By Dave Bjorlin, Pastor of Worship and Creative Arts

The story of humanity?s relationship with God that begins with creation in Genesis 2 turns quickly to disobedience and a severed relationship with God (Gen. 3). Therefore, after we recognize that it is God who called us to worship, God?s initiative that created and called us, we confess our sin publicly and acknowledge our rebellion against God. Like David in Psalm 51, we confess, “create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” This is essential because left to our own devises, we tend to explain away our sin and justify our actions in order to escape the stark reality of our brokenness. Yet, the confession in the liturgy forces us each week to confront our sin, to confront our fallenness and confess that we come to worship as sinner and saint.

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By Dave Bjorlin, Pastor of Worship and Creative Arts

I remember the first time I attended church with my Grandma and Grandpa. They were Catholic, and I had been raised in the Pentecostal tradition, so needless to say it was a new and confusing experience going from a very low church tradition (very little traditional worship elements and much spontaneity) to a very high church tradition (many traditional worship elements with much structure). Everything seemed to be smells and bells, tradition and stuffiness, symbolism and mystery. There was a reverence and symbol to worship that I had not experience and because of this, I discarded the whole experience as spiritless and an example of churches “going through the motions.”

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