The Corporate Worship Experience

As we sat in our living room tonight waiting for family devotional time to start...

...well maybe I'm assuming you know more than you should reasonably be expected to. I'm a Christian, as are my other family members and we "devote" some corporate time to worshiping Jesus Christ each evening.

Anyway...

We sat waiting and Dad pulled out the Martin acoustic six-string as we commenced singing a familiar worship tune.

Several minutes later, I realized my mind had been wandering. Yes, I had been singing. I had given anyone watching me the appearance of worshiping my God. I probably seemed sincere about my worship for anyone viewing, everyone except...God, that is.

So I looked around the room as we continued in this corporate setting. Apparently, everyone else was singing, worshiping at a glance. But I must tell you I couldn't help but realize that the others in the room with me were probably in a similar mode. That of insincere worship.

That sounds harsh, insincere worship.

But looking at everyone, I wondered, "how does our worship seem to God, the One we're offering this to?"

I started thinking about "worship" in the church today. We come together to sing songs and offer thanks, but it's so impersonal. We're trained to the point we can say "amen" or hum the tune with our minds on what's for lunch after service, how beautiful or not so beautiful a neighbor is, or even something much more sinful.

The whole time, we can seem so devout to those watching.

The thing is that the One we're worshiping isn't impressed by appearances.

He wasn't impressed by the fact I was singing "Holy Holy Lord God Almighty worthy is the Lamb who was slain" ... just for the fact I was uttering those words.

He was probably grieved, wondering why after how good He has been to me, I can't focus more on Him for a few minutes of corporate worship.

But then again, I realized it seems easire for me when I'm having personal devotions. It's just me and God and more personal.

But I wondered tonight ... I wondered, just how it smells to God when we come together as a group to worship. If God did a video that had captions ... showing what was going on on the inside as we sang one service ... and played it for us... I think we'd all be surprised at each other.

Just food for thought.