Worship 9-28

Posted by Jeremy on September 29, 2008 in Uh.. | 0 comments

As I mentioned in my first post, there is a marked difference between the first and second services.  Not that there are not people worshiping, it’s just as a whole the second service seems either apathetic about singing to God or unengaged. I’m not sure what has been going on in the second service.  It seems as though it has been a progression from just being kind of weird to, like today, just plain bad.  

Today (in second service) as we began our five songs to end the service, we started with How Great is Our God which is one of our churches favorite songs and during the last chorus I stepped back from the mic to let the congregation sing.  What I heard, or didn’t hear, surprised me.  I was having trouble hearing the congregation singing.  Then I moved to teaching the new song He is Lord.  The next song was This is Our God and where thing got dicey.

As we were singing I began to get angry.  But I wasn’t angry, if that makes sense.  As I looked across the congregation I saw people sitting as if they were lounging around watching a TV show.  Even when we were singing the bridge there was so much apathy about it.

Freely you gave it all for us, surrendered your life upon that cross

Great is the love poured out for all, this is our God

Lifted on high from death to life, forever our God is glorified

Servant and King, rescued the world, this is our God

How can you sing those words and yet be apathetic?  After the service someone referred to what I was feeling as “holy anger.”  This is what I felt God saying…(this is not what I shared in the service)

How dare you sit there pretending to worship Me.  Your lips move yet your heart stays silent.  WAKE UP!  Your hearts are focused on other things.  I alone am worthy of praise.  

Obviously I did not share these words because they would have done more harm then good.  What I did share was the bridge that we were just singing.  I tried to draw our attention to the cross and to Jesus.  I spoke of how through the cross and Jesus sacrifice we no longer relegate the presence of God to the holy of holies in the temple.  We no longer need a priest to intercede for us.  Jesus is now our great high priest who intercedes on our behalf directly to the Father.  Jesus is the one that leads us to God’s presence.  It’s not a song, a particular worship leader, a cool musical arrangement that ushers in the presence of God.  It’s Jesus.  Yet many sang that bridge with such apathy and a disconnect between lips and hearts that God was angered.  God is a jealous God.  He will not share his Glory with another.

This is what God the LORD says— 
       he who created the heavens and stretched them out, 
       who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, 
       who gives breath to its people, 
       and life to those who walk on it:

  ”I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; 
       I will take hold of your hand. 
       I will keep you and will make you 
       to be a covenant for the people 
       and a light for the Gentiles,

  to open eyes that are blind, 
       to free captives from prison 
       and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

  ”I am the LORD; that is my name! 
       I will not give my glory to another 
       or my praise to idols.

Isaiah 42:5-8

I’ll talk in length later this week on why the cross is crucial to worship.  I hope that God uses this to stir our hearts to be more vigilant in our pursuit to see Him glorified.  Please also pray fervently for the second service.  There is some kind of spiritual oppression going on, the prayer team and myself are not sure what it is or where it is coming from, but as we seek the lord this week we pray that he would open our eyes to see what (right now) is hidden.