Worship can get pretty stale. Boring worship, lifeless worship, meaningless worship is what keeps people away from church on Sundays. Worship becomes an entertainment commodity - we judge based on the value it adds to our life. We like it based on how it makes us feel. But that's not really the point of worship, is it?
When Christians gather on a Sunday to worship God, all that really matters is the attitude of the heart of those believers. When they come together to sing and pray and listen and share and connect and serve and love, are they doing it for what they can get out of it, or as an expression of their worship to God? God is pleased when we worship him - not for what we can get out of it, but for what we can give him.
If you're at a stage in life where you're turned off by churches and their worship, you may want to check your motives: is worship about you or about God? You may also want to find a church where their worship is pleasing to God. Some churches just go through the motions on a Sunday. That's not good either. The Bible says, "Let us be grateful and worship God in a way that will please him." This is what you want to do, and this is the kind of church you want to join - men, women, and children who love God and worship him with a smile.
A fascinating insight was on the different ways people are wired and how this shapes the way they worship God. "...Christians have used many different paths for 2,000 years to [worship] God: being outdoors, studying, singing, reading, dancing, creating art, serving others, having solitude, enjoying fellowship, and participating in dozens of others activities."
I'm going to list the nine most common pathways of worship as described in the reading for today, as well as from Sacred Pathways by Gary Thomas. Read through the descriptions and take note of which two, three or four seem to be most like you. Let that inform you about how and where you "best" connect with God. I find the list to be very helpful.
Naturalists are most inspired to love God out-of-doors, in natural settings.Which ones best describe you?
Sensates love God with their senses and appreciate beautiful worship services that involve their sight, taste, smell, and touch, not just their ears.
Traditionalists draw closer to God through rituals, liturgies, symbols, and unchanging structures.
Ascetics prefer to love God in solitude and simplicity.
Activists love God through confronting evil, battling injustice, and working to make the world a better place.
Caregivers love God by loving others and meeting their needs.
Enthusiasts love God through celebration.
Contemplatives love God through [mediation].
Intellectuals love God by studying with their minds.
Which ones does Anchor help you do? Meaning: as you participate in the life of Anchor - not just on Sundays - are there some pathways that Anchor tends to "offer" more than others?
Is this list helpful? Does it give you permission to explore some refreshing ways of worshipping God?
1 comment:
This is an awesome list of how people worship in various styles and what touching one person deeply, may not be what touches another deeply.
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