What is Worship? Part 3 - Identity
"I love coming to church. I get so much out of it."
"That song just speaks to me so much."
"I feel so good when I'm singing praise songs/hymns/etc."
"I wish they would sing my favorite song."
These and other similar sentiments are often expressed when people are leaving worship services. And there is nothing inherently wrong with such ideas...it's just that I wonder if we really realize what worship is about. We, in the American church, seem to have gotten the idea that worship is about me. My comfort. My favorites. My style. My feelings. My favorites.
But worship is not about me. Or you.
That's not to say we shouldn't feel inspired or encouraged or warmed or whatever it is we want to feel when we leave worship. It's just that those things are a by-product of good and effective worship. Those things are not the purpose or the reason we come to worship. Because worship is not about me. Worship is about God as revealed in Jesus Christ.
We don't come to exalt ourselves. We don't gather to celebrate how good we are. We don't give up that hour of the week primarily in order to feel better about ourselves.
We gather in order to remember who we are and, even more importantly, who He is. Maybe a better way to say that is we gather to remember who we are in relation to Him.
We do often get wrapped up in what "I" like. Even as a worship planner and a worship leader, I can easily get wrapped up in what will make "people" happy, and what will make them want to come back (though, I've learned over the years, what we in the church think will make people want to come back is usually different from what actually makes people come back).
Our focus must be on God and what will please Him.
Of course, we already know what will please God, and it's not any particular worship style or song or order or seating arrangements or decorations or anything else we think is important. What pleases God is when we remember who we are in Him, and when we give Him our whole heart, our whole lives.
Worship is "ascribing worth" to someone or something. Whatever is worth the most is what we worship. So, when we come to worship services, who or what is worth the most to us? Who or what are we truly worshipping in that hour?
May we please God first and foremost when we worship.
"That song just speaks to me so much."
"I feel so good when I'm singing praise songs/hymns/etc."
"I wish they would sing my favorite song."
These and other similar sentiments are often expressed when people are leaving worship services. And there is nothing inherently wrong with such ideas...it's just that I wonder if we really realize what worship is about. We, in the American church, seem to have gotten the idea that worship is about me. My comfort. My favorites. My style. My feelings. My favorites.
But worship is not about me. Or you.
That's not to say we shouldn't feel inspired or encouraged or warmed or whatever it is we want to feel when we leave worship. It's just that those things are a by-product of good and effective worship. Those things are not the purpose or the reason we come to worship. Because worship is not about me. Worship is about God as revealed in Jesus Christ.
We don't come to exalt ourselves. We don't gather to celebrate how good we are. We don't give up that hour of the week primarily in order to feel better about ourselves.
We gather in order to remember who we are and, even more importantly, who He is. Maybe a better way to say that is we gather to remember who we are in relation to Him.
We do often get wrapped up in what "I" like. Even as a worship planner and a worship leader, I can easily get wrapped up in what will make "people" happy, and what will make them want to come back (though, I've learned over the years, what we in the church think will make people want to come back is usually different from what actually makes people come back).
Our focus must be on God and what will please Him.
Of course, we already know what will please God, and it's not any particular worship style or song or order or seating arrangements or decorations or anything else we think is important. What pleases God is when we remember who we are in Him, and when we give Him our whole heart, our whole lives.
Worship is "ascribing worth" to someone or something. Whatever is worth the most is what we worship. So, when we come to worship services, who or what is worth the most to us? Who or what are we truly worshipping in that hour?
May we please God first and foremost when we worship.
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