Worship Together

I am continually blown away by how many Christ followers have so little interest in worship. This sounds judgmental and legalistic, I know, but a regular occurrence in my week is speaking with people who miss corporate worship opportunities for other events. Obviously, not everyone feels this way but lots of people approach worship services like they are their last option. If no better offers presents itself, they will worship God with fellow believers. If there is an opportunity to skip church, you can count on it!

I am reading again Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life Together, A Discussion of Christian Fellowship. Bonhoeffer was a Christian martyr, giving his life for the cause of Christ, in a German prison camp in 1945. In this classic book, Bonhoeffer deals with the idea that Christian gatherings are a privilege that should be treasured. Some quotes: “It is by the grace of God that a congregation is permitted to gather visibly in this world to share God’s Word and sacrament. Not all Christians receive this blessing.” (p. 18) “The physical presence of other believers is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer”. (p.19) “Let him who until now has had the privilege of living a common Christian life with other Christians praise God’s grace from the bottom of his heart. Let him thank God on his knees and declare: It is grace, nothing but grace, that we are allowed to live in community with Christian brethren.” (p.20)

My nephew, Rich, spent three years in China working as a missionary. While he was there he was not able to attend public worship services, the only time he could gather with other believers was in secret, underground worship services. When he returned, I had the opportunity to take him to an outdoor worship service on the beach, (one of our regular services). He was overwhelmed at the freedom, at the pure joy of being able to worship God openly, without fear, with other believers.

Worship should be so much more than an obligatory, perfunctory religious exercise. Worship is encountering God, interacting with Him. When we meet for worship with other believers, it is a family celebration, a time to be treasured.

I guess my prayer is: “God, give us a glimpse of what corporate worship really is, a gift of God’s grace, let us approach it with anticipation and let us treat it with great respect.”

What are you doing on Sunday?