Worship Reflections

found online

It's Lenten Luncheon season around here. You know,* where you go to a different church each Wednesday (or Thursday) at noon, have some kind of "service" and a light lunch - all conveniently packaged in an hour so folks who work can punch back in before the boss gives them the stink eye...**

So, yesterday it was at the Lutheran Church and I almost didn't go. Don't get me wrong. I didn't want to go in the first place. But I go, because I should go. I'm a pastor in the community. It's "connectional." Well, sort of. I don't think these kind of things advance the Kingdom of God particularly, but I feel compelled to support the other churches. So, anyway, the point is, I go...

And they hand me a bulletin. Okay. Sigh... It's a lot of responsive reading stuff. I mean a LOT. Like three sides of the bulletin, you know what I mean? It's ALL responsive reading stuff. Leader. Us. Leader. Us. Psalm. Prayer. Call to Worship. Yeah, there's a hymn.*** But then it's all listen, respond, listen, respond...ugh...

Now, I get it. That's worship.

But not for me. I was completely disengaged.

Inside I was completely unconnected to God in any way. Not that I wasn't trying, please, I'm a pastor - I get it. I just...couldn't...

Then the scripture.

22 verses from Job.

I tried, I really did...

But once Job starts losing his family I start checking out... Delivery might have something to do with it. It certainly didn't help that there were no pew Bibles so I couldn't follow along (not to mention no jumbotron with the verses in 3000 point font...sigh...)

The Gospel reading was from Luke. Satan entered Judas and he betrayed Jesus.

And then it all changed.

The message was...amazing.

We give the devil license in this world and even in our lives by denying the reality of the devil. Evil is insidious and pervasive. Engaging stories and powerful truth challenging us to repent, encouraging us to draw near to the power of the cross of Christ, to our salvation in Jesus alone.

And, yeah, we ended with more responsive reading and another hymn (that I really didn't know) and I kind of checked out a bit.

But for 10 or 15 minutes - I worshiped. I was engaged with the Author and Perfecter of our faith.

I told somebody that in a way it kind of felt like getting a perfectly grilled filet mignon in a Styrofoam container. Here was this AMAZING connection with the King of kings wrapped in, what was for me, a very unappealing wrapper.

But it doesn't diminish the message. Or the experience of worship.

I realized last night that I rarely hit worship on all cylinders.**** Sometimes it's a song, it's prayer, it's the message, it's the Scripture. Rarely does a whole service elevate me to worship the entire time. The preacher wants it to be the message, the worship leader wants it to be the music, the pray-er wants it to be the prayers. But my heart engages at different levels. Sometimes I'm so totally immersed in the Lord's Prayer that I'm in the Throne Room of Heaven. I mean, that's rare, but it happens - but who can script that?

So, my point is this. I think other people DO engage in worship - DO engage with the King of kings and Lord of lords in those awful listen, respond, listen, respond, all join in now readings - I bet even I could if I would let the Holy Spirit move me.

What matters is the heart we bring to worship. The container - the service - it's probably NEVER going hit everybody in every way. And that's okay. Because it's all an offering to God, not to us anyway.


















* Okay, maybe you don't... I didn't before I went into ministry, because my family never went to them because I went to school and my parents worked...
**Of course we start at noon on the dot...so if your lunch hour (how many people get an hour anymore?) doesn't start at 11:45 you're hosed...
***Love Divine, All Loves Excelling - Chuck Wesley - yea! Okay, it was a highlight at the beginning of the service for me, okay?
****How's that for changing metaphors? Hehe...