Worship

You ever go on to youtube looking for one specific video/song and 20 minutes and 8 'suggested videos' later you find yourself watching 'Charlie bit me: The Remix' again?  Don't deny it.  You know what I am talking about.

So, the other day I went on youtube and I somehow found myself watching a video that mocks many modern evangelical services.  While I don't think the video intends to be malicious towards anyone, I believe the video exposes a truth that causes unrest in within me.  I believe that many of us evangelicals have, somewhere along the line, lost what it means to worship.  And the simple truth I am beginning to realize is this: we can only love God and love others to the extent and to the depth in which we worship God... We can only embody the way of Christ to the extent and the depth in which we offer ourselves to God in worship.   I'll say that again in the negative: We cannot expect to see the rich fruit of Christ in our life if our devotion and worship of God is shallow.  How can I love God and my enemy with sincere conviction if I don't believe from the very depths of my being that our Lord bore the cross from his conception to his final breath?  How can I ever expect to know what it means to sacrifice and pour myself out for the sake of others if I don't worship and commune with my Lord who washed the feet of those who would deny and betray him?  How can I expect to see the power of the Holy Spirit lived out in me when I roll out of bed with little or no intention of spending time with the very one who granted me the gift of 'today?'

And I as a pastor am guilty of sometimes contributing to this problem. We focus on creating a worship service that is 'seamless' and 'professional.'  We want your worship experience to be better than what the other churches have to offer.  We leave discouraged if we butchered a song, made an awkward transition, fumbled on a sermon illustration, and so forth.  We are upset if 'worship didn't go well' because we believe that worship has more to do with us.

But this is what I am realizing more and more...

Shame on us if our worship of God is dependent upon man.  Shame on us if my worship of God is contingent upon the song choices, how well a worship leader has learned to play an instrument, if I don't like a pastor's squeaky voice, and so forth.  Instead, may my worship and devotion to God, on Sunday and everyday, be real in my life because God is worthy of my worship and devotion.  May my worship be authentic and true because worship should not be circumstantial.   Forgive us for how we have allowed our worship of God to become so much about us and not enough about you... Because when our worship becomes less and less about communing, knowing, and being shaped by our Lord and more and more about us, we are forgetting what worship really is.

And this is where I think we can learn from our Orthodox and Roman Catholic brothers and sisters.  (Are they perfect? No... This is not a 'we all need to be like them' rant)  But most of them gather for the intention of offering their worship to the Lord and to 'receive Christ' in the presence of the Eucharist.  While we may differ in our theology and understanding of the Lord' Supper, the theology of 'meeting with' and 'receiving' the presence of Christ in worship is beautiful.  I wish I had that same expectation and excitement in my own worship of God.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

more of the same ;-)

I was reading about a well known pastor and author the other day.  While he is barely over the age of 40, God has already used this man to start a church, plant 8 other churches, and help establish a seminary.  Pretty awesome resume if you ask me.

I got to hear 'awesome resume man' preach a little while back and there is no doubt about it, the man is a gifted communicator.  However, the question I couldn't help wonder was what would happen to his church if he was gone?  How many people go to this man's church because he has become somewhat of a Christian celebrity?  What if God's word was taught just as accurately, but not as creatively and enthusiastically by someone else... would this cause a mass exodus from his church?

My question is this... Do we attend church for the central purpose of worshiping our risen Lord and Savior, or, for reasons that are a little more consumeristic?  How is it that we listen and place such emphasis on the preaching of God's Word and very little on any sort of response of worship and adoration?  Worship is secondary... the response has become secondary... optional.  To me, this is a sure sign that church has become more of a place where, "I learn, I meet with people I know, I find community, I drink coffee and donuts in a cozy atmosphere, etc," as oppose to the place where I humbly enter the sanctuary to worship and celebrate the risen Lord.