My husband is finishing up a class on worship at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, so we have had lots of discussion the past month on the subject. Following you will find a few quotes on worship and something that happened in our church kitchen on Father's Day.
"--worship is 'Setting our mind’s attention and our heart’s affection on the Lord, praising Him for who He is and what He has done.'"
--Dr. Bruce Leafblad
Retired professor of Church Music and Worship
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas
"God’s cleansing from sin should lead us to the place of worship. We must become a people that follow true, objective Biblical worship—not just anything."
--Bert Newton
“Worship is essentially about the priority of God. It is predicated upon the reality of God's being in the supreme position in relation to everything that exists within the created order. Worship is a personal, human expression of that relationship by which we honor and praise God as supreme. The results of such worship include a greater understanding of who this unique God is and an increased desire to make Him first in all of life.”
--Dr. Bruce Leafblad
Retired professor of Church Music and Worship
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas
“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable (or well-pleasing) to God, which is your spiritual (or rational) service of worship.”
--Romans 12:1 (NASB)
“Worship is celebration. All of life is a festival: being persuaded that God is everywhere present on all sides, we praise him as we till the ground, we sing hymns as we sow the seed, we feel his inspiration in all we do.”
--Clement of Alexandria
“Worship is a lifelong process of knowing and being known by God.”
--Anonymous
Finally, each Father's Day, we have a Dad's & Grad's Strawberry Feed at church, because that is the middle of Oregon strawberry season. Now, Oregon Strawberries and small and sweet. On Saturday, while two other women and I were preparing the strawberries, we discussed whether or not to add sugar and decide not to. On Sunday morning as we stood in the kitchen, I listened to worship. It sounded like this--
Mmmmm-- Ooooo-- These strawberries are delicious. Ahhh-- Mmmmm-- Oh, I think they are better this year than ever. They didn't need any sugar, did they? Oh, these are so good. Yes!
Would anyone share a time when you have heard such worship, not in a church service?
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We will worship something. It's how we are made. For some it is fame, for others it is money, sex, career, golf, themselves, stuff, food, church, or junior's baseball team.
I was at a U2 concert once and surrounded by thousands worshipping. It was fun really...until I realized that I too was more worshipful than I probably would be the next morning during church.
I think eating strawberries is a great way to worship! I heard a prayer in McDonald's one time with a group of 4-Hers that went like this. "I am thankful to God for wheat so we can have flour and biscuits. I am thankful to God for pigs so we can have sausage. I am thankful to God for potatoes so we can eat hashbrowns. I am thankful to God for oranges so we can have orange juice. How about you?"
I am amzed that we are not commenting on worship. What's up with that???
For instance, is going to a church and singing patriotic songs the Sunday before a national holiday worship? Help me understand...
For pastors, SS teachers, music leaders and the like it is easy for Sunday morning worship to be "work" rather than worship. Also, it seems that in a large concert we are unware of any efforts to "control" the environment, yet on Sunday morning we are trying to squeeze what (I think) should be spontaneous into 30 to 40 minutes periods. So, that's why I think if we can bring our worship with us because worship forms the fabric of our lives, rather than go to it or perform it, we find that it is much greater than we had realized.
I think I worship every time I enter a Wal-Mart Super Center. I love that place. (I don thank God for it as well. I don't just worship Wal-Mart.)
Concerning patriotic songs sung in worship services, I think we must examine the content to determine if they are pleas to bring God's glory or to "bless me and mine." In church if I don't agree with or get the words, I don't sing, but I do pray that God will show us reality.
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