During the past week we have spent time in our daily devotions dwelling on our response to God through worship. Our proposed purpose (Growing Disciples who Exalt, Explore, Embody, Engage) calls us to expand our capacity to worship where we surrender ourselves to God, praise his name and experience transformation by the Holy Spirit.
As with any activity that we do frequently over a long period of time, we can lose the sense of awe and anticipation and instead we can allow worship to become a stale ritual.
Psalm 51:15 – 17 says, “open my lips Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.”
Growing disciples are people who continually push themselves beyond stale rituals and tedious routine in worship and look to find fresh and inspiring experiences of God in worship. Our worship can be in our corporate gathered times on Sunday or at any other moment that we encounter and respond to the divine presence of God. For instance on my day off this week I went walking in the bush land around Mt Coot-tha. In prayer I was able to praise and thank God for his work in creation. That praise though led me to a renewal in my commitment to be a steward of God’s creation, as a response and act of worship to the God who has given us the gift of creation. This year our combined services have featured one of our three styles of worship, rather than a combination of all three. It has meant that for two out of three combined services we have worshipped in a style that is not our usual, or preferred style. This has been a growing time for many as they have reflected on the meaning and purpose of worship. Worship takes place wherever we are and whenever we respond to the glory of God.
The proposed purpose for our congregation (Growing Disciples who Exalt, Explore, Embody, Engage) envisages us placing emphasis on worship as a means by which we grow as disciples of Jesus. In the very action of surrendering ourselves to God, we learn to think less of ourselves and more of God. Worship helps us reorient ourselves to the otherness of God and to the life that he calls us to. Isaiah 6 is a classic text about the nature of worship and our response. When God calls out “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” Isaiah’s response is “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah’s response to God should be our response to God in worship - a renewed response to the life that he calls us to.
Our proposed purpose will see our congregation continuing to offer and develop worship in our three styles, at our three current times. At the same time we will grow our capacity to worship God throughout the week, responding to his ongoing outpouring of love and grace.
The proposed purpose also affects us personally. We are each encouraged to find ourselves regularly and frequently in corporate worship and to live with an ongoing worshipful response to the love and grace of God in all aspects of our lives. please continue to pray, reflect and consider our proposed purpose.
Shalom
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