The first thing I pondered was the necessity of corporate worship. Is it really that important that we gather together to sing songs and hear God's Word? Can't we do those things more effectively on our own? Wouldn't we learn more from personal study and be more touched by worship that is totally our own?
My answers are: yes, no, and no. Corporate worship is very important to our faith, because we are not on this journey alone. It is extremely difficult to look at the words of Jesus (especially John's recollection of the Last Supper) and come to the conclusion that this is a solo mission. Over and over, He exhorts us to love one another, and love cannot be given in absentia. We need the regular opportunities to connect with and learn from other believers.
But some argue that this is best done in smaller groups, that there is no real connection in any group larger than [insert number of choice here]. Nonsense! It is an incredible encouragement to join large groups of believers of all ages in singing praise to our God. Have you ever been to an event where thousand of people join their voices together in worship? It is incredibly powerful! And how wonderful is it when some one stands before a large group and shares their personal struggles and God's victory through them. Yes, I absolutely believe that deep growth does not happen in large, relatively anonymous gatherings, but we should not discount the value of the simple encouragement offered by corporate worship.
The problem, I think, lies not in corporate worship, but in our own selfish attitudes. There are and will continue to be many different debates and opinions about modern worship, but the things that strikes me most is how rarely anyone discusses the idea of sacrifice in worship. In all of our discussions of style and preference, we have lost sight of the role of sacrifice as a part of worship.
Starting in Genesis 4, we see that sacrifice is the primary act of worship, and it remains so throughout the old testament. The people of Israel understood that sacrifice was demanded of sinful people by a righteous, holy God. They knew that worship of God was giving of themselves and not presuming to receive anything in return. But how does that relate to us, since Christ was the ultimate sacrifice?
The apostle Paul reframes the idea of sacrifice in the post-resurrection world in Romans 12:1-2:
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."We are no longer offering physical sacrifices of livestock and goods, but offering our very lives in worship to Him. We are to give Him complete control, surrendering to His will above our own, becoming the people He desires us to be.
This sounds pretty personal, so how does this relate to corporate worship? One of the most obvious implications to me is that we need to rethink our debates about style and musical preference. Are we merely arguing for personal preference? How is that sacrificial? Where is our attitude of mutual submission?
What role does discomfort play in sacrifice and worship? It always irks me a little when hearing some one plan a worship service say,"We don't want to make people uncomfortable." Really? Is that a priority in worship? Or does God use discomfort to move us and make us grow?
And think about it on a personal level. When you come into worship, what are you sacrificing? What are you giving up to enter into the presence on the Most High God?
These are just some thoughts that I have been ruminating on recently. There are much more studied and well-versed voices leading these discussions than mine, but I thought I would throw my two cents in the fountain. For deeper and better discussion of worship check out zachicks.com and Road Maps for Worship
