As most of you know, we will be having a slightly different worship service on the fourth Sunday of each month during the summer. These services are intended to provide an alternative but meaningful way of encountering God. For instance, we will take communion by intinction during this service, have a responsive element to the sermon much like we did during Lent, and provide an increased opportunity for members of the congregation to participate in community prayer. In the two weeks leading up to the first of these services, we will be discussing what it is that worship should mean and what purpose it serves. This Sunday we will discuss the importance of remembering. Throughout Scripture, we see an emphasis on remembering what God has done for his people. The Israelites were continually told of the importance of remembering what God had done for them in the Exodus. In the book of Luke, we read the song of Mary who remembers God’s faithfulness. Remembrance retains a central place in our worship – in the reading of Scripture, in the taking of communion, in the sermon, and in sharing our own stories of how God has been faithful to us. Changes to a worship service can be uncomfortable. But as long as we maintain our focus on what the purpose of worship is and are open to how God is working, these changes can also be transformative.