Coming Back to the Heart of Worship! (pt 1)

When we think about spiritual disciplines, we often think about things like finding a quiet place to be alone, lighting candles, being silent, fasting.  And these are all important exercises in spiritual disciplines.  But they are just the part of the whole, the individual or private disciplines.  There are also corporate disciplines, the most common of which is worship.  So, what is worship, really?
Joyce Ann Zimmerman, in her book, Worship in Gladness writes:
​“Worship is much easier to celebrate than describe! Worship is much easier to describe than to define…And yet deep down, we all know when worship satisfies us or when worship leaves us feeling empty, when we hunger for more in worship or when we know we need to change how we worship.”   
We have all been to a new church, maybe when we are vacationing or visiting family. Even though it isn’t “our” church, maybe not even our denomination, yet, we just feel at home there.  What is it that makes us feel that way?  Other times, we can be in our own church, a church we have been a member of for years, and still feel like a stranger.  What could be at the root of this feeling?  Zimmerman talks about two phases of worship, greening or growth times where we are moving closer to God as a community and withering or dying times where God seems to be more distant.  
I am going to spend a couple weeks talking about worship.  So for now, I have some questions I want to ponder together. Again, these come from Zimmerman’s book.  Take some time to consider these questions.  Work through them in your journal.  And feel free to comment below, I’d love to hear your thoughts!  Then we will continue the conversation on worship next week. 

• In our congregation, we experience the greening of worship in…..
• We experience the withering of worship in…..
• Worship is most important to us when…
• It is least important to us when….
• We personally most feel the need to worship when…
• We personally least feel the need to worship when…
• At this point, our congregation would describe worship as…

Change is inevitable in the church.  Pastors and other leaders come and go.  But the church goes on.  And worship continues.  We learned that even through Covid, worship continued for those of us determined to have it happen.  We found ways.  We joined congregations online.  We watched on television.  We opened ourselves to worship across the fullness of worship experiences.  And now we are back in “our churches” and somehow, church feels a little flat.  Many people have chosen to remain online rather than return to the sanctuary.  What are they gaining through the screen that outweighs the in-person fellowship?  How do we heal an ailing church if we don’t seriously explore worship, hospitality, outreach, mission… this is our chance.  Maybe our last chance to save the church as we know it.  Or to reinvent a different “model” of church that will fit more completely into this day and age.  But until we are brave enough to look at it honestly, we will never know where to go from here.  So, take some time.  Offer prayers of gratitude for your church.  What are you truly thankful for?  Remind yourself.  Thank God for those things.  What would you like to see different?  Do you have the power to make a change?  If not, who does?  What is your part…your place…your role…in the greening or withing currently happening in your church? 
While worship is most often a corporate discipline, we can also follow the example of some of the leaders in Scripture like David and worship privately.  We can come before God, offer our confession, ask for forgiveness, accept God’s forgiveness, read scripture, read or sing a psalm, and pray for others.  Then, we can go out with Joy, knowing our God goes with us.  Consider creating a space in your home where you can study and worship daily.  Not a sanctuary, but a designated space, maybe a special chair or using a different lamp, that, when you use this item it signifies to you that this is your time set aside for God.  It is different from when you use this space for daily life. 
May your time with God be filled with blessings and abundant joy this week!