Passionate
Out of all the five practices, there is probably nothing more unique to the church than worship. Of course, everyone worships something. As human beings, we are hard wired to worship something—whether that is money, or our careers, or another person, or even ourselves. But worshipping God, the one God revealed through Jesus Christ, that is a uniquely Christian practice. And so for centuries, churches around the world have provided "worship services," a time when the community comes together to sing, to pray and to listen as the Scriptures are proclaimed.
But does worship matter? Does it touch our lives in any way? Or is it simply something we check off the list of "things to do"? It's easy, for pastors and laypeople alike, to simply "go through the motions," to fulfill a particular order of worship (because we've always done it that way) and be done.
Yet, worship as defined by the Scriptures involved sacrifice. In the Old Testament particularly, you brought a living thing to worship that was offered as a sacrifice to God. In Christian practice, we don't do that, but worship still involves sacrifice. It involves giving something most precious to God. And what is that something? It's me. It's you. It's our very lives. In worship, we give all that we are to God. And so worship becomes not so much about "what I got out of the service" as it does "how much of me did God get."
In the five practices, we talk about "passionate worship," and passion is something we always need more of in our worship. By passion, I don't mean mere emotional displays or even more energetic music. Passion is something more than that, something deeper than that. Passion comes from deep down within us, and it has to do with the way we offer ourselves to God in our worship. Do we expect to be changed by our time in worship? Do we open ourselves to what God has? We may or may not have a emotional reaction—but passionate worship looks more for the spiritual reaction. What connection do you have to God as a result of your worship?
I want to worship God the way my dog worships my wife. When she leaves in the morning, Hershey mopes around because her master, her hero is no longer there. She misses her presence. But when we all start to come home in the evening, Hershey dances around. She's so excited, but no more so than when Cathy arrives home. They she jumps up and down. She waits at the door for her to come in. She follows her everywhere, never leaving her side. Everything's right in Hershey's world when Cathy is there. Why don't we worship God like that? Why are we often content to not even pay attention to God's presence or lack thereof?
Passionate worship is not limited to an hour on Saturday or Sunday. Passionate worship is something that touches every day of your life. Worship is a lifestyle, not just a service. Corporate worship is when we all come together to celebrate. Personal worship is the way we live—honoring God with every aspect of our lives because doing so is a passion for us, something we want to give our lives to.
How will you live out passionate worship today?
But does worship matter? Does it touch our lives in any way? Or is it simply something we check off the list of "things to do"? It's easy, for pastors and laypeople alike, to simply "go through the motions," to fulfill a particular order of worship (because we've always done it that way) and be done.
Yet, worship as defined by the Scriptures involved sacrifice. In the Old Testament particularly, you brought a living thing to worship that was offered as a sacrifice to God. In Christian practice, we don't do that, but worship still involves sacrifice. It involves giving something most precious to God. And what is that something? It's me. It's you. It's our very lives. In worship, we give all that we are to God. And so worship becomes not so much about "what I got out of the service" as it does "how much of me did God get."
In the five practices, we talk about "passionate worship," and passion is something we always need more of in our worship. By passion, I don't mean mere emotional displays or even more energetic music. Passion is something more than that, something deeper than that. Passion comes from deep down within us, and it has to do with the way we offer ourselves to God in our worship. Do we expect to be changed by our time in worship? Do we open ourselves to what God has? We may or may not have a emotional reaction—but passionate worship looks more for the spiritual reaction. What connection do you have to God as a result of your worship?
I want to worship God the way my dog worships my wife. When she leaves in the morning, Hershey mopes around because her master, her hero is no longer there. She misses her presence. But when we all start to come home in the evening, Hershey dances around. She's so excited, but no more so than when Cathy arrives home. They she jumps up and down. She waits at the door for her to come in. She follows her everywhere, never leaving her side. Everything's right in Hershey's world when Cathy is there. Why don't we worship God like that? Why are we often content to not even pay attention to God's presence or lack thereof?
Passionate worship is not limited to an hour on Saturday or Sunday. Passionate worship is something that touches every day of your life. Worship is a lifestyle, not just a service. Corporate worship is when we all come together to celebrate. Personal worship is the way we live—honoring God with every aspect of our lives because doing so is a passion for us, something we want to give our lives to.
How will you live out passionate worship today?
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