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Message from June 11th by Pastor
Richard Haar
Making WORSHIP with
others a priority
Hebrews
10:24 “Let us not give up the habit of meeting together”
God’s
claim on our worship
God is worthy of
our worship (literally “worth-ship”) as our
Creator, as our
Redeemer and as
our
Helper in life
[today is Trinity Sunday]. In other words, we are to make worship a
priority because God tells us to do so! And for us not to make worship a
priority is to be disobedient. But God doesn’t command us to worship him
just because we have a duty to do so; his intention in telling us to
worship him is so that we can be restored to him and experience the
wholeness only he can give us through his forgiveness and blessing. In
other words, we
need
to worship him!
Worship
is about:
-
Needing God and
needing to be in community.
-
Being strengthened
so we can cope with the busyness and stress of life
-
Being open to God’s help and forgiveness.
-
The
Spirit renewing us
through the Word and Sacraments.
-
Encountering God and letting him bless us.
-
Becoming a channel of God’s blessing
to others.
Making the change from
“I have to”
to
“I want to”
Do you “have to”
go to Church to be a Christian?
God
seems to think so - at least if you’re going to be a spiritually healthy
Christian. However, if you’re still thinking in terms of “I have to” then
you haven’t gotten it yet! Do Christians “have to” go to Church – “have
to” worship God? People who believe in Jesus and live for him
want
to go to Church –
want
to worship God!
That is a clear sign of spiritual health.
This is the key here: Making WORSHIP with others a priority
because you want to:
Because you love Jesus; Because you know you need his help and
forgiveness; Because you value your fellow believers and you want God to
bless them through you; Because you feel the leading of the Spirit and you
want to grow closer to Jesus; And because you love it. It means enough to
you, for you to make it a priority. It means enough to you, that you will
make it happen!
And
what if you still don’t “want to”?
Then more than
ever you need to come to worship and open yourself up to God’s healing and
renewal so you can be restored to him. When you find yourself at a low
ebb spiritually, what you need, (and what we all need over and over) is
the Holy Spirit to soften your heart and draw you back to Jesus so that
you
want
to embrace all
that God has to offer you and you begin to hunger again for the peace and
joy and wholeness that can only be found in Jesus
Some things to think and
pray about:
What does it mean for you to “meet”
God in worship?
How has worship been a gift to you? What value do you place on hearing
God’s Word proclaimed and receiving the Lord’ Supper for your walk with
Jesus?
How does worship help you to reorientate your life towards God and his
purposes? How does it help you cope with the pressures and challenges of
life?
Why do you
want
to go to worship? How is this desire
shown in your choices and priorities?
How does Sunday worship act like a spiritual compass for you during the
week?
Ask God to use you to bless others the next time you go to worship.
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