Reflections on Worship

Last Sunday found me seated with twenty teenagers ranging from thirteen to fifteen – what a privilege! As time went on, we got to talking about communal singing in church. Why is it, we wondered, that Christians spend so much time singing to God? I mean, just how often do we have to tell God that we love Him or that He is super-dee-dooperdy special? Surely He already knows?

One of the kids thought it had something to do with being thankful. The idea, she admitted, came from a short homily delivered at the supper table by her mom about the virtue of being thankful and expressing gratitude – especially, it  would seem, to one’s parents (now there’s a thought!) She was beginning to suspect that, among other things, her parents needed to be thanked from time to time. For some reason it seemed to cheer them up. At that point, there was some sage head-nodding. Then we wondered whether God needed anything from us, like thanks and praise. What do you think? Does God need your praise?

There is a hymn of praise recorded at the end of Romans 12. It is Paul’s response to what he has just written about the sovereignty of God. In the song, Paul asks the question, “Who has ever given to God that God should repay him (11:35)” Who indeed? This is a rhetorical question; the answer is clearly: nobody! God does not need your praise. And it is a miserable parody of true worship when we think that our singing will place God under obligation to us. So why do we sing so much? Before I write about the reasons we came up with, take time to answer the question yourself. You may well discover other sound Biblical reasons. Our thoughts are by no means comprehensive. In fact, we may pursue this subject further next week.

To begin, I have found four psalmists that give the same reason for praising God: the fact that He is “worthy of praise” (18, 48, 96 & 145). We praise God simply because He is praiseworthy. If somebody saved you from drowning, would you not declare the praises of his courage and strength? Should not the invalid commend the mercy and competence of her nurse? The inventor of a cure for cancer would be forgiven for boasting about the merits of his treatment. God is infinitely praiseworthy because of who He is and what He has done. So it is fitting to sing about the perfection of God’s character and the splendour of His works.

Paul moves on from his hymn in chapter 11 to talk about the worship of God. He says: “offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship”. True worship has always involved cost and a sacrifice. King David said, “I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing” (2 Sam 24:24). David offered oxen as a costly sacrifice, but Paul calls you to offer YOURSELF as the sacrifice.

Now the sacrificial offering is less valuable than the person or cause for which it is sacrificed. So when you sing to God, you remind yourself that you are less important than Him. And isn’t that one of our biggest failings? We conduct our lives as though God is of little account. How often do you sacrifice the cause of God for the sake of your own? It should never happen. Instead, your singing-worship should become an overflow of your life-worship, declaring in music and movement that it is infinitely more desirable and satisfying to worship God than to worship yourself or anything else.

So we sing to God because He is worthy of praise, and we do it to celebrate God’s importance, reminding one another that when we sacrifice ourselves for the cause of God, then we are truly worshipping Him the only source of life.

Cheers for now - Ian