Isn't it nice to know that God was smiling at your birth? That's probably not an image we consider very often, but maybe we should. We also probably don't dwell on the idea that "we exist for his benefit, his glory, his purpose, and his delight." Our tendency is to stay very very focused on our own existence and our own efforts to be happier. Interestingly, our best shot at happiness may come from seeking to make God happy. What do you think?
Worship has all sorts of boring connotations. There are plenty of places where "worship" is the scheduled event, and it's common for there to not be much "life" there either. But I'll bet those places don't connect the idea of "worship" with the idea of "pleasure." The Bible says, "The LORD is pleased only with those who worship him and trust his love." I'll bet you know plenty of people who "worship" God but lack in the love and trust category. This is what gives worship a bad name. God wants us to enjoy life with him, and thus worship is a response of gratitude. Worship out of duty is dull.
And is it even worth discussing the subject of worship and music? By now everybody knows that worship is far more than music. Right?
I think these days the really big issue we ought to deal with is this: Worship is NOT for your benefit! In our consumer culture, we go to church for what we can get out of it. And if we don't get out of it what we think we ought to be getting out of it, then we shop around. But if going to church is mostly about worship of God, then it's not about what you get out of it, but what you put into it. A lot of church-goers are lazy gluttons seeking to gorge themselves on live music that fits their taste, and soak in a sermon that either makes them laugh or feel good about their life. Oh, and don't get me started about programming in the church for kids and youth - talk about competition to attract the most customers!
What would a church have to do to remind its members that they come to worship - so they had better do their own prep work so that they are ready? We don't go to church really even to learn more about the Bible - not as an end in itself. The learning is connected to our lifestyle of worship - what else can we do that fuels gratitude, trust and love with God and others? Learning more interesting Bible facts is what lazy glutton Christians enjoy! A Bible fact is useless if it's not absorbed in an attitude of worship. The Bible says, "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are from from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men."
What is God looking for from people who want to worship him? "Take your everyday, ordinary life - your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life - and place it before God as an offering." When this is your lifestyle, worship on Sunday is an overflow of the rest of the week. When your everyday life is placed before God as a gift to him, then what makes Sunday unique is not worship, but worship with lots of other worshippers. Sunday is not a day of worship, Everyday is. Sunday, though, is a day of worship with friends and neighbors and family and people who are not like you.
Worship on Sundays has gotten a lot of bad press. Maybe we should just focus on how to help people worship God on all the other days of the week, and then Sunday will take care of itself. If people aren't ever thankful or open to God during the week, forcing it on Sunday will get stale. If we can work to offer up our everyday life to God, and fuel an attitude of thankfulness towards him, and point to him as the giver of good gifts at work and school and home and church, then Sunday worship will have a whole new energy. That would be fun! God would enjoy it, and so would your friends and neighbors and family.
What about you? How has your concept of worship changed?
1 comment:
i never thought of the things we do throughout the day or week as worship. Growing up and through my life i have always known what you do is "living you life for god" and going to church on sunday was what you were "suppose to do, if you were a christian". Definately "man made rules" I am sure that god gets a good laugh at us as we try to make up our own rules.
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