Is Worship really a Big Deal? - Part Two

One of the most obvious things about worship should be this:  it is not about you. The irony of that is that most people reference worship not with about what they "gave" in worship but about what they “got out of it.” I have thought and pondered on this all week and have come to the conclusion that the reason we are so disinclined toward worship is that our approach is so wrong. Hear me out. The air we breath in the culture is a that of a consumer culture. We consume things. And maybe that unconsciously becomes what we do with worship as well. So we come into worship and unwittingly make it about us and our needs. In essence we come to “get” something.Here is why that will never work and maybe why many have found themselves bored with worship or at least wondering why it is a big deal when we can just read the bible and pray and not have to get up on Sunday when the "devil is in the house," and "go to church." In the Bible and in Christianity the “law of the harvest” says that “you get what you give.” That is basically the message of the cross, is it not? So if you give sparingly, you receive sparingly. While, if you give generously, you receive generously. See, one approach to worship is consumer driven - what can I get? The other approach is away from  self - what can I give?There is no doubt then, that true worship is not what you get but what you give. But let me say this, those who come to give the most are those whose heads are cocked back in laughter and who delight in God is contagious. Those who come to give are those who are overwhelmed that God would love them and go to the cross for them. Those who come to give are constantly amazed at grace and overwhelmed by mercy. They take nothing for granted.In worship, “you get what you give.” Join me Sunday and we will talk about it.Blessings,Jim