Another Koenker Gem

So the service is a continual twofold conversation between God and man, God being the Giver and man the grateful recipient. Something actually occurs in worship because the promises of God and His gifts are not empty, commemorative signs. They actually bestow what they promise... However, if Old Testament sacrifice entailed giving something of value, a sacrifice of time and energy, then what God wants of us, above all, is the continued offering of this time and energy. Origen already in the ancient church speaks of "the whole life of the saint as one great unbroken prayer." We are not engaged in divine service (Gottesdienst) simply during the brief periods of church service. Worship radiates into all areas of our everyday activity. Each of us has a unique calling in which certain specific things are expected of us. This life entails "the obedience of faith" (Rom 16:26). Service to one's neighbor is just as indissolubly a part of divine service as preaching or singing a hymn, and these elements in no way exclude one another. (p. 100, 101 - Worship in Word and Sacrament)