We begin a new year of our Lord this morning, number 2017. We also complete our sixth year of worshipping together as a church, service number 312. Christ calls His people not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together (Hebrews 10:25). He calls the redeemed to say so, to “offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!” (Psalm 107:2, 22). We assemble to extol Him in the congregation of the people (107:32). The psalmist admonished, “Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD” (107:43).

At the beginning of each new calendar year and congregational anniversary, we’ve taken a brief pause from the current sermon series and attended to the things of worship explicitly. Usually a man just gets in his car and drives, but sometimes he needs to fix something or learn proper maintenance or just figure out how to change the time on the radio, so he reads the owner’s manual. Most of us have not known this type of worship service longer than we’ve been doing it at TEC. Our kids will have some of this baked in; we realized we forgot a couple cups of flour and had to take the lump out of the oven and remix it all part way through the cooking. The loaf might not end up very smooth, but with enough of the Lord’s butter of grace, it might still taste alright.

We have in previous years worked through the five Cs in our service: Call, Confession, Consecration, Communion, and Commission. The order of service doesn’t come from any given verse, there is freedom here, but the order does represent a common sequence of Old Testament sacrifices and it is also consistent with the call of the gospel. We’ve talked about how our worship is a united offensive against the gates of hell, an assault on the walls of unbelief and rebellion. We’ve talked about how our worship is more than filling up truth tubes; the Word—sharper than any two edged sword—flays us open as sacrifices and arranges us on the altar for God’s pleasure. We’ve talked about the reality that we become like what we worship. “We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image, from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

For this go-round of attending to the things of our Lord’s Day worship I want to address two things: 1) prayer in liturgy and 2) kids in worship. Today we’ll look at the place of prayer. Previously I’ve talked about prayer as it fits into the different parts of the service but not considered by itself.

What if we could do everything else but pray when we assembled? It seems unlikely that a government would allow singing and Bible reading and preaching and communion but not prayer, yet there is a law on the books in the “land of the free” since 1962 prohibiting out-loud, “disruptive” praying in school. What if prayer in church were outlawed similar to King Darius in Daniel’s day as recorded in Daniel 6? Would we, like Daniel but in public, “[give] thanks before [our] God, as [we] had done previously”?

We can and must pray as individuals. We can pray in private, in quiet, or even when others are around, and with our eyes open. No Christian needs to go through a human mediator to talk to God. We all have access to the throne of grace in Christ. We are the only ones who stop ourselves from praying.

But what about corporately? Would it matter if the assembled church cut prayer out of her worship, either according to law or by neglect? I am ready to say that if we do not pray, then no matter what else we call it, we are not worshipping. We cannot glorify God as He deserves without prayer.

The early church “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship. to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42). When believers gathered together they were regularly found praying.

We pray because we are not sufficient or strong. The spirit of the modern age tempts us to think that we have control over enough things. We can turn on lights, turn on heat, shut the door, drive to buy food or coats or shoes. But there are times that we bleed where a band-aid won’t fix it. There are sicknesses that doctors can only watch and document. And no farmer can force even one seed to grow. We are powerless apart from the Almighty God.

“The Mighty One, God the LORD” confronted His people for their stupid religious sacrifices in Psalm 50.

“Hear, O my people, and I will speak;
O Israel, I will testify against you.
I am God, your God.
Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
your burnt offerings are continually before me.
I will not accept a bull from your house
or goats from your folds.
For every beast of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know all the birds of the hills,
and all that moves in the field is mine.

“If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and its fullness are mine.
Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?
Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and perform your vows to the Most High,
and call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”
(Psalm 50:7–15, ESV)

God goes after the wicked (verse 16), those who hate discipline, who reject His words (verse 17), who speak evil (verses 19-20, who forget God (verse 22), yes. But He is no more satisfied with the religious men who think they are bringing something to God that He needs. God testified against their worship.

He is not glorified by perfect, four-part psalm-singing if we think we’re capable of meeting our own needs. He rebukes verse-by-verse preachers who glory in their own wit and rhetoric and alliteration to produce spiritual change. He does not accept decades of devoted Sunday service attendance from the ungrateful.

We glorify God when we call on Him and He delivers. We glorify God when we pray in thanks for all He is and all the fulness of the world that He’s shared with us for life and for enjoyment. “Mark this, then, you who forget God, lets I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver” (Psalm 50:22). Rather than forget Him, we pray to Him.

The first prayer in our service of worship is when we pray to praise Him for the perfection of His beauty that shines forth, to thank Him for His goodness and steadfast love that endures forever. As we praise Him we also seek His help to worship well.

Then we pray to confess our sins to Him, individually and then corporately. The sacrifices of God are also a broken spirit, and we approach the Lord in prayer depending on His forgiveness and cleansing.

Then we offer our longest prayer of supplication. The pastors who lead in this do more than present requests, but in making our requests known to God, they are expressing dependence on God and seeking peace on behalf of the entire body.

