WHY WORSHIP GOD?
For some people, the answer is because it’s what they grew up with. It’s just what they do. At the other extreme are those who refuse to worship God, who say that if there really is a God and when they ultimately stand before him, they will refuse to worship him. In their minds, the God of the Bible is not worthy of worship.
Sandwiches, Weddings, and Worship
Pretend that you have been asked by someone to make a sandwich. You have no further direction than to construct that sandwich, giving you no sense of why you are making it. So, you begin to make it for yourself. A wide variety of meats, cheeses, sliced vegetables, breads, and sauces are laid out in front of you. With no further direction, you begin to bring together all of the culinary elements to make your sandwich the most delicious it can be.
Then, just as you are putting the finishing touches on your edible masterpiece, someone stops you. “By the way, the sandwich you were to make isn’t for you,” the person says. “It’s for the guy sitting over in the corner.” Someone told you what to do, but they never told you why to do it. And when we don’t know why we’re doing what we are doing, we tend to make it about – you guessed it – us.
Why we do what we do is very important. In the sandwich analogy, without being given any context, you and I would tend to make the sandwich above according to our own purposes and tastes. Our own goals and preferences would take priority. However, the preferences, needs, desires, tastes, and even allergies that we think about when we know why we’re making the sandwich — in this case, for another person — will guide us to make a very different kind of sandwich than we would make if left to ourselves. The sandwich is an example of worship. Sometimes we as believers take all the ingredients of a Sunday service and make it about us. “What coffee is my favorite, what time does my class start, what songs did I like, and the list goes on.” When the very reason we should have come to church is for others.
Being one who leads others into worship, I must tell you that I have made way too many sandwiches for myself. Over the many years of playing music in the church, I have had time to reflect and digest on why I worship and who it is for. The reason we worship, ultimately, is found in 1 John 4:19. “We love Him, because He first loved us.” God is the Alpha and the Omega Beginning and End, He is The Creator of all things, He is Lord over all, He is the Redeemer, and ultimately, He is Worthy to be worshipped. The Maker of heaven and earth has called each and every one of us to worship Him, to love Him and to serve others.
If you have found yourself at times making the sandwich for yourself and are now considering who that sandwich is really for, God wants you to come back and worship him in Spirit and in Truth. John 4:24 tells us that, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
I want this to be an encouragement to you today that Jesus loves you and loves that you have a desire to worship Him. He is a faithful, loving, gentle Father that wants the absolute best for His children. This Thursday @ 6:30pm we have an incredible opportunity to show that we love God and want to worship Him. Please join me in a time of Worship & Prayer, you don’t want to miss it!!
All for His Glory,
Jason Leist
Associate Pastor
Contemporary Worship & Life Groups