Worship

I think that Pastor Tom and I have the best seats in the house week after week. We get to be right in front of the choir and enjoy their singing … we are sandwiched in between the organ and piano so we are able to fully hear and enjoy Mrs. Kathy and Mrs. Janice’s (and sometimes Ms. Mary June’s) playing … we are in the direction in which most of the congregation is singing … and, we get to sit next to each other when we preach!
I also say we have the best seats in the house because, week after week, we each can look out and see which of the congregants are engaged in worship. And, rest assured, we do scan the sanctuary during the worship service. To be honest, what I often see are some people who are disengaged from worship. Either it be the singing, the reading of scripture, the prayers, or the exhorting of God’s word to His people, there are many Sunday mornings where I see some people who are not fully participating in worship. It is quite a sad sight to behold.
Go to Athens, Georgia … or Columbia, South Carolina … or Atlanta, Georgia on any given fall Saturday afternoon, and what do you find? Thousands of people who have directed their full attention to a group of young men who are using their God-given talents in the game of football. These groups of fans hang onto every play, every call, every timeout, every score as if it is the most important thing happening at that moment. In all the college football games that I have witnessed, I can’t ever remember seeing some people sleeping during a goal-line stand. I can’t remember seeing some people reading the program while the home team is marching down the field with less than a minute left in the game, and they are down by 6 points. I also can’t remember seeing some people looking at their watch while they wait for a kick-off to be returned for a touchdown. However, I can remember people sleeping during a sermon … or looking at their watch during the service … or flipping through the hymnbook while the covenant community around them sings praises to their merciful and faithful God.
Why is this? I know there are many reasons to this, but I think it truly boils down to one fundamental fact- the worship of God isn’t as exciting, and therefore isn’t as meaningful, as a college football game (or any other sport or hobby). Frankly, some people find the worship of God to pale in comparison to other activities. We can find more meaning in other things, such as a college football game, than in the worship of God. Sunday has just become a part of the routine of life. It is something else for us to endure in between the more ‘meaningful’ parts of life. Well, if this is true, then would these bored parties find satisfaction in heaven?
It is interesting to note how Scripture describes heaven. The book we often turn to for details of heaven is the book of Revelation. The first detail we get of heaven from the apostle John is his seemingly involuntary reaction to fall down and worship. He didn’t run around and high five the angels … he didn’t hug Jesus … he didn’t turn a full 360 degrees to take in the sight of heaven. No, his first reaction was to worship.
John then goes on to talk about heaven – and the common thread is worship. What are the angels doing in heaven? Worshipping! What are the elders doing in heaven? Worshipping! What are the martyred saints doing in heaven? They are worshipping! What are the saints in heaven doing? Worshipping? Why is this? Because “the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever” – meaning, worship. We have been created to worship God in all spheres of life – but especially when we gather together as the bride to come before our bridegroom. Our spiritual DNA screams out for us to worship. As Christians, we should know no other way to live.
Do you find worship boring? Is it not as ‘meaningful’ as other things in life? Maybe you need to reintroduce yourself to the living God. There is nothing boring or meaningless about this God. He is the one whose very presence calls for all of heaven to bow down and worship. He is the God whose very grace and mercy calls for us to offer Him our worship. He is the living God who gives His people life – and they naturally respond in worship. He is God, and, as Christians, we are His chosen people. Can this really be boring? Can this truth really call us away from worship? No, it isn’t and it can’t. This truth should resound in our heart and motivate us to worship this Triune God – in His word, in the prayers and in the hymns. May we be reminded of this often, and remember the words of the apostle Peter, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith- more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire- may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.