At our Life to Life leaders’ retreat last August we mediated on Philippians 4:4-7. While each of these things can be practiced by each saint, the letter was addressed to all the saints, to the church. These are imperatives for the assembly.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4–7, ESV)

Anxiousness can be systemic, affecting an entire system, like a body, not just a particular part. A broken toe is bad on its own, epilepsy is bad for the whole.

I rarely offer the pastoral prayer of supplication, so I don’t mind talking about it a little differently. Sometimes these prayers go on for a while. I don’t usually check the recording afterward, though I’ve done it a few times. These prayers are usually between 5-10 minutes, which can feel extra long since we start standing after the prayer of confession and keep standing until after the prayer before the sermon. It can also feel extra long if you’re holding your baby, or trying to encourage you’d kids to be quiet. Sometimes it feels long to me, especially if I’ve got more sermon notes than usual.

But even though Dave can’t seem to say “quiet and tranquil” without combining tranquil and peaceful into “tranqful,” and even though it takes Jonathan a whole extra four or five seconds to put his guitar down and pick it back up, and even though Jim sometimes is distracting by breaking into prayer that borders on poetry, what a blessing to have men like this praying in faith. They are not anxious men. They are thankful men, and that affects the entire body. When they pray for our government (as Paul commands, 1 Timothy 2:1-2), for open doors for the spread of the gospel (Colossians 4:3), for our families, for those ministries we support financially, for the hurting and recovering among us, they are honoring God and shaping the attitude of our church.

When Paul said that after praying “the peace of God, which surpasses understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus,” he certainly included a peace that can be subjectively experienced by an individual. I have felt personal peace; you probably have, too. But could this not also describe peace between persons? One reason that we do not have the conflict and grudges and competition that we could is because we are led in making our requests known to God in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Peace and joy and thankfulness is all over this place like sticky fruit juice spilled on the counter.

So, you know, it would be better to sit down as you need to—I have—than to give up this part of worship. Why not prepare your kids to answer some questions about the supplication instead of the sermon? If you need to confess your sin of impatience with the prayer, or confess a critical spirit, go ahead. We’re praying anyway. How could we neglect supplications?

Back to the liturgy, there is another prayer before the sermon. I titled it “Prayer for the Word” on the bulletin, but it is really a prayer for God’s Spirit to illumine the Word to us. The Book, and teaching from it, is only as effective for transformation as the Holy Spirit teaches. I always pray at the end of the message as well, asking the Spirit to cause the seed to grow into fruit of application.

Last, we pray twice during communion, both in thankfulness for the bread and the wine. Jesus prayed (at least) twice when He instituted the Lord’s Supper, so we follow His example. And, of course, communion is something shared. What we share is fellowship around the food, so we don’t do it in silence. He has spoken, He’s given, so we reply in prayer before we partake.

Conclusion

God chooses disciples to bear fruit. At the beginning of a new year, we might think about what sort of fruit we desire to bear, both individually and as a church of disciples. Whatever fruit we hope for, it won’t come without prayer.

On Jesus’ last night with His disciples, He had a lot to say about prayer before offering His most well known High Priestly prayer in chapter 17.

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. (John 15:7)

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. (John 15:16)

Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. (John 16:23–24)

Hopefully some of this message has encouraged you to think more specifically about the place of prayer on Sunday morning, why so much prayer is part of our liturgy, and even increased your gratitude for corporate supplication. Hopefully it’s also sparked a renewed commitment for praying with or for your family. Even though we don’t explicitly say it each week, we are learning about praying as we worship.

The phrase lex orandi, lex credendi means that the rule of prayer is the rule of belief. We usually think that what we believe shapes how we pray, and it does. But it also moves the other way. Prayers here shape our faith and practices elsewhere. Here’s a quick list of some things that can be and are learned from the liturgy of prayer.

• to take phrases from Scripture or prayer patterns and use them in prayer
• to take certain phrases from songs and use them in prayer
• to pray in and appreciate different ways such as praise, confession, supplication, and thanksgiving
• to pray regularly (every week) and frequently (at different times)
• to pray at the start and the end
• to pray in response to God, to pray for response from God
• to pray from a list
• to pray for others, some who are near whose name we know, some who are far whose name we don’t
• to pray in expectation that God hears us

What do you want the unbelieving world to know about God as they observe our worship? True sermons and loud, harmonious singing are good, but more than our knowledge or our skill, we want them to know that God is faithful we put our faith in Him. We trust Him, look to Him, hope in Him. We do that in prayer.

What do you want your children to know about God as they observe and participate in worship? We want them to know that God is near, that God hears, that God not only demands our humility but that He delights when we call on Him in trouble so that He can deliver.

What do you want to become as you behold God in worship? Doesn’t it include knowing the peace that passes understanding, knowing the wonderful energy of supernatural life moving through the branch to grow the fruit?

In prayer lies not only our unity with God, but also the unity of our personal life. Movements in history, therefore, which do not spring from this deepest source are always partial and transient…. (Abraham Kuyper, Lectures on Calvninism, 20)