We Are a people Who: Worship Passionately

What has been my experience of worship? What have others said about worship?

When I was a child my friend Arthur and I would attend church and sit near the front of the sanctuary. During the sermon, we had a habit of entertaining ourselves by playing paper football in the pew. Worship, was something we used dread when we were young. I attended service each week with my family and the gathered congregation had the enthusiasm of a Wake. I didn’t understand why we did the things we did. It seems I didn’t know what this action of worship was all about. I am certain the adults in the room were not thrilled with our activity but looking back I think they were happy that we were there. Isn’t that how we approach the idea of worship in our world today? Just be happy I made it. For many Christians in America, worship is inconvenient or painful. How many attend but out reluctance. For others doing the worship thing each week is chaotic. I mean think about it, what is a typical morning in your life? If you have kids or remember when your kids were little, you were just thankful you arrived. Someone spilled the milk, the dog needs to go out, one kid has clothes that don’t match and the other is missing a shoe, you and your spouse began to quibble and argue all the way to the parking lot because he is driving too fast because you were five minutes late leaving the house. When we walk in we just happy to have arrived. We come in and sit down just to take a deep breath and just want to make it through the next ninety minutes, check the box and exit back to the parking lot get back to life.

Let me ask a question, what is worship for you?What if?

What if we saw worship differently? What if worship could be something more? What if this weekly thing if we saw it differently could change your life?

Worship is not a box to check but an opportunity to experience something greater.

b. What is worship about?

i. Coming into the presence of God: Hebrews 12:22-28

ii. In ancient history when God brought the people out of the land of Egypt he brought them to the Mountain of Sinai. There, God condescended to their presence in a fiery cloud. God told Moses to create a barrier to the mountain that no person could touch the Holy Mountain or else they be stoned and if an animal made contact with it, the animal was to be stoned. Exodus 19: 10-13. Why? because God was coming near!!

The awesome presence of God, the fire, the smoke, the terrible reality that the sovereign one of the universe has come down and is their midst. This sense of fear echoed by the prophet Isaiah hundreds of years later Isaiah 6:1-5

The people came face to face with the living God. A being so holy we can’t touch the dirt under His feet. So holy that we can’t look at his face! (Exodus 33:17-23.

Heaven is filled with worship of Him. Angels and elders fall down and cry out Holy holy holy is the Lord God Almighty!

It’s about recognizing God’s presence, God’s power, God’s authority.

Worship is what we do in response to God’s glory. Worship is the reverential response of creation to the all-encompassing magnificence of God (Isa 6:1–6; Exod 15:11; Psa 148:1–14). In the ot, worship encompassed a variety of activities. Bringing forward an offering to God was an act of worship (קָרַב‎, qārab). Bowing down in the presence of God was an outward display of an inner attitude of reverence before the Creator (חָוָה‎, ḥāwâ). The verb רוּם‎ (rûm) could indicate that a person was “lifting up” or “exalting” God with praise. Together, these last two terms provide a rich image of worship: People both bow before God and lift him up in praise and wonder. The verb הָלַל‎ (hālal) could be used to designate the act of celebrating God. The word “hallelujah” is derived from the Hebrew phrase הַלְלוּ־יָהּ‎ (halĕlû-yāh), meaning “praise Yahweh.” This praise could involve זָמַר‎ (zāmar, “singing”). Worship could also be described as “serving” (עָבַד‎, ʿābad) God. The ritual life of devotion was emblematic of a whole life given over to God.

The book of Leviticus outlines how God expects to be worshipped. God ordained how he is to be worshipped not the other way around.

God’s presence is so holy that the priests must undergo rigorous cleansing rituals before entering the Holy of Holies where the Ark of The Covenant was placed, the seat of the Living presence of God; then had a rope tied around their waist should something happen they could be pulled out safely.

Gospel:

When God entered into human history in Jesus, the eternal and finite came together. The holy and mundane were drawn up together in the person of Jesus. You see, God was no longer worshipped on the mountain, or in the tabernacle, or in the Temple.

But now John 4:21–24 “Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.””

Matthew 27:50–51 “Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split.”

Once, the people could not enter into the presence of God, once the people could not look upon God but now, because of the blood of Christ and the glory of the cross we are made righteous and Psalm 100:4 “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name.”

Once the people told Moses you speak to God on our behalf now God has come to each of you. 1 John 3:1 “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” We are God’s children called to worship.

Worship is about recognizing the God of the universe exists, is present, and is powerful, He is holy, all good,all righteous, all powerful, all knowing, and worthy of all glory.

As Global Methodists we worship passionately. Too often the church views worship time as lackadaisically. We arrive to do the thing as in interruption to our daily plans and have not come with an expectation to encounter the powerful presence of God.It is not about having a good day or liking the music, or if the preacher was mildly entertaining. Worship is about recognizing the God of the universe who created everything is the sovereign authority of creation. His presence commands our worship.

