I have to say (originally) I was not very excited about this new sermon series called “Songs without Music”. Worship is something I enjoy but as I thought about a 4 week sermon series on it, I thought, what could I even say for 4 weeks?
Well now I’m saying, how do I cram everything into only 4 weeks… Needless to say, this series has taken a 180 for me. I am learning a ton about worship that I never saw before. Through study of the Old Testament and New Testament I sit here in awe of who God is and how worthy He is of all our worship. I also see clearly how all humanity worships – it simply comes down to our object of worship. I’m ashamed to report that even as a Christian, a follower of Jesus, that I’ve often worshipped something or someone other than God. I’ve come to church services more excited about the style of musical worship than the object of that worship. I’ve worshipped “me” more times than I’d like to admit in my commitment to being comfortable and getting my way. Sure, I didn’t necessarily realize it when I was doing it, but I see now as I look through the Biblical lens of worship.
I’ve also made worship more about what I wanted to give rather than what God wanted to receive. I was moved in my study and speaking as I used the illustration of buying a gift for someone. The illustration goes like this: as a husband, if I were going to go out and buy my wife a gift, instead of thinking of something I’d like to give (ie. A powertool, a gadget, a game) I should be thinking about what she would like to receive (ie. A day at a spa, a new outfit or a night out). How often do we all come to worship deciding what we would like to give to God and how we’d like to give it (musical style, content etc). instead of asking what would God most want from me?
As I began to walk down the road of asking that question: “what would God desire from me?” I saw a number of things that I rarely saw emphasized in my previous understanding of worship. First, God desires all of me. He longs for people who worship 7 days a week, who make Him the center of their lives, who allow His Word and His grace to affect the way we live our lives. Secondly, God desires someone who worships in The Spirit – a continuous connection and dependence on the Holy Spirit for connection with God. Thirdly, God desires that I worship Him in truth – proclaiming who He is, bringing all of who I am, authentically and responding to God’s initiation towards me. Fourthly, God desires I worship by contributing to the lives of others. He longs for me to focus on other believers and invest in their lives, encouraging and spurring them to love and good deeds. He longs for me to share the message of grace with my lost neighbors, to welcome in the stranger, to acknowledge and pay attention to the people around me both during the church services and in my everyday. These 4 areas speak nothing about musical style or method. And I have to wonder, if I spent my energies focusing on these 4 things in worship, if I spent my energies evaluating whether I was bringing these 4 areas to God… I wonder if it might just radically change how I approach the singing times of worship?
