For the past two months, I have been giving you reasons for worshiping. These come from a workshop I attended that Dr. Mark Allen was the presenter. The first reason he gave was that we worship because God is worthy of worship. He said that if we worship for any other reason, we stand the chance that we will stop worshiping. His second reason was because other people need us in worship. We support each other when we gather to worship.
That brings us to his third and final reason for worship. These points were originally in response to a question by his teenage daughter. After giving the first two reasons, his daughter said to him, “But Dad, I don’t get anything out of worship.”
His third reason is that whether or not we know it, we do get something from worship, even a service where we don’t think that we do get anything.
At all worship services, we hear the Word of God read. That Word empowers us to be the people of God. That Word reminds us that we are God’s holy people by His grace. That Word strengthens us so that we might be servants of God.
Do you remember what you ate for supper a week ago? Most of us don’t, unless it was a special night and a very special meal. And yet you are in part who you are today because of that meal. That meal strengthened you even if you don’t remember it.
In Isaiah 55 we read:
10For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
(Quote from New Revised Standard Version)
God’s Word does not return empty. God’s Word accomplishes what God wants it to do. And so when we come to worship, when we gather as His holy people to hear His Word, it does change us. It might be small changes, small enough that we don’t even notice it, but it does change us. God is at work in us through His holy Word.
Come to worship because God is worthy of our worship.
Come to worship to strengthen those around you, we need you.
But also come to worship because it will change you so that you better live the love and grace of God.
In His love,
Pastor Gary
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