The Worship Life*

This past Sunday, we launched our Lenten message series: The Worship Life. The goal of this series is to help us consider what it means to live a life with and for GOD as we prepare for the glory of Easter. We started with the concept of personal worship. The word for worship in the New Testament Greek refers to a posture of falling down and bowing before the Lord. This is more than just a physical posture, because it also applies to our heart, mind, and soul.

We are created with an innate need to worship. As I pointed out on Sunday, this is evidenced by the reactions we have at our favorite ball game, concert, or other energized gathering. We throw up our hands in jubilant celebration, scream and sing at the top of our lungs, and join together with complete strangers to maximize that shared experience. It really is amazing, but when we think about the way we worship the One who truly deserves our worship, it can be a bit disconcerting.

Whenever we allow something to ascend to a god-like status in our lives, that becomes idolatry, and we end up worshipping things like money, sports, politics, substances, and even people. GOD is the only one that deserves our worship, so engaging The Worship Life requires us to get our worship priorities properly aligned.

The good news is worship is about relationship as opposed to rules! In John 4:23-24, we read these words of Jesus, “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” This interaction occurred with the woman at the well, and I believe should be read as an invitation. In spite of her less-than-pristine past, Jesus is inviting her into a relationship of worshipping GOD the Father with the Spirit and Truth (Jesus referred to Himself as Truth personified in John 14:6).

GOD is seeking this relationship with each and everyone of us, and that relationships is strengthened and solidified in worship. This isn’t just something that takes place for an hour or so once a week (at best), because this is the kind of worship that orients our very life. It is about focusing on GOD, being led by GOD, trusting GOD in faith, and seeking to serve GOD in all that we say and do. Personally, I do this by waking up early in the morning, before the rest of the family, and read scripture, meditate upon some devotional material, and occasionally listening to music. I find this discipline to be critical to help me face the day. I do not intend to imply that my devotional and prayer time is perfect — far from it! — but I know that GOD is perfect and is inviting me into that relationship, which needs to be fostered daily.

Even though pure worship begins in a relational fashion, one-on-one with the Lord, this does not minimize the importance of corporate worship of GOD with others. So as we gather this coming Sunday, we will consider the synergy that occurs when we gather together other believers to celebrate what GOD is doing in our midst. Through prayer, song, confession, Scripture reading, and reflection in a meditation/message/sermon, we grow closer to each other as we grow closer to GOD! I hope you will make plans to join us on Sunday as we look at corporate worship in our message, Synergy. 

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* Written for Wednesday, Feb.25, 2015 church newsletter