The Gathered Assembly

Worship is not a solitary activity.

In the economy of God, the gathered assembly is essential. The square has four sides, and it also has four points. The points are what happens when the church gathers on the Lord's Day. Gathering. Singing. Sacrament. Sending.

The writer of Hebrews warns:

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

The gathering of the church is not optional. You need it. The body of Christ needs you. When you skip the gathering, you are not just removing yourself from an event. You are depriving yourself and your church of your presence.

Here is what happens when the church gathers that does not happen alone.

Gathering.

God calls a people, not just a person. You belong to a body. Sitting next to other believers, you remember you are not alone in your faith. The empty chair next to you on a Sunday you skipped was a sermon to someone. The gathered church visibly shows the world that God has a people in this place.

Singing.

The church sings the truth back to God and to each other. Paul writes, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God" (Colossians 3:16). Singing is one of the means by which the Word of Christ dwells in you richly. The believer who never sings with the church is starving on purpose. Sing the songs even when you do not feel like singing. Especially when you do not feel like singing.

Sacrament.

At baptism, the new believer is publicly joined to Christ and to the church. At the Lord's Supper, Christ feeds His people. These are not symbols only. They are means God uses to strengthen His people's faith. When you eat the bread and drink the cup at Mayflower's Lord's Supper, you are not performing a memorial gesture. You are being fed by the Lord whose body was broken and whose blood was shed for you.

Sending.

The worship service ends with a benediction. The Lord blesses His people and sends them out. The gathered church becomes the scattered church. The worship that began at 10:30 continues into Monday morning. The benediction is the hinge. Receive it as the blessing it is.

Mayflower's worship is shaped by the regulative principle. We do in worship what Scripture warrants. We do not invent. We sing the Word, we read the Word, we pray the Word, we preach the Word, and we receive the Word in the sacraments. That is enough. It has always been enough.

The 1689 confession puts it directly: "The acceptable way of worshipping the true God is instituted by Himself, and so limited by His own revealed will, that He may not be worshipped according to the imaginations and devices of men." We worship by God's revelation, not our preference.

When you walk into a Mayflower gathering, you are walking into something the King has authorized. He is the one calling the people together. He is the one giving the Word. He is the one feeding His sheep. You are entering into the work of God, not the entertainment of men.