let's talk about worship some more

so andrew gave us a great definition of intimacy - "recapturing that which was lost in Eden". what i like about a definition like this is that it doesn't attempt to nail it down for you, but rather gives you an image to explore and taste and imagine.

but we're talking about worship. for me, an interesting angle from which to examine worship is to ask what is it for? easy enough, you say, the primary purpose of worship is to glorify God. God deserves praise and glory and thanks and honour for who he is and what he's done and worship is how we regularly do that. you can then follow that train of thought into how worship should then be more than just singing songs once or twice a week, but should involve a lifestyle of constant appreciation of God, his person and actions and constant appropriate responses to those.

what's so amazing about God is that he is a master of design. so, while worship is for him, he graciously uses it for our benefit as well. as a few have testified, worship can change our lives, whether it be the single intense experience or the regular rhythm over a period of time. and, he even makes worship a pleasurable experience for us - how cool is that? something that by rights could be expected of us is actually beneficial to us and enjoyable for us.

so what happens when we bring God, his person and his actions before our minds and, in recognition of them, give thanks for them? our vision of God is enlarged. our image of God gets bigger. we have more of God to explore and taste and imagine. no wonder our lives are changed, sometimes even instantly. with a clear picture of God before us, proper perspective is given for our hopes and fears, likes and dislikes, desires and attitudes. with God before us, we feel safe in his goodness - we can stop our striving for security, and rest securely in him.

the content of worship is therefore crucial.