As Christians we acknowledge that our worth is grounded in God who loves us through Jesus Christ.  It was through his coming to earth, his life, death, and resurrection that God’s love was demonstrated to us.  God didn’t wait to love us until we made ourselves good enough for his love.  No.  God chose to love us from the very beginning and to pursue us throughout our lives…during good times and bad.  God says we are of value.  God says we have inherent worth.  God invites us into a dynamic relationship with him so we can begin to understand and live in the value God knows we have.  This is why Jesus came.  This loving pursuit of God is summarized in the central verse of the Bible:  “God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”  (John 3:16).  When we finally say “Yes” to this loving and eternally pursuing God, when we accept Jesus as the bridge between ourselves and our Creator, we desire to give thanks for this incredible love.  Public worship is a way we express our gratitude.