Comments on: What is Worship?

By: thainamu

thainamu — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 18:58:58 +0000

Thank you, Chris, for this article. It covered a lot of ground and IMO, should have been cut into two or three articles (like a separate article on forgiveness, for example).

I’ve always chafed at the use of the word “worship” to refer to what goes on in a building on Sunday morning. Even calling that “corporate worship” isn’t really accurate, because many people participate physically but not in spirit or in truth. (But, I realize that words have multiple meanings, so we just have to accept the fact that the word “worship” can mean a time that has no real worship in it!

Other comments are running through my head, but perhaps are too personal for this venue. But thanks for giving me something to think about.

By: Chris A

Chris A — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 19:21:43 +0000

Yeah, I agree that this could have been broken up into multiple articles. It never really occurred to me at the time. I was just following up on the praise article I had written. Once I got into it, I believe I received further illumination on the “spirit and truth” part. So I went with it. I wanted to look at worship from a more circular perspective, including some aspects that might be overlooked.

When you’ve had time to collect your thoughts, I’d appreciate any more input you’d like to contribute on the subject.

By: momma ladybug

momma ladybug — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 02:44:02 +0000

Thank you both. In our “praise and worship” service, we aim for quicker songs, with the original purpose 18 months ago to draw in youth and young adults. The message is the same for the P&W service as it is for the “traditional” service. As “worship leader” for the early service, I strive to find an even balance; we actually have several of our elderly members now attending the early service. Several have admitted that they first began attending the earlier service because they get up early anyway and if they could “get church” out of the way early, then they had more of their Sunday to visit with family, friends, go out to dinner, etc. Now, all these months later, most of these same elders say they actually choose the P&W service over the traditional because it means more to them, and they even insist that family in town to see them come to the early service. What they say they have discovered is that they can close their eyes, relax, and really meet with God one-on-one, even in the midst of a gathering; then, they say they anticipate the preacher’s sermon with joy, desire to hear and learn more, etc.

After saying all of the above, the purpose of my response is this: I try to balance what the young and old alike would like to sing/hear each Sunday before the Message. This upcoming Sunday may be a disappointment to our congregation because the songs we are singing are slower, require reflection, do not have a driving drum/bass beat, and make the worshiper come face-to-face with his/her relationship with Christ. For me personally, worship is directed solely to Jesus, with Him receiving all the glory and praise; it means losing my place in a song because I am so caught up in worship; it means leading young people to openly worship without being afraid if they know the song(s), if they can sing on key or pitch, if they sound like a frog or an angel which hopefully leads to appropriate concerns of if they have the right haircut, the right shoes, the right cell phone, living in the right part of town, hang out with the right group.

So please pray for our service this Sunday, because in slowing things down this week, my prayer is that more of our church will shed their chains and follow our Lord - not because it’s the “cool” thing to do right now, but because they truly understand and feel the presence of God, a presence that is with them 24/7.

By: Chris A

Chris A — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:38:46 +0000

momma ladybug,

I will pray for your service.

By: Aretha

Aretha — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 15:34:45 +0000

Thank you so much for this article It certainly cleared up a lot for me. I love God so much and want to definetly go to heaven. There are things that I know hinder me but the things that hinder me that I am not aware of are important. Knowing how to worship in spirit and truth is most important for me right now. Thanks and may our God continue to bless you. Please pray for me and my strength in the Lord.Aretha

By: Chris A

Chris A — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:36:10 +0000

Aretha, I’m glad the article helped you. May you be forever enriched in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Concerning your strength in the Lord, here is a prayer you might consider praying for yourself as I pray it for you:

16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 3:16-21