At Times I hear people refer to those gathered at church at a Sunday morning service as "the audience." I've heard this in branch Churches of Christ, Scientist, and in the denomination of which I was a part before joining The Mother Church. When I was elected as a Reader in my branch church, I wanted a better understanding of the role each of us takes in ... the service I was helping to conduct. I began to explore in greater depth the reasons for gathering for Sunday services.
From Old Testament days until our own, the reason for gathering on the Sabbath has been for worship of God. The ancient Hebrews took part in worship while making their way to the Promised Land. The tent or tabernacle used in the wilderness was later replaced with a grand temple envisioned by King David and built by his son, Solomon. The book of Psalms contains many songs used in worship in Old Testament days, writings that continued to be cherished in Christ Jesus' day. The psalms were also used in the early days of the Christian Church and today are used in many Christian services and by Jewish congregations as well.
The words of many of the psalms leave no doubt as to the activity taking place in worship: For example, the Psalmist says, "Let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker." Ps. 95:6 And the one hundredth Psalm declares: "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. . . . Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name." Ps. 100: 1, 2, 4
