Worship
“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
John 4:23-24
“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe”
Hebrews 12:28
Remember back in elementary school when you learned about the water cycle—how condensation in the clouds saturated the clouds to the point where precipitation would fall into lakes, streams, rivers, and the like (collection), and then through the process of evaporation, water droplets or condensation formed in the clouds, and the process starts again? That process came to mind when I was mulling over a statement I’d heard ascribed to Louie Giglio: “Worship is simply giving God His breath back.” Think about it—because God pours out His love and grace on us, we receive it and (ideally) share it, and simply and sometimes sacrificially offer up thanks for His blessings in praise and a declaration of His honor and reverence in worship. We rightly acknowledge His majesty, and He blesses us. Love rains down; praise goes up. It starts and ends with Him.
There is much talk these days of “praise and worship” being experiences that we consume as church goers. Megachurches have been accused of using praise bands and fog machines to affect an emotional response from the people attending, and that can be dangerous. Churches have split over changes to the worship services, while others modify and tailor the atmosphere to attract seekers and grow their congregations.
But the focus is all wrong—worship is not about the church goer. Notice in my example above—God is the one who initiates the process by pouring out His love on us and He is the recipient of our worship. He is the focus. Worship in Hebrew is Shachah, which means to prostrate (especially reflexive, in homage or royalty to God)—bow down, crouch, fall down (flat). In the Greek, worship is “Proskynō”, which has a similar definition but also conveys “kissing the hand of one who is revered.” Worship occurs when we acknowledge the greatness, majesty, sovereignty, and holiness of Almighty God in communion with Him. Praise and prayer are the media by which we do this; worship is the outcome.
Please don’t get me wrong—as part of the Worship committee/team, I want to be responsive to your requests with respect to the service. I understand that if there is something that is being done within the service that bugs the heck out of you, you might be less motivated to come to the service, or if you do, to get all that you can out of it—I don’t want that. If there is something that we can change up that does not detract from the primary reason we are in church (to worship Him), then by all means, we can try it. But the primary purpose of our worship is to declare, publicly and privately, that He is the source of love in our lives.
I read the story of how songwriter, singer, and worship leader Matt Redman’s song “The Heart of Worship” came to be. It was the late 1990s and the congregation was struggling to find its meaning despite the music and interaction within the services. “The pastor discerned that something was missing, and did a brave thing,” Matt shared. “He decided to get rid of the sound system and band for just a season, and we gathered together with our just our voices. His point was that we’d lost our way in worship, and the way to get back to the heart would be to strip everything away.” The pastor challenged the congregation with this question, reminding them to be producers in worship, not just consumers, “When you come through the doors on a Sunday, what are you bringing as your offering to God?” What developed in Redman’s songwriting mind were the lyrics to “The Heart of Worship”:
When the music fades, all is stripped away, and I simply come/
Longing just to bring something that’s of worth that will bless
Your heart/I’m coming back to the heart of worship, and it’s all
About You, Jesus..
What about you? What will you bring as your offering to God this Sunday?
Prayer Requests
· For discernment and trust to all who walk with Him
· For protection and blessing of our pastors and church leaders
· Praise for the rain!
· For us to be the church wherever we are
Friends, we praise and love because He first loved us. He is the source, and may our words and actions reflect that.
Quotes
“I believe churches are meant for praising God. But so are 2:00 a.m. car rides, showers, coffee shops, the gym, conversations with friends, strangers, etc. Don’t let a building confine your faith because we will never change the world by just going to church—we need to be the church.” (Twitter)
“Rest tonight knowing that whatever is on your mind is in God’s hands.”