Assembling The People

In both early Israel and the church, the assembly of the people is essential to worship. The act of assembling constitutes the ekklesia, the people of God, who come together in response to the Lord's call and celebrate communally Word and sacrament. This act of assembly begins by gathering together the people of God. The worship assembly is the gathering of baptized Christians who, in response to God's call, come together at periodic but regular intervals to celebrate the liturgy of the church. The assembly of a local church is the subject of the liturgy; what the assembly does is the corporate action of worship. Worship assemblies are also events in the life of the church: they are Christian communities called to assembly. These events are not only regular meetings of the church for the central celebrations of Word and Eucharist but also for other liturgical occasions in the life of specific Christian communities. Worship assemblies can be understood as gatherings to celebrate the o…