How Dare We Worship?

How Dare We Worship?

If you enter most any church on a Sunday morning, you will experience a friendly greeting, coffee and an interpretation of biblical worship.  People enjoy this one day a week because friends are seen that you only see at this time and there’s a sense that we are all here for the same purpose.  Much conversation and catching up from the previous week is done and the hum of conversation is noticeable.  Some churches encourage a more reverent tone by asking parishioners to quietly prepare for the upcoming worship by quickly going to their pews

The Worship Team or Organist  begins the prelude or opening song and you know it’s time to join in worship.   The pastors come out and lead us in prayers, Scripture readings and a sermon.    Money is collected for various causes and in some cases, historic liturgy is used to help the people focus.  So, is there anything wrong with all this?  Maybe not.  But something caused me to scream out...in my mind... “How dare we come before God like this?  Who do we think we are, presuming to think that He wants our worship?  And is this really worship?  What is worship anyway?  Is it singing and praying all the while people around the world are dying and living in poverty?  How dare we ‘worship’ when oppressive governments are killing their own people?  How dare we sit comfortably in our churches while injustice and starvation claim the lives of millions? How dare we define worship on our terms or acclimate to the temperature of the culture?  How dare we....How dare we....How dare we...How dare we....?”

Wait a minute...maybe that’s the point.  When the world is spinning out of control and the crimes of humanity are overwhelming, there is only one place to turn...the throne of God.  When my selfishness consumes me and I get sucked into consumerism, what better place to get realigned than at the foot of the cross.  When I have spent the week judging people and feeling bitter about my own failings, God is right there waiting to receive my worship.  

So, maybe worship is less about getting it right...i.e. the right music, the right version of the Bible, the right architecture...and more about showing up and giving God the honor due Him.  And maybe I won’t worry so much about ‘worship style’ and spend more time preparing myself even before I walk into that sanctuary, so that I am ready to meet my God with all the other imperfect people that have come with me.

Job seemed to understand that worship was distinctly separate from his own meager existence.  Can you imagine being in his shoes?

Job 1:18-20  While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”  At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship...

It seems as if worship has less to do with what is currently happening in our lives and more about God alone.  Psalm 99:5 says, “Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy.  That’s it isn’t it...? “He is holy”.  That’s all we need to know.  

Lastly, it seems that this is a good reason to worship corporately at least once a week, to surrender our problems to Him and recognize that worship is the great perspective maker.  God is God and we are not.  And imagine if we took Sunday worship into our day to day lives...whether life makes sense in the moment is not the point...recognizing God as our loving creator makes everything else bearable.

Father, we dare to come before you because you have called us to worship you.  We don’t always get it right, but you are satisfied with our feeble efforts.  We look forward to the day when as John says in chapter 4,  “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”  Until then, thank you for your patience.  May we go forward empowered by worship as your hands and feet to bring healing to a broken world.

Amen.