Daily Devotional | Communal Worship

Worshiping with fellow believers is a powerful experience. Constance M. Cherry wrote, “Corporate worship is what happens when the body of Christ assembles to hear with one heart and speak with one voice the words, praises, prayers, petitions, and thanks fitting to Christian worship.”

The Hebrew word for call (qara) has several shades of meaning. Today, we see another significant one. Genesis 4 recounts the family line of Adam and Eve, beginning with their first two sons, Cain and Abel. As grown men, Cain worked the ground and Abel tended flocks, both necessary vocations. They sought to worship the Lord, bringing offerings. Cain offered fruit while Abel the firstborn of his flock. God was pleased with Abel and his offering, but not with Cain and his offering. The reason was likely Cain’s heart, revealed in his visible anger (v. 5) and eventual murder (v. 8). Cain’s punishment was even more severe than his parents’. He became a “restless wanderer” (v. 12), distanced from God.

The line of Cain proceeded through his son Enoch. His offspring built cities, domesticated livestock, fashioned tools, and developed musical instruments. But although Cain’s lineage progressed, they were not the most significant family line. In verse 25, Seth—a son to replace Abel—was born. Seth’s line would be traced all the way to Noah and his sons (Genesis 5).

But for our study, Genesis 4:26 is of primary interest. “Seth also had a son, and he named (qara) him Enosh. At that time men began to call (qara) on the name of the LORD.” The first qara in this verse means “to name” as we have seen. But this second qara is different. This is the first account of a corporate calling on the Lord, a communal recognition of Yahweh as God. It was the beginning of collective worship.

>> We often focus on God calling us. But we are to call on Him as individuals and as a community. How can you come together with others to call on God this weekend?

Pray with Us

Lord, we each delight in our personal relationship with You, but it is also important that we relate to You with other believers. Give us love for one another and the words to encourage one another in the faith.

BY Kelli Worrall

Kelli Worrall is Professor of Communications and Chair of the Division of Music and Media Arts at Moody Bible Institute. She is the author of several books, including Pierced and Embraced: 7 Life-Changing Encounters with the Love of Christ. Kelli studied at Cedarville University (BA), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (MRE), and Roosevelt University (MFA). Kelli and her husband, Peter, are parents of two children through adoption and enjoy decorating their Craftsman house.