Thoughts on Worship

I have been attending church worship services, well, since forever that I can remember. My Mother was a Sunday School teacher. My fraternal grandparents attended that same church every Sunday. So I really don't remember, with the exception my college years, not being in church almost every Sunday morning.

However, as I have been re-evaluating my role in the music program of The American Baptist church of Westerville, I found that I really didn't have a good idea of what "worship". It's just something you do once a week, isn't it?

Michael Morrison, of the Worldwide Church of God, wrote a paper entitled, "What Is Worship? A Survey of Scripture", that I found very enlightening(a). In it mentions that worship has three

components, 1) upward - giving God all glory and and honor, 2) inward - listening for instruction and obeying God's direction as His servant and 3) outward - carrying out His instructions to the world around us. In Nehemiah 8:6, Ezra leads the Israelites in worship and "Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, "Amen, Amen," lifting up their hands (upward). Then they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground (inward). And in verse 10, Ezra tells them to enjoy their meal but to share it with "those for whom nothing is prepared" (outward).

As I read this, as well as other books/papers, and began to study the scriptures, I began to see worship in a much different light. I plan to share my "awakening" in my next several posts that will include:

• Worship - Not Just on Sunday Morning


• Worship - It's not about me


• Worship - It's not just an adult thing

Please join me through this journey. And today, join me in this song of praise.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPWq8eM4lu8


(a) (www.wcg.org/lit/spiritual/worship/worship1.htm)