, one whose service of worship is very much like ours, said, “ - A young lady (18 or 19 years old) that has been attending our church, after coming pretty much weekly for 5 or 6 months recently said, "You know, when I started coming here, I knew I didn't believe any of this Christianity stuff, but I really liked the people, they were so joyful and nice. Just the other day, when someone asked me what I believed about something, a line from the Nicene Creed just sort of came right out of my mouth, and I realized, Hey, I believe all that stuff now. I don't know what happened. I just sort of realized it was all true." 

First of all, something for all of us to learn.  Love and joy, fellowship and simple hospitality manners always goes much further in capturing the affections and attentions of visitors, and even of the lost, than we can ever imagine.  People are won or lost to our congregation primarily by how they are treated and what they perceive of our love for one another and not immediately by our creed, our style of worship, or other formal things.

Second of all, there was a principle at work in this woman’s life that is true for all of us as well.  The law of prayer is the law of belief. Lex orandi, lex credendi. The way we worship shapes the way we think. And the way we grow up worshiping shapes the way we will live for the rest of our lives.  The truth is that our liturgy displays the gospel.  The shape of the liturgy shapes the way we believe. 

God teaches us every Lord’s Day what the rest of life is to look like.  He calls us all together to be a unified and holy community, this is why we are brought together, confronted with our sins and called to confess our sins at the very beginning—we do this because this is a foundational bedrock to the kingdom.  There must be peace, there must be reconciliation, there must be forgiveness, there must be a coming together in unity and love.  And then, once the family is united, and all sin is taken care of, he then begins to instruct us with his Word.  Then we seek his throne of grace, where we find a Father that is eager to answer us and bring judgments upon the world because of our requests and cries.  From His Word we are given the knowledge and wisdom from above, we are shown the way of life and righteousness.  After this our Father calls us to his table where he renews covenant with us, demonstrates his love,  nourishes and strengthens us, so we might go out into the world and fulfill our calling by his grace.  And once he has ministered to us in this way, he then lifts up his hands and sends us out with his blessing to go and bring to the nations the grace we have received.  Christian, you have been summoned to worship…