Worship?

Stop.

As you breathe in, say: “God, you first.” As you exhale, say: “God, you always.” Repeat as many times as you need.

Listen.

For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. – Psalm 95:3

Reflect.

It’s hard to talk about what worship is without talking about what worship is for. All summer, we’ll be talking about the different pieces of worship and what they mean for our faith and life. But it’s always good to back that up even further. These pieces of worship – confession, prayer, music, communion, sermons, scripture, and more – they mean something in worship because they help us center us in the truth that God always comes first. 

In Psalm 95, it can be troubling to hear God exalted as a king above all gods. After all, isn’t our God the only god? But when we think about how we live our lives, we realize it’s not entirely true. Humans always add to the list of that which is most important, first, most valuable, most powerful, a god. Maybe it’s money. Maybe it’s success. Maybe it’s your job, or your social status, or your political views, or any other thing that you center your life around. That to which you give your money, time, and attention is your god. 

In worship, we get a chance to reorient. We intentionally take time from our week to give focused worship to God and God only. We lift our voices to praise God. We bring ourselves before God and admit the ways we’ve messed up. We hear the stories of God’s people throughout history to remember what God has done and has promised to do. We share our money in our faith community, not only to support the church, but to show that even our money can be used to worship God first.  

When we remember that worship is for centering God as first and most valuable in our lives, we come to see that the pieces of a worship service help us do that in meaningful, powerful, accountable, community-centered ways – and it is good indeed.

Pray.

God, I repent of all the ways I’ve made other things in my life into gods. Take their power away. Guide me as I center my heart in you. Help me to use all you’ve given me for your service. Amen.

Carry On.

Look at your credit card statement and your calendar. Would anyone be able to tell what you believe based on those two documents? What’s one thing you can change this week to stay centered in God first?