What is the most important task of the Body of Christ? What is the most important task of the pastor? Depending on who you ask, you will get a whole lot of different responses. Members of the congregation have a set of tasks and expectations; those outside the church another and clergy a third.
 
From a pastor’s perspective, the things that vie for a pastor’s time, attention, energy are myriad - supervision of paid and volunteer staff; visitation - hospital, shut-ins, Sunday’s first time attendees; counseling; weddings; funerals; administration; meeting preparation and meetings to attend to name just a few. So what is most important?
 
WORSHIP!!
It is the one thing that the church does weekly as the gathered Body of Christ.  Elders and congregation should do all they can to protect the pastor’s time for prayer, study, reflection, preparation for worship and the message.  Pastors should do all they can to guard time for prayer, study, reflection and preparation as well.  Recently I asked Crosby Brethren for help in preparation for worship. I am doing the same for all the other individuals who have worship responsibilities throughout the Unity each week. The following appeared in a recent Crosby Brethren newsletter:
 
I am asking for your help!  Help me and others who lead worship!!
 
First, make every attempt to be at worship each week.  You make a difference just by being here.  You matter to God first; you matter to the congregation, and we matter to each other.  Worship is the primary place where we can show and say those things to each other.
 
Second, prepare to get to worship.  Plan your week.  Let nothing rob you of the opportunity to worship on a weekly basis.
 
Third, invite others to come to worship.  We have the space, and more importantly, individuals are more comfortable coming if they know someone.  Every other person you know is not connected to a congregation.  Very few individuals just walk into church without some sort of invitation.
 
Fourth, please pray for worship as guided below:
 
WORSHIP
Worship is connected to attitude.  The first case of worship in Scripture - Cain and Abel offering sacrifices - shows us how important attitude toward worship is.  Abel offered his best; Cain seemed to just get by and was not very happy when the Lord received Abel sacrifice and not his own.
 
How do we come to worship?  What do we offer God?  Is it our best, our only enough to get by?  Are we more concerned with what we want out of worship instead of being focused on what we are giving the Lord.  As maturing Christians, the focus is not just on what we receive, but more importantly what we give to the Lord God.
 
Our attitude toward worship can greatly improve if during the course of the week we do the following:
 
1. Pray for the worship hour.  Pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit - the Lord’s holy presence among those gathered for worship, that indeed it will be pleasing to the Lord God, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and our Creator, Sustainer and Redeemer.  This is the primary reason we worship - for who the Lord God is and does already for us in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
 
2. Pray for those who prepare for and lead worship.  Pray that worship leadership will follow the leading of the Holy Spirit to guide worship in such a way that all get closer to the Lord.  Leading worship is an awesome responsibility that requires uninterrupted preparation and prayer time - hours to be exact.  Pray that  preparation time would be protected, fruitful and in step with what the Lord desires for those gathering for worship.
 
3. Pray for those who will worship.  Ask the Lord to prepare hearts of those planning to attend - to keep obstacles from preventing individuals and families from coming to worship and not participating once at worship.  Ask the Lord to prepare hearts and souls to both give and receive.
 
4. Pray for yourself.  Ask that God prepare you - heart, mind, body and soul - to give of the best of yourself in worship and receive the Lord’s best for you in the time of worship.  Seek openness to the leading of the Holy Spirit.  Ask that your life be fertile soil for the seed of the Gospel to be planted.