Worship now opens a new dimension: listening to the word of God. God speaks to us. “I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ ” (verse 8). God speaks to us. The word of God is at the center of our worship. God speaks to us in Scripture, in sermon, and in sacrament. It is the same word each time. The summary message is always, whether explicitly or implicitly, a question: Will we be God’s people and do his bidding? Will we embrace his gifts and participate in his saving work? “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”
