Worship
The UEFA Cup Final
“One of the most illuminating moments in working through this process was in attending the 2nd leg of the UEFA Cup Final in 1984. Totttenham won 3-2 on penalties; when the penalty was saved which brought the victory, there was such a rush of collective emotion from 35,000 Spurs supporters as I have never felt before. That experience enabled me to realise how much of what I had prevoiusly experienced as ‘worship’ was part of the wider human phenomenom of collective focus on (literally) one goal.”
SDMTS notes on Worship, Jonathon Clark Module 308 – JDC 1997
Worship Work and Play
Gordon Dahl once observed, “Our problem is that we worship our work, work at our play, and play at our worship.”
Worship Is A Thirsty Land Crying For Rain
For worship is a thirsty land crying for rain;
It is a candle in the act of being kindled.
It is a voice in the night calling for help.
It is a soul standing in awe before the mystery of the universe,
It is a time flowing into eternity . . . . . .
. . . . . a man climbing the alter stairs to God.
– Author Unknown
Spirit Level by Ann Bird, Methodist Publishing p17Worship And Sacrifice
“Sacrifice is the essential act of external worship. It is a prayer which is acted, a symbolic