Tuesday, February 12, 2013
What matters in worship
One of the most visible ways we live out what matters is in our communal worship. After all, that is where communion with our brothers and sisters takes place.
But as soon as we mention communal worship, we leap to a discussion of what and how. Sometimes to the point where we forget what worship really is all about. So before talking about communal worship, we have to get rid of the idea that worship is an exercise restricted to an hour or so on Sunday morning.
And I do not mean we should expand corporate worship to an all day affair as do some of our brothers and sisters in Africa. Nor do I mean we should expect everyone to attend two services a day, or three per week.
But I do mean we need to understand what real worship is and how it fits into what matters.
Our lives are worship. We are to be living sacrifices to God. Read Romans 12:1-2. We worship with our lives in response to God's mercy. That is our core value. Jesus died for our sins. That is God's mercy. Because of that we love him with all that we have. That leads us to live out our lives in worship. We live forgiven. We practice forgiveness. We proclaim God's forgiveness in this world. Our worship is to live counter to the culture of this world. We become the living sacrifices offered to God. Every day.
Even the admonition in Hebrews 10 to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together is rooted in this concept. We are to encourage each other. We are to spur one another on to love and good works. That is living our lives as worship to God. And it happens outside of our together worship.
That is not 60 or 90 minutes a week. That is 24/7 worship.
Even Jesus' admonition to the woman at the well was about life worship, not worship at just a certain place. It is worship that springs in truth and spirit from the living water found in Jesus.
So communal worship is about coming together in order to worship. It is coming together to continue worshiping. It is to come together to share in the death of Jesus in communion. It is to praise God. It is to be inspired and motivated to leave worshiping.
Christians do not come to worship, or leave worship. We are worship.
But as soon as we mention communal worship, we leap to a discussion of what and how. Sometimes to the point where we forget what worship really is all about. So before talking about communal worship, we have to get rid of the idea that worship is an exercise restricted to an hour or so on Sunday morning.
And I do not mean we should expand corporate worship to an all day affair as do some of our brothers and sisters in Africa. Nor do I mean we should expect everyone to attend two services a day, or three per week.
But I do mean we need to understand what real worship is and how it fits into what matters.
Our lives are worship. We are to be living sacrifices to God. Read Romans 12:1-2. We worship with our lives in response to God's mercy. That is our core value. Jesus died for our sins. That is God's mercy. Because of that we love him with all that we have. That leads us to live out our lives in worship. We live forgiven. We practice forgiveness. We proclaim God's forgiveness in this world. Our worship is to live counter to the culture of this world. We become the living sacrifices offered to God. Every day.
Even the admonition in Hebrews 10 to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together is rooted in this concept. We are to encourage each other. We are to spur one another on to love and good works. That is living our lives as worship to God. And it happens outside of our together worship.
That is not 60 or 90 minutes a week. That is 24/7 worship.
Even Jesus' admonition to the woman at the well was about life worship, not worship at just a certain place. It is worship that springs in truth and spirit from the living water found in Jesus.
So communal worship is about coming together in order to worship. It is coming together to continue worshiping. It is to come together to share in the death of Jesus in communion. It is to praise God. It is to be inspired and motivated to leave worshiping.
Christians do not come to worship, or leave worship. We are worship.
