So... how has your worship been lately?
What do you think of when someone says "worship"? Some of you may think of the singing you do at church on Sunday morning or Wednesday evening. You're not wrong... but that's not all. What else? Do you raise your hands in the air while you are singing at church? Do you clap along with the rest of your fellow brothers and sisters? How about when you listen to your favorite Christian radio station or CD when you're in the car? Do you sing with all your heart and dance in your seat, even if you know other drivers are watching you?
Do you talk to new people at church even if it makes you feel uncomfortable? Or do you talk to the people you are closest with? Do you reach out to new people? At school? Work? The grocery store? Do you share your faith? Do you pray for others? Do you ask others for prayers? Do you fellowship with brothers and sisters outside of church? Do you reach out and bond to disciples outside of your immediate home groups? Do you participate in discipling activities? Do you disciple to others or humbly receive discipleship?
Worship isn't just singing. It even isn't just adding a "Hallelujah!" or "Amen!" after a good song. Worship is sacrifice. Worship is an unbending, unending willingness to love God through joyful acts of sacrifice to always be a temple wherever you go. You are the church, 24/7, everywhere you go and in every capacity.
Deuteronomy 12:4 & 12:31 both say that we are not to worship the Lord our God in our way. We have to realize that there is a right and wrong way to worship. We must not worship other Gods or idols. Deuteronomy 13:4 says we must only follow God. We must keep his commands and obey him. We need to be careful to not bring our problems and any worldly issues with us to worship. You can't let your sin ruin your worship. Let me give you an example of how perfect this worship message was for me today:
As we left for church this morning, I noticed Ryan was out in the street poking at something by the curb. I hollered at him and he pointed out that a pond was forming in the street. Keep in mind that it had been snowing through the night, it was 9 degrees outside, and everywhere else was covered in a nice thick layer of snow. But a large portion of the street next to our house was covered in wet, brown mushy slush. The kind you encounter when the snow melts very quickly after a heavy snow.
We determined very quickly that a water main must have broken. As we looked closer, we could see water gushing (no exaggeration here) from the yard and into the street. It wasn't clear to us yet whether or not the pipes had frozen and burst or if some other oddity had occurred. It also wasn't clear whether it could be our personal pipes coming from the house, or if it was the city main (and thus, not our financial responsibility). Considering our luck since having moved into this house, we were frustrated and worried (and a wee bit angry) that it could be the former. So Ryan decided to stay home to monitor any potential basement flooding result and I called in a "water emergency" to the Lansing Board of Water and Light.
When I arrived at church, I texted Ryan for a progress report. A truck had shown up, took a quick look at the situation, then drove off. Service started and I sang, but not with all my heart. My mind was elsewhere. Ryan texted and said another truck had shown up and put cones in the road; then drove off. I sang a bit more, but not with my usual vigor. I was so out of sorts when it came to raising my hands during the "praise" chorus and I was so off beat. Another text: now the important people had shown up with big trucks and back hoes and lots of other important looking devices. I started taking notes during the sermon, all the while wondering if we were getting water in our basement, or if I was going to come home to a big mess in the street, or if somehow we were going to have to replace all of our plumbing (a total irrational though, I know).
Then Joel got to the point in his sermon where he talked about preparing for our times of worship. I had come to church with a mind full of anxious thoughts. I wasn't worshipping God sacrificially nor with all my heart, and he (Joel) was calling me out! He manages to do that with so many of his messages... As service came to a close, I was definitely more humble. Just like we need to be wary that the sin in our lives can clog our mind and heart and prevent us from worshipping sacrificially, so can the normal everyday bits and pieces of our lives.
But that's what makes worship a sacrifice. We must put aside these things and show Him the honor he deserves. So get out there with that awesome temple you've got and worship your butt off this week!
