I spent some time reading this article by Mark Roberts, on what worship is all about. He's woven his thoughts around Matt Redman's new album, Facedown.
I've been struggling for a while now to find what worship really is. It's one of the reasons I ducked out of the worship team - I want to find MY voice in worship, what it means coming from ME instead of a crowd and a band (prescribed worship according to what the leader feels needs doing). This article has some good eye-opening insights.
Some thoughts:
* Worship isn't about what I get out of it, or how I feel when it's over. It's all about what I bring to God, IN SPITE OF what I feel. It's not for my benefit, it's not to fill my spiritual tank (though that can be a side-effect), it's about God and what He's done in my life - and that's why I worship. I like these lyrics off Matt's album:
We have nothing to give
That didn't first come from Your hands
We have nothing to offer You
Which You did not provide
Every good, perfect gift comes from
Your kind and gracious heart
And all we do is give back to You
What always has been Yours
Lord, we're breathing the breath
That You gave us to breathe
To worship You, to worship You
And we're singing these songs
With the very same breath
To worship You, to worship You
Who has given to You
That it should be paid back to him?
Who has given to You
As if You needed anything?
From You, and to You, and through You
Come all things, O Lord
And all we do is give back to You
What always has been Yours
We are breathing the breath
That You gave us to breathe
* We've lost a lot of the physical acts of worship we could and should have. Sure, we clap and raise hands (in most churches), but rarely - no, never - have I seen people fall face down before God in worship. Seldom do they even bend their knee in a contemporary service. And that says a lot about our attitude to God and the worship we bring Him. We've lost the awe that forces us face down on the floor in His presence.
* Biblical worship in song has been very distorted by many, if not most, praise and worship or contemporary type songwriters. It's become unbalanced between God and me focus, unbalanced in Trinity worship or acknowledgement, unbalanced in silence and speech/song. Brian McLaren touched on this recently when he urged songwriters, worship leaders and the "common man" in worship to rethink their theology and what they put into the stuff we end up singing. Freedom and innovation in worship is God-given, but still needs to be within what He requires from us as worshippers.
* Worship is corporate, as well as personal. We, as a body of Christ in union, need to worship as one and recognize that we form part of a whole before His throne.
* Worship is made "Christian" by it's recognition of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, by recognition of salvation from the cross, and recognition of grace. Matt's words again:
We will come in the name of Your Son
As He glorifies You
And in the power of Your Spirit
I've been struggling for a while now to find what worship really is. It's one of the reasons I ducked out of the worship team - I want to find MY voice in worship, what it means coming from ME instead of a crowd and a band (prescribed worship according to what the leader feels needs doing). This article has some good eye-opening insights.
Some thoughts:
* Worship isn't about what I get out of it, or how I feel when it's over. It's all about what I bring to God, IN SPITE OF what I feel. It's not for my benefit, it's not to fill my spiritual tank (though that can be a side-effect), it's about God and what He's done in my life - and that's why I worship. I like these lyrics off Matt's album:
We have nothing to give
That didn't first come from Your hands
We have nothing to offer You
Which You did not provide
Every good, perfect gift comes from
Your kind and gracious heart
And all we do is give back to You
What always has been Yours
Lord, we're breathing the breath
That You gave us to breathe
To worship You, to worship You
And we're singing these songs
With the very same breath
To worship You, to worship You
Who has given to You
That it should be paid back to him?
Who has given to You
As if You needed anything?
From You, and to You, and through You
Come all things, O Lord
And all we do is give back to You
What always has been Yours
We are breathing the breath
That You gave us to breathe
* We've lost a lot of the physical acts of worship we could and should have. Sure, we clap and raise hands (in most churches), but rarely - no, never - have I seen people fall face down before God in worship. Seldom do they even bend their knee in a contemporary service. And that says a lot about our attitude to God and the worship we bring Him. We've lost the awe that forces us face down on the floor in His presence.
* Biblical worship in song has been very distorted by many, if not most, praise and worship or contemporary type songwriters. It's become unbalanced between God and me focus, unbalanced in Trinity worship or acknowledgement, unbalanced in silence and speech/song. Brian McLaren touched on this recently when he urged songwriters, worship leaders and the "common man" in worship to rethink their theology and what they put into the stuff we end up singing. Freedom and innovation in worship is God-given, but still needs to be within what He requires from us as worshippers.
* Worship is corporate, as well as personal. We, as a body of Christ in union, need to worship as one and recognize that we form part of a whole before His throne.
* Worship is made "Christian" by it's recognition of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, by recognition of salvation from the cross, and recognition of grace. Matt's words again:
We will come in the name of Your Son
As He glorifies You
And in the power of Your Spirit
...
Your cross testifies in grace
Tells of the Father's heart to make a way for us
Now boldly we approach
Not earthly confidence
It's only by Your blood
...
It is the song of love's pure light
The grace reflected in these eyes
The overflow of those who know
They have seen You
We were disgraced, but You graced us
With the warmth of Your forgiveness
Now You lead us ever closer
To the pure light of Your holiness
* Worship is diverse. We're encouraged to "praise, thank, worship, and adore the Lord, to sing, shout, dance, and fall facedown in worship." Worship is not just a time of singing (start fast, progress to slow). It involves all I am and all I do. Mark's church's Basics for Worship sums it up nicely:
* Worship is diverse. We're encouraged to "praise, thank, worship, and adore the Lord, to sing, shout, dance, and fall facedown in worship." Worship is not just a time of singing (start fast, progress to slow). It involves all I am and all I do. Mark's church's Basics for Worship sums it up nicely:
"Worship involves all that we are - heart, soul, mind, and strength. We seek to worship with our whole being, holding nothing back. As we worship, we exercise our minds in thinking about God, our wills as we offer ourselves to him, our emotions as we open our hearts, our bodies as we follow the biblical imperatives to praise, sing, shout, clap, kneel, bow, dance, play instruments, and lift our hands to the Lord. As we offer all that we are in worship, we are transformed through an encounter with the living God. We experience repentance, forgiveness, renewal, healing, and empowerment for service."
* Worship enables us to go out into the world, to be missional. It builds us for witness and service. Worship is not only entertwined with mission/service, but engaging in mission/service IS worship.
* Worship is a love-act from us to God, but also encourages love among each other as worshippers and as God's children.
I'm slowly, slowly discovering what it is to worship in spirit and in truth, from my heart to God's. And it's starting to look very different from what I expected to find. It's yet another step forward on this incredible journey, started years ago and leading into some very surprising places.
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