FEBRUARY 2017 WORSHIP
Church Family,
Let’s consider this question together. What motivates our worship? What motivates your personal worship? There are a lot of ways in which our worship is motivated on Sunday mornings. It can be motivated by the type of morning we’ve had. Did you have a good, peaceful morning? If so, you might be motivated to sing and worship powerfully. Did you have a tired, restless morning? If so, you might not even feel like opening your mouth to sing. What else motivates our worship? Could it be the songs we’re singing? Could it be the worship lighting? Could it be the style of music? We have a tendency to let our
preferences and emotions motivate our worship. And these aren't necessarily bad things. It’s normal to have preferences in worship when it comes to style, songs, ect. We’re human, and we all have opinions. But our emotions and preferences cannot be the chief motivator of our worship. Worship is a response to who God is, and what He’s done for us. Therefore our worship should always be motivated by the greatness of God, and the truth that this great God saved sinners like us. This truth is driven by the word of God, and our worship should be driven by the Word of God, as it points to the greatness of God. This truly motivates our worship. We love the Bible, because it shows us the glory of God.
Bobby Jameison said, “ If you want your people to praise God, show them the greatness of God. If you want them to bring God glory, show them God’s glory.” We want to see the Glory of God together, through His word. And when we truly see God for who He is, our worship is no longer motivated by the songs we enjoy, the time of the day, or our personal emotions, but this all takes a back seat to the Glory of God, who is worthy of
worship, no matter the circumstances. Jameison goes on to say, “We stir up worship not by focusing on worship, but by filling the mind’s eye with a panoramic vision of the beauty and holiness of God.” We all enjoy certain songs, certain styles, certain worship settings, ect. But they are all just vehicles for our worship. They help take us to a place where we can passionately worship God.
Just a few weeks ago, Annaclaire and I went hiking up in Illinois. The hike was a beautiful hike, but the entire time, I kept commenting on the new hiking boots I had received for Christmas. The entire trek up the mountain, I kept annoying my wife with comments about my new boots. But when we got to the mountain top, and when I looked out and saw the view, I no longer cared about my new hiking boots. I could have been barefoot, and I wouldn't have noticed. The shoes may have brought me to the mountain top, but I was there for the view. In the same way, we have vehicles in worship that come in the form of songs, styles, and preferences. But these are vehicles that help get us to a place to see the greatness of God, and we can’t help but to respond in passionate worship. So as we come together on Sundays, let’s not forget that we are there to worship God because of who He is, and what He’s done for us, and our preferences won’t change that.