Hebrews 10:25
Some people have gotten out of the habit of meeting for worship, but we must not do that. We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord’s coming is getting closer.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
We were eating dinner with family members this week, and cousins who attend another church began to tell us about their pastor and a sermon he preached shortly before Christmas Day. They said that this was the most moving worship service they had ever experienced. Let’s be honest…there are worship services, and there are worship services. And maybe you’ve never experienced the latter. Maybe you cannot recall a service or sermon that truly moved you. And that’s okay. If you look closely at this scripture passage, you will see that the goal of corporate worship is not necessarily to be inspired or physically “moved”.
In The Purpose Driven Life, pastor Rick Warren tells that we should not attend worship services expecting God to “move” us…that this really is not the reason for us to gather together. He says…“If you have ever said, ‘I didn't get anything out of worship today,’ you worshiped for the wrong reason. Worship isn't for you. It's for God.” Pastor Warren also reminds us that…“The deepest level of worship is praising God in spite of pain, trusting Him during a trial, surrendering while suffering, and loving Him when He seems distant.”
Let me break this down a little further…we may feel like we would rather do a zillion things with our Sunday (or whatever day you attend worship)…and getting up and out the door to attend a church service is not one of them. We may not like the music…the pastor’s sermons may be boring and uninspiring...we may feel like there is too much emphasis placed on adding new members, the church’s public image - or money. We may sit and tap our toe, check our watch, fidget and wish we were someplace else. We may even be accused of coming to church “to see and be seen”!
In this scripture verse, we see two things: 1) meeting for corporate worship is a habit one can develop; and 2) we must keep attending and encouraging one another. Pastor Warren reminds us that we can find “worship” in many of the circumstances – and even distractions – of our routine attendance…if we look hard enough! The concept of attending worship “to see and be seen” can be both positive and negative. If we are merely showing up and going through the motions so that people will think we are truly “good” Christians…or they will patronize our business…or so that our friends will include us in their social circles…we are meeting for the wrong reasons.
However, if we use our attendance as an opportunity to greet friends and fellow believers with the love and peace of God…to learn of the needs and concerns of others that we might be able to address in some manner…to add our voice to the “choir” of attendees who praise God with song and recitation…to share in Holy Communion with others…we have demonstrated the compassion of Christ. And in doing so, we have worshipped. This may not give you the warm fuzzy feeling you seek…or even a jolt of energy or a spine-tingle from the Holy Spirit…but it does demonstrate obedience and service to God…and it serves as an act of encouragement to the body of Christ.
So yes, we can worship on a riverbank, in the deer woods, or while driving to the nearest shopping center. Most certainly we can worship in the privacy of our own home. But in order to truly encourage others and share compassion in the name of Jesus, we often have to get up and out of our comfort zone and physically come together as a group. You may not hear the best sermon of your life or even feel glad that you attended afterward…but that is really not the point. Corporate worship is a Biblically sanctioned act of obedience…and Christian service and compassion. Don’t go for “the show”. Go to show your love for Christ to others…and to allow others an opportunity to share His love with you.
©2014 Debbie Robus
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