Some people think that their worship service is something to attend - kind of like a football game. They come as spectators wondering if they are going to like the music or not and some even with the attitude of folding their arms and saying, "Bless me if you can!"
I think it's easy for a lot of us to have a touch of this attitude at times. Let's face it, most churches out there are built with a stage facing a bunch of chairs like a concert or a seminar. It's not done like this to intentionally throw us off. I think we would agree that for the most part it's like this for logistic reasons. But we can't let that get in the way of what we know to be true about what corporate worship really is.
I read a blog by TheDeeZone just a few days ago who wrote . . .
It seems that sometimes in church we get in a routine where we come in sit down and wait for those on the stage to sing, teach, pray etc, while we sit in our comfy little pew and observe. This really frustrates me because I think we have a misunderstanding of worship. Matt Redman is right (in the song Heart of Worship) that at its very core worship is all about Jesus or at least it should be. Worship is not just a corporate service that we attend once a week to please God.
I guess the question we need to ask ourselves is who is this about? Me . . . or Him? Is all this really for an audience of one? Don't get me wrong - we benefit greatly from true worship, but that's a by-product. The true product of worship is God getting His rightful place in our hearts and minds. One definition of worship is to bow low. If my spirit is bowing low then I am declaring that He is God and I am not.
So next time you find yourself just sitting back and "taking it all in" check in that moment to make sure you are still a participant and not slipping into spectator mode.
