Sunday Rewind 2.25.07

Lent is a wonderful season of the year. It's a season that looks forward to Easter. We do so by taking time to intentionally strive to walk as Jesus walked. Over the Sundays in Lent, we're looking at five essentials for being a disciple of Jesus Christ:

• Collective Worship
• Spiritual Disciplines
• Small Group Participation
• Ministry Involvement
• Relationships with pre-Christians

Few would question the importance of Collective Worship for disciples. Yet, for the past 40 years, the Church has struggled to find unity on the subject. Sadly, we've chosen to divide ourselves, not over substance, but over style. It doesn't have to be that way.

Psalm 95 give us some advice that, if we follow it, will lead us back to experiencing true Collective Worship. To read it, click here.

1. Emotion and enthusiasm are good things (95:1-2). The original Hebrew words here are: cry out, shout, come with thanksgiving. Are those the words you would normally use to describe your worship experience? If not, why not? We applaud athletes, musicians, politicians and beauty-pageant contestants before they do a thing. Yet for the God who has created, redeemed, and adopted us...
2. Don't forget who you're here for (95:3-5). If you didn't get anything out of worship, it's probably because you think worship is for you. But it's not. It's for God. He is the one who owns everything. He is the one whose worth we declare. When our attention is on Him, suddenly styles don't matter.
3. Remember your place (95:6-7a). Although worship isn't for us, we do have a role. In worship, we subject ourselves to God's sovereignty, celebrate our identification with Him, and rejoice in His provision.
4. God's Word is central (95:7b-11). God still speaks through His Word and the Holy Spirit. And there are huge consequences for failing to listen. In worship, we take time to listen to what He is saying, opening ourselves to His call for repentance. When the Word is central, the elements combine together to communicate His message.

Is this type of Collective Worship possible? I say, "YES! If..." If we will follow the advice of Psalm 95.