What is worship?
Is it work?
No?
Then what is the opposite of work? Play?
Is worship play?
No? Then what is it if it isn't work or play?
I would have to submit that if you were to take a poll of people at church you would find that worship and church would fall more under work than play. Think about it...getting up in the morning on a weekend, getting the kids ready, battling the elements to arrive on time and putting off whatever fun you had planned until the afternoon. That's a lot of work!
Face it, we view worship as a task we have to get done, and once we are done we can continue on with life and the fun things we have planned.
Be honest, when was then last time you went to worship and came out saying "I had a really great time in worship today" to your family? I suppose that all depends on what you consider a good time.
If a good time is playing video games, being pulled behind a boat, relaxing in your weekend home, being out in your deer stand, shopping with your friends, or throwing back a couple of drinks while sitting in a hut on a frozen lake....then worship is probably not fun at all.
All of these fun activities have something in common though. They all are places and activities that we get lost in. We can completely be our self and enjoy our time not working! People truly have fun when they can completely submerse themselves in an enjoyable activity. Work is never like this unless you really love what you are doing. But if you really love your job then you don't call it work anymore do you? I am truly lucky enough to be paid to hang out with young people, talk about life and God, play music, travel...you name it! The part that becomes work is the stuff I don't enjoy doing as much....the administrative side of things.
But back to worship. If we don't consider worship work, then it must be play. But if we don't get lost in worship then it can't really be play either. It just becomes a mindless task we do every other week at best. We sit through an hour or so of church time thinking about all the fun we hare going to have when we are done. Or you are focusing on all the work we have to get done in order to have our fun. We have a hard time being lost in worship.
The real catch comes when we realize we are already lost. Not in the mind sense, but our being. We are lost people. We are sinners who have fallen and are imperfect. We are wandering looking for purpose and a leader who will save us.
I don't know if you know this song, it's called Amazing Grace. It goes like this...
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
Here's the real kicker!!
I once was lost, but now am found
was blind but now I see!
Did you hear it? God's grace has found us! We are not actually lost at all! Jesus Christ has saved us and therefore we REJOICE!
Worship is a place we can come no matter what is going on in our life. 9 times out of 10 there is someone else out there who has got is worse than you; and God has forgiven them too!
Every week people gather in churches around the country and passively worship something worth rejoicing about. That is an injustice to God. If we believe that our problems, our work, and even our play is greater than the joy and freedom we have received through Christ's blood then we are limiting the greatness of God.
When we walk through the doors of our church we find ourselves in an environment like none other in our lives. It is a place we can lose all our inhibitions. Concern yourself with matters having to do with Christ in church, not your home improvement, or destination after worship. Get rid of them, give them up to God and let Him worry about it for an hour, while we worship Christ with all our heart, soul, body and mind! Worship is a place where we can go each week for an hour and forget about everything concerning mortal life, while focusing on the joy we will have in eternity with Christ.
We gather together not to lament, but to rejoice. And if you are a person that doesn't have time the rest of the week to rejoice, first off shame on you because the Bible says "Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS!" Phil 4:4 (emphasis is my own). But you should take this opportunity to pack in as much joyful rejoicing as you can for the week. And it doesn't matter how you do it! If you are concerned about what others think, or how others worship...don't. Worship Christ how you feel comfortable. Let the music move you, sing from the top of your lungs, stare at the cross for an hour, close your eyes and pray, listen to the message picking out helpful points, or take the time to just be in the God's presence. But what ever you do, rejoice because God's love covers us.
Life is to short to be serious all the time. "Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice!" - Paul
Blessings,
Dain
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