Lutheran Church of Mahomet, The Invitation 2018 Easter Invitation | Page 7

The earliest Christians were Jews who continued to hear God’s Word and pray in the
synagogue regularly. Although grounded in Jewish meal tradition, the "new" element of
Christian worship was the meal that Christ instituted in the upper room. The Chris-
tians gathered secretly in one another’s homes to share Christ’s supper. As Christianity
began to develop an identity separate from Judaism, word and meal were joined into
one celebration. Once Christianity was legalized and worship became more public, the
assemblies grew larger. Naturally, ways of gathering the crowds and sending them
forth into the world developed. The basic structure of worship— gathering, word, meal,
and sending—has been in place since the early centuries of the church. This pattern is a
gift to the church, best to be understood as one flowing action rather than a “to-do”
list. Christian worship practices evolve over generations, yet this basic pattern contin-
ues to serve the church’s mission. We gather in song and prayer, confessing our need of
God. We read the Scriptures and hear them preached. We profess our faith and pray for
the world, sealing our prayers with a sign of peace. We gather an offering for the poor
and the mission of the Church. We set our table with bread and wine, give thanks and
praise to God, proclaiming Jesus Christ, and eat and drink. We hear the blessing of God
and are sent out in mission to the world.