The First Two Walls of Worship

In chapters four and five, Cherry goes in depth about the first two walls of dialogical worship: The gathering and the Word. When she describes the gathering, she describes it as a call or preparation to worship. She says that the best way to do this is by gradually going from general themes to specific themes. Whether that is through the messages of the songs, through the prayer, or through Scripture, it narrows the mind of the congregation to focus in on God. One thing that she said about the gathering was that it should always start with a joyful or upbeat song. While it think it is beneficial to start services like this a lot of the times, I think it is not as universal as she stated it. I know that there are some times, based on context of what's happening in society or the theme of the sermon, that it is appropriate and good to start on a softer note. It can help focus people in a more intentional and gentle way and get them ready for maybe something more serious.

The second wall, the Word, I found really important and really helpful. I like how she emphasized that the work of the Word is most impactful in a quietness and stillness. She relates this section to the listening part of the dialogical worship. I think that this has the potential to be one of the most impactful moments of worship, but it is often the hardest to recieve. It is hard to be quiet and wait for God in a service with things going on around you. That is why, I think, it can be really beneficial to start the service in a quiet and menataitve way so that you can be ready to recieve the Word. Then, after that you can do the joyful celebration of hearing God's voice and being in dialogue with him!