Why Worship?

July 27, 2023

Why Worship!

Retirement has provided me with a choice.  When I was still working, I did not have a choice of where I was going to be or what I was going to do on a Sunday morning.  However, in my retirement I have choices on Sunday morning. 

When I was still working, I did not have a choice of where I was going to be or what I was going to do on a Sunday morning.  My boss expected me to be in worship at a particular time and a particular place.

However, in my retirement I have choices on Sunday morning.  Each Sunday, I can choose to worship with other believers at a church or I can choose to stay home and do my own thing. 

I can choose to watch worship on-line, I can choose to go for a walk, or I can choose to eat a half dozen of my wife’s delicious cookies.  Or, I can choose to gather with other Christ-followers to sing my praise to the Lord God, say my prayers to Jesus, or share in Holy Communion.

Each Sunday, I get to choose where I am going to be and what I am going to do.  For me, worship is always one of the options. 

The shut-down during Covid changed the worship experience for many people.  Fear of getting sick along with advancements in technology, suddenly brought the live-streaming of worship into our lives.  Almost over-night, people were able to watch their church’s worship at home while it was happening at the church. 

I still hear pastors report that about 1/3 of their average worship attendance before the shut-downs are still watching on-line worship.  The good news is that in-person worship in many churches has continued to grow since the last shut down almost three years ago.

If the shut-downs did anything good for us (besides teaching us to wash our hands!), they helped churches get into live-streaming worship.  For those whose health is challenged and those who work on Sundays, on-line worship with their church is a great blessing.

During my devotional reading in I Corinthians a couple of weeks ago, I was reminded of the importance of in-person worship in growing a healthy Christ-centered spiritual life.  In I Corinthians 14:26-40, the Apostle Paul writes about the importance of worship in the life of a Christ-follower.  Paul answers the question; “Why worship?”

In I Corinthians 14:26 Paul writes about worship; “Let all things be done for building up.”  The building up about which Paul is writing includes something more.  In verse 31, he continues; “…so that all may learn and all be encouraged.”

There are three things that worship with other believers around me does better than worship by myself.  Those three things are;

1. Worship builds me up
2. Worship helps me to learn (i.e., grow)
3. Worship provides me encouragement

Paul goes on to say that worship should be done “…decently and in order” (vs. 40).  Those two characteristics have much more to do with the structure, flow, and presentation of worship than the content or experience of worship. 

These two qualities (i.e., “decently and in order”) are important in worship.  When they are not done well with the proper amounts of both preparation and prayer, they quickly become distractions to the Word of God and the work of the Holy Spirit.

One of the things I have learned about worship during the last year is that is easy to see and feel when those who are leading worship are not prepared well and/or prayed up.  It is obvious and it is distracting.

But, more important than the structure, flow, and presentation of worship are the three things Paul lifts up in verse 26.  Worship builds me up, worship helps me to learn (i.e., grow), worship provides me encouragement.

When answering the question “Why worship?” it is important to remember two things.  First, we are created to be in relationship with the Lord God; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Second, we are created to be in relationship with other people, especially other believers.

Worship that is done “decently and in order” will create an environment in which I can be built up, I can learn and grow, and I can be encouraged. 

Sometimes these things happen through the person who is leading worship.  However, there are also many times when those things happen as I interact and engage with other people before, during, and after worship.

Why worship?  Or maybe more to the point; “Why worship with other believers at the church?”  The answer is; to be built up, to learn and grow, and to be encouraged.  I will also find opportunities for me to be the person the Spirit uses to provide these things for another person.

Worship is an opportunity for your heart to be filled with delight in the Lord.  If you have not been to worship at a church for a while, I encourage you to give it a try this weekend.  You might be surprised how the Spirit builds you up, helps you to learn, and provides encouragement.  When you do, your heart will be filled with delight in the Lord. 

Take Delight In The Lord!

Doug