I can ignore
your whispers
that convict me of my sins
in the busyness of daily life
doing what I “must”
I allow you
(the apex of my life)
to slip into the shadows
unseen, unheard
But Sunday comes
and praising
your unending compassion
and overwhelming love
provides the courage
to listen once more
overwhelmed by my depravity
I then see it swallowed
by your grace
A grace amazingly
far greater
than all my sin
Research can reveal some surprising truths. One that concerns me is that among self-identified followers of Jesus, more may remain outside the local church than in it. They often connect with God, they strive to obey him, but they see little need to meet regularly with fellow followers for worship. At least in part, I understand that reluctance. I pastored churches for over 20 years, and know their failings far better than those who aren’t involved.
But I think we miss something by viewing worship attendance as a duty, which many of us do, instead of a grace-filled privilege. My busyness and sinful nature conspire to persuade me to place God at the fringes of my life. I don’t deny; I merely ignore.
However, gathering with a church who knows how to get us lost in worship changes me. It provides the courage to reconnect with God more intensely. His transcendence overwhelms my own busyness; his grace transcends my sin nature. And with that, the main barriers to spiritual intimacy dissolve.
God doesn’t need me to admire him in worship. But I need to see him more clearly, and corporate worship does that. Maybe, just maybe, if we saw and talked about the value of worship, others would see the privilege rather than obligation.
Kick Starting the Discussion
How do you view gathered worship? Necessary to your soul? A duty? Irrelevant? What got you to that spot? Are you content with it? Any ideas on how to change?