Worship: Early Church Worship: The Didache Pattern

The Didache provides the earliest description of Christian worship outside the New Testament. For the Eucharist, it instructs: "First, concerning the cup: We thank Thee, our Father, for the holy vine of David Thy servant, which Thou madest known to us through Jesus Thy servant; to Thee be the glory forever. And concerning the broken bread: We thank Thee, our Father, for the life and knowledge which Thou madest known to us through Jesus Thy servant."

This pattern -- thanksgiving, remembrance, and communal sharing -- was the heartbeat of early Christian worship. Worship was not primarily a place to learn or to be entertained but to participate in the life of the risen Christ through bread, wine, prayer, and fellowship.

Practical application: Simplify your personal worship to the earliest pattern: thanksgiving, Scripture, prayer, and sharing. Before your next meal, pause to give thanks using the Didache's words or your own. The early church reminds us that worship is not a performance to watch but a meal to share -- a communal act of gratitude for the life we have received in Christ.