This may sound strange to you, but it is worth considering. Worship is not a means to an end, but the end or goal to which the Creator intended for our lives. Now it is helpful to have a more expansive view of worship here to appreciate what has just been said. Worship certainly involves prayer, praise, and thanksgiving to God. But it is prayer, praise, and thanksgiving not only formally, as when we gather at a worship service, but it is also in how we live our lives.

Some Sundays I am especially torn between two lectionary readings as to which one I will preach on. Last Sunday was a case in point. I chose to preach on the first reading which was the narrative of Saul’s Conversion. But I was also drawn to the Gospel reading and the account of seven disciples who chose to go fishing after two consecutive Sundays of the Risen Christ appearing to them. This Grace Note address gives me the opportunity to comment on that reading.