Worship

The consumer mentality that drives and sustains our culture has infiltrated the church and created "shoppers" who come to Sunday services with an empty cart and a list of expectations. The fundamental essence of worship should be the unrestrained joyous response of a grateful heart:
an acknowledgment of the faithfulness of God, a humble offering of genuine remorse tempered by the promise of new life. Sadly, we find disgruntled customers who find the music too old or too new, the sermon too long, the fellowship not genuine. They move around "shopping" services in search of a brand of experience that is comfortable, non-threatening, and worth their time. Even lifelong
customers of churches can fall prey to this mindset if change or new direction disrupts their experience on Sunday. This "my need" mindset is antithetical to what the essence of worship truly is. Worship is not the 90 minutes we set aside for God on Sunday mornings like an oil change or dentist appointment (our needs being met). Worship is our life, lived in a grateful acknowledgment
of the grace of our loving God who has delivered us from ourselves, from our sin, from death. Our lives should be a love song or ballet that we work at continuously, correcting the sour notes and missteps as we respond to the music of mercy and love that permeates our lives if we would only listen. Worship is appreciation for the cool of morning, heartbreak for the wrong we witness,
kind encouragement for someone who is in a trying circumstance. Worship is the acknowledgment that grace is holding the world together and that as children
of God we have that same grace preserving and empowering us: to humbly live without shame while declaring that grace is available for all who would seek it. So pray each morning as you begin the new day that your thoughts , words and deeds would be an offering that reflects your appreciation for the cross and the love that God poured out upon us in the blood of his Son Jesus Christ. Sing , Dance, Smile, and explain to someone that God has promised them life if they would only listen.