 How to Have a More Meaningful Worship Experience
According to the Presbyterian Book of Order, Christian worship “joyfully ascribes all praise and honor, glory and power to the triune God. In worship, the people of God acknowledge God present in the world and in their lives.” In other words, worship isn’t about us. It is about God. In worship, we are to focus our minds and our hearts on only one thing: the true expression of spirits in appreciation, reverence and praise for who God is and what He is doing in our lives.
Many times, this is a challenge. Easily, we are distracted by our busy lives, our lunch plans, perhaps even our wiggly children. In addition, we are frequently wondering what God will “do” for us through worship. Granted, it is always good when the pastor says something we can take home, but the validity of the service does not hang on these criteria.
Instead, the question we should always ask upon leaving worship is not “what did I get?” but “what did I give?” If we can honestly say that for a whole hour, or even for one minute of it, we gave Him our praise, we can depart the service with a sense of satisfaction.
We are to take our delight in worship, not for what it did for us, but for the sheer pleasure and joy it brings God.
May these suggestions1 and practices help all of us come to worship God with more joy and praise as we recognize who He is and what He has done, and how we can respond to Him with a daily life of praise.
- Come to worship with an expectant attitude: One of the best ways to do this is to take the time each week to read the scripture before coming to worship. Ask God to prepare your heart to worship Him as you study, meditate or pray through the text for the upcoming week.
- Sing the hymns and share in the responses. Hymns and songs of praise were written to be sung by all the people. The psalmist only said “Make a joyful noise to the Lord…” He did not insist that the noise be melodious! So, we are not excluded even if we sing in monotone. We rob ourselves of a priceless opportunity to worship if we do not sing to the best of our ability, however limited.
- Express praise through and with the musicians. When the organist plays and the choir sings, remember these skilled musicians are not “performing” to us but are actually with us in praising God. We are not to listen to them critically, but to be caught up in their praise to God.
- Pray through the prayers of the leader. As the pastor or leader guides everyone in prayer, remember that he or she is lifting up many requests to God. Listen for those sins, hopes or desires which are yours, and know that the pastor is praying for you.
- Give of your entire life to God with your offering. The offering in Christian worship is not a collection of money from a captive audience. As we give our monies, may it be a symbolic way of joyfully dedicating our lives, talent and treasure to God in response to His love in Christ. Our financial offering is used to the glory of God through a multitude of service, mission and administrative projects in which our church is involved.
- Actively listen for Gods’ Word in the Scripture. The reading of God’s Word is an essential part of any Christian service. We are purely on the receiving end even though God uses it to speak to us so we may respond. Bring a Bible with you to church so you can mark in it and follow the preacher as the scripture is read aloud.
- Converse with God during the sermon. The sermon occupies almost one-third of the entire service. Many would say the congregation must be passive at this time, for the pastor speaks and we have no chance to object or question aloud. In our understanding of worship, the pastor is only the prompter. The true speaker is God. As the sermon is proclaimed, notice how the Holy Spirit is speaking to you and to your deepest needs. Talk with God in the silence of your heart as the pastor’s words ring in your heart. Good listening to a sermon is an exhausting activity, for the listeners spend the whole time wrestling with what God is saying to them.
Footnote:
These suggestions are set forth as a concluding summary produced by the Worship Study Committee and were adopted by the Session, 2005.
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