July 2005
Greetings,

I spent June 9th attending a Seminar 4 Worship. I had the opportunity to participate in workshops and worship that lifted up my spirits and challenged me and my understanding of worship.

I thought I would share a question that was raised with you. “Do you miss the mark in worship?”  This question was followed up with a second question, “What are you talking about when you leave worship”

Are you making comments about the use of technology?
Are you expressing your discontent with the selection of music?
Are you pointing out the typing mistakes in the bulletin?
Are you speaking about how cold or warm the church was?
Are you talking about the length of sermon?
Are you talking about God?

When we are talking more about everything else on this list then the very last topic, we have missed the mark. The purpose of worship is to draw people onto worship. The purpose of the worshipper is to pure their whole self out to God.

Jesus said,

“And you shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
with all your mind
and
with all your strength.”
(Mark12:30)

Loving God involves every aspect and activity in life. There is however no activity exclusively devoted to expressing love for God except worship.

To love God with all our heart is to choose worship as a deliberate act.

To love God with all our soul means to express our deepest feelings to Him.

To love God with all our mind means to intellectually reach for the truth of God that sets us free.

To love God with all our strength points to worship as a physical act, reflected in the literal meaning of the primary Biblical words for worship, “to bow down.”

Worship is without a doubt meant to be experiential. We are hard-wired to worship God. Psalms, hymns, or spiritual songs it makes no difference to God. Organ, keyboard, clapping hands it makes no different to God. High technology or no technology it makes no difference to God. God does not desire offerings or sacrifices. God desires your heart. God desires you and I make a deliberate choice to bring Him glory, honor and praise. God desires that we engage all our heart, soul, mind and strength when we worship Him.

In Christ,