Worship Revisited

In my last post, I asked the question -- "What is worship?" I would like to revisit that that question because too often our views of worship are limited to what is done on Sunday morning in a specific time slot, and much of that may or may not be worship. For me, worship is not for my benefit. Worship is about God. I the worshipper surrendering myself before acknowledging Him. Therefore, for me worship can be private or corporate. As a believer in Jesus Christ, I believe both private and corporate worship are essential for living out my faith.

Everything we do ought to be done to bring glory and/or honor to Christ. So the simplest tasks during my day -- getting up, going to work, spending time with my wife, taking my grandchildren for a walk, playing games with friends, watching TV, listening to music, reading a book, surfing the Internet, studying the Bible, etc. -- ought to be acts of worship as I present myself as a living sacrifice each day before God. The Apostle Paul reminds us of this truth in Romans 12:1-2 saying, "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

It is also true that corporate worship is important -- i.e. - the Body of Christ coming together to focus their attention upon God. In our culture today the corporate time of worship is what receives most of our emphasis as being worship. We even call it the weekly "worship service." I don't think the day of the week nor the time is the important element, but rather, that we as the worshippers come with hearts seeking God. Every part of the corporate "worship service" ought to be done as acts of our worship -- e.g. - greeting others, welcoming guests, prayer, Scripture reading, music, listening to a sermon, taking notes, confessions, repentance, sharing testimonies, communion, baptism, giving our tithes and offerings, signing a commitment card, etc. Too often, however, music is one thing singled out as the main aspect of the "worship service." Music is an important part of the corporate "worship service," but not the most important. The most important aspect of worship is God -- His presence. The tragedy is that many churches meet last Sunday and held their elaborate "worship services" filled with music and other activities but one thing was missing -- God. Everything was done to please people and the presence of God was only a footnote to their festivities.

I would rather be with a few fellow worshippers whose hearts are seeking God, and His mighty power and presence which becomes evident by the Holy Spirit's working in lives of those present.