Worship means get the right order. It is not about us, our preferences, our convenience, our happiness, it is about what due to the God of all the universe. Maybe you don’t understand worship like me. Worship is the thin place where we are intentional about celebrating God and

Hebrews 13:15–16 “Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”

Oswald Chambers put it this way: “Worship is giving God the best that he has given you. Be careful what you do with the best you have. Whenever you get a blessing from God, give it back to him as a love gift. Take time to meditate before God and offer the blessing back to him in a deliberate act of worship.”

Powerful Worship happens when we lay down our lives. “For something to be worship, there has to be a sacrifice. If we want the fire to fall on our lives, we have to ask ourselves if we have laid anything of value on our altar?” -- Pastor Louie Giglio

What can we do?

Prepare for worship-- come to worship with expectancy. We expect God to show up in a powerful way.

“Today God is calling his Church back to worship. This can be seen in high church circles where there is a renewed interest in intimacy with God. It can be seen in low church circles where there is a renewed interest in liturgy. It can be seen everywhere in between these two. It is as if God is saying, “I want the hearts of my people back!” And if we long to go where God is going and do what God is doing, we will move into deeper, more authentic worship.” – Richard J. Foster

Pray before and between worship experiences.

Here are a few aspects of passionate worship:

Heartfelt Devotion: Passionate worship comes from a place of deep love and reverence for God. It’s not about going through the motions, but truly meaning the words sung or prayers spoken. The worshiper is fully present and invested in their communication with God.

Emotional Engagement: Worship is not just an intellectual activity but involves emotions as well. Passionate worship can stir feelings of joy, awe, gratitude, and even conviction. Whether in moments of praise or repentance, there’s an emotional connection in passionate worship.

Surrender and Focus: In passionate worship, the worshiper is fully focused on God, letting go of distractions, worries, or self-consciousness. It’s about surrendering oneself to God’s presence, letting Him take the center of attention.

Expression of Gratitude and Praise: Passionate worship is a natural response to the recognition of God’s greatness, love, and grace. It overflows in words, song, and actions that celebrate who God is.

Living Worship: Worshiping passionately goes beyond singing in church; it’s about how one lives life daily. It’s reflected in actions, service, love for others, and obedience to God’s will, viewing all of life as an act of worship.

The forms of worship are diverse. Worship can take place in the context of confession, lament, praise, thanksgiving, and adoration. Confession is a form of worship recognizing that people are sinners who stand in need of God’s grace (Psa 51:1–19). Lament is a type of worship that recognizes the distance between the world as experienced, and as it should be, given God’s goodness, power, and love (Psa 44:1–26). It is a request for God to complete his project of making all things new. Praise of God can be in response to his character or his saving acts (Exod 15:1–21). Thanksgiving functions as a means of showing gratitude for what God has done (Psa 138:1–8). Adoration involves contemplating and lauding God for who he is (Psa 8:1–4). Worship could manifest itself in many activities, including song, dance, ritual, preaching, and prayer. The people of Israel sang and played instruments in praise of God (1 Chr 25:6); King David danced before the Lord (2 Sam 6:14). God gave the Israelites a series of festivals that were meant as annual reminders of his saving deeds in the past and his continual provision in the present (e.g., Lev 23; Deut 16:1–17). Physically, worship could involve bowing the knee, lying prostrate, or lifting hands before God (e.g., 1 Sam 1:26; Jer 18:20; 2 Chron 6:13; Ps 5:8; 28:2; 99:5; Isa 1:15).11 Esau McCaulley, “Worship,” ed. Douglas Mangum et al., Lexham Theological Wordbook, Lexham Bible Reference Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014).

“Sing lustily and with a good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep, but lift up your voice with strength.” – John Wesley

The Wind up

Worship encompassed the entirety of one’s life lived in obedience to God (Rom 12:1–2). Every act of obedience to Christ, no matter how mundane, when done to his glory, is an act of worship (e.g., Col 3:17). This worship will find its consummation when people from every tribe, tongue, and nation join with the rest of creation in adoration before the throne of the Lamb (Rev 5:11–14).

"As worship begins in holy expectancy, it ends in holy obedience. Holy obedience saves worship from becoming an opiate, an escape from the pressing needs of modern life."Richard Foster

Worship encompassed the entirety of one’s life lived in obedience to God (Rom 12:1–2). Every act of obedience to Christ, no matter how mundane, when done to his glory, is an act of worship (e.g., Col 3:17). This worship will find its consummation when people from every tribe, tongue, and nation join with the rest of creation in adoration before the throne of the Lamb (Rev 5:11–14).

Richard J. Foster says: “To worship is to know, to feel, to experience the resurrected Christ in the midst of the gathered community. It is a breaking into the shekinah of God, or better yet, being invaded by the shekinah of God.”