BY MARY ANG'AWA

O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker (Ps. 95:6).*

eeding the psalmist's call to worship, a church in Kenya began to meet every morning for worship at 6:30. At least 10 people with a strong burden for the church came each day and prayed earnestly for true revival.

The format was simple: every morning one of the members would lead out by sharing a Bible text and making a few comments. Then the group would divide into twos for a season of prayer. Special prayer requests and thanksgiving for answered prayers were lifted to God.

At first it seemed as if the believers weren't doing it right. Things began going wrong. One morning a sister fell down on the way to the service and hurt her hand. Being diabetic, she worried that the wound would not heal properly. A brother's wife fell ill and had to be hospitalized. Another sister was knocked down by a vehicle as she walked.

Through all these trials the morning worship continued. Testimonies were shared, along with praises to the Lord for his loving kindness. That early morning worship transformed that particular church by becoming a focus of mission emphasis for its members.

People who had never before stood to preach or share in public, began to do so during these services. Prayer requests for those in need were placed in a box and shared during the regular Sabbath worship hour (confidentially), so that the whole church could participate in the prayer needs of its members.

The head of the community services department requested prayer. Her plans to visit Masaailand at Kisanju were not going well. After she i9nvited the worship group to pray for her, her Sabbath visit was a success. On the following day, Sunday, food donated by the church was distributed to about 600 Maasai who had come to the health clinic held once a month by the church.

The pastor, holding evangelist meetings in another part of the city, required assistance. He came to the morning worship services and found the spiritual and material help he needed in answer to the group's prayers.

The entire church became united and energized as a result of these simple, morning worship services. For some members God opened doors for job opportunities; for others, opportunities to study the Bible with people in the community. Messages about spiritual needs of members or anyone else in need reached members quickly through this network.

When America and the world grieved for the tragedies of September 11, 2001, those attending the morning worship services grieved also, and prayed to God for the support of the survivors and to ease the grief of the families of those lost in the disaster. No one needed to wait until Sabbath to get a message and act on it.

Most importantly, the church is now open seven days a week instead of only three times a week (on Sabbath, Wednesday prayer meeting, and Friday).

Our Mandate: Worship
The last part of the first angel's message is a call to worship: "Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the fountains of water" (Rev. 14:7, RSV). This is a message that for generations has united us as one.

In the past few years, I have worshiped with congregations in Argentina, Canada, India, the Philippines, and Europe. I have been moved and touched by the unity and solemnity of Adventist worship services. In Kenya, Africa, as the congregation stood to praise the Lord with the doxology in open air services at Nairobi Uhuru Park, one could feel the unity, solemnity, and moving of the Holy Spirit among His people. And this experience has been repeated countless times in places too numerous to mention.

Adventist worship services vary somewhat from culture to culture, but by and large, one can feel God's Spirit moving wherever Adventist believers come together to worship. This is accomplished through songs, prayers, through the study of His Word (aided by the Sabbath school Bible study guides). In every country I've visited, Bible study and worship is a focal point of Adventist worship. Even if I came from Africa, I'd discover the identical Sabbath school lesson being studied in whatever country I visited. In one country the entire morning worship service focused on material gleaned from the Sabbath school lesson.

What makes worship so special in Adventist congregations? What is it that unites us across the world? Making Christ the center of our corporate worship services and our individual devotional experiences with God is what gives us unity. Paul wrote to the Philippians: "For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh" (Phil. 3:3).

This is our hope in being united in worship. Our confidence is in Christ, the focal point of our worship.

QUESTIONS FOR SHARING:
1. How do Adventist worship services differ from region to region, from country to country? Do these differences contribute to or detract from our unity as a movement?
2. How is worship a unifying factor among the believers in your setting? What can you do to make it more meaningful symbol of unity?
3. If Jesus were physically present at your services, what counsel do you think He'd offer to make your worship more significant? Provide quotes from the Gospels to support your answers.

* Scripture quotations are from the King James Version unless otherwise indicated.

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Mary Ang'awa is a magistrate who served as a judge for the past seven years and is now judge of the high court of Kenya in Nairobi.