Worship

Focus Statement

The spiritual discipline of worship is not (just) about showing up to church on Sunday!

It is about weaving worship through our everyday lives in different ways.

Point of Relation

[Show video]

Oh my goodness, I cannot tell you how much I love that video…

I love sketch comedy in general…

but this one has a special place in my heart.

Why? Because I have found myself in awkward worship services like that too...

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love contemporary worship music...

But some of it is pretty thin theologically speaking…and REPETITIVE.

There once was an evangelical group that used to hold services in different churches the community I lived in at the time.

One time they came to the church I was at…and so I decided to attend as I love worship.

OMG. I was like the confused girl in this video…for I was not prepared for what I was experiencing.

People were blowing shofar horns…you know…those huge intruments made from actual ram horns.

People were lying on the ground crying, others jumping around...

At one point, as I had my hands raised and my eyes closed...

I got whacked in the back of the head with the rod of a banner someone was waving…WITH THEIR EYES CLOSED!!!!

It was a scary and DANGEROUS worship experience!

Now, don’t get me wrong…I am not judging how others worship...

Just because it was foreign and strange to me…doesn’t make it any less real, vibrant worship.

In fact, it was clearly natural and Spirit-led for others.

In fact, by the end of the service I was in tears as the Holy Spirit had spoke to me.

Things to Consider

We have all experienced moments when we were not sure if what we were doing was “really worship”

or wondered about “what worship truly was?”

Perhaps we have felt as though we were worshipping when we were doing something outside of the church--

standing at the edge of the ocean, climbing a mountain, gathered around a meal with friends and family?

Scripture tells us that everything we do is worship--

from our breathing to our eating, as long as it is done with the intention of praising God.

What does Scripture say?

There are no real standards for “how” to worship--

no prescriptions on how many prayers need to be said,

or how many verses of the hymns need be sung,

or out of what hymnal they must be sung.

Worship starts with the intention that everything that is done in a day is done to give glory to God.

It is important that we remember that God does not require a specific bulletin

or that there’s a particular order of worship that most pleases God,

but our worship--both public and private--should be done with the intention to bring glory to God.

It is not about perfection; it is about living our lives as disciples.

Verse 31 tells us that no matter what we do-

-whether we are living or breathing, eating or drinking,

whatever we do-- we should do it for God, to give glory and show gratitude.

This opens up the possibility and freedom of all sorts of regular daily activities becoming acts of worship.

The point is not to diminish the importance of worshipping in church or other traditional ways...

It is vital that we carry on the worship traditions of the church as they are a part fo the foundation of our faith...

but we are to also expand worship into a way of life, including and yet going beyond worship as we often think of it.

In the context of this passage,

the apostle Paul is talking about Christians eating and drinking with people of other religions

(e.g., the imperial cult) or eating food purchased from them.

Paul is arguing against those who would say it is not lawful to do this.

He is arguing against rigid ways of thinking about how to live out our faith.

Not only is it permissible to eat and drink with people of other religions,

Paul says, but because of the freedom we have in Jesus, these acts and every single thing we do can (and should!) become acts of worship!

As verse 32 implies, showing kindness and openness to the hospitality of others

even turn these regular moments into an opportunity to witness our faith in God to them.

Paul encourages the Corinthians to be thoughtful about what they choose to do or not do in the company of other people,

especially non-Christians, so that God is glorified by the way they interact with others and so that they do not hurt or harm others.

What this means for YOU

How do you worship?

Where do you feel most connected to God?

What element in the worship service you usually attend that connects you with God?

What disconnects you?

How does being aware of what makes you feel connected shift how you think about what it means to worship?

I encourage you to think outside of the box about how you worship God and

how you can turn daily activities into worshipful moments through transforming intention.

For instance, I worship God through my work as a pastor.

Through being there for family and friends...

Through my art and through writing.

I pour my soul out to God through singing…especially in the shower!

In fact, I praise God a lot in the shower because there is nothing more glorious than a morning shower!

What this means for US

How is our community a safe place to explore and express different paths of worship?

How are different gifts and interests honored in the life of the church?

In what ways can we grow to be more open to and accepting of different expressions of worship?

How can we integrate different paths of worship in our communal life?

How do we begin to look at worship as not confined to a particular experience (a worship service) but central to our everyday lives?

Throughout this week, think on this and begin to make everyday the LORD’S DAY…

for this and all days are the day the Lord has made, so let us rejoice and be glad in it!