I think of myself as a good person. Really, as far as the world goes, I pretty much am. But. Once in a while I am prompted to change my perspective and view myself from above – trying at least to see myself from God’s perspective. Oh dear. Yikes. I’m pretty rotten from the top.
The sermon at my little church on the prairie yesterday was enjoyable yesterday. The music was upbeat and lively, my friends were there, but when the sermon started it was one of those times when my view of myself shifted from lateral to vertical. Pastor Jeff was talking about worship. The act of coming to church and worshiping God. Often if not all the time, I feel like church is a way for me to refill myself with God. Let me explain. I spend all week doing my best to pour myself out in a way that honors God. I pour love on my husband, I’m kind to the neighbors, I pour words into my computer. You get the picture. I need a refill by the time Sunday comes along, so I go to church to be ministered to. Right? Is church that place? Yes. It is. We call it a sanctuary because we are safe in God’s presence.
But is that all church is? Pastor Jeff asserted that church isn’t for us…it is a house of worship, and worship means honoring or paying homage to God. What? Where’s the filling station part? What do I get out of it?
I loved this sermon because it hit me in the heart. God wants to be number One in our lives and by seeing church attendance as arriving at a filling station where I get my needs met, I am worshiping me and centering on me and not the One who really deserves the praise. So. I’m going to spend time this week considering this, practicing this, owning this. I want my worship, at church and everywhere, to actually praise and honor the God of creation. I want to give Him the glory for my week behind and prepare for what blessings and lessons He has for me in the week ahead. Not by getting ‘refilled’ but by acknowledging that I can’t do it alone and praising God that I don’t have to! Jeff said that church worship services should be “a celebration of our personal journeys since we were last together.” I love this. I want to keep my eyes open this week for how God is living in my life so that I can praise Him publicly and openly next Sunday. I want to really worship God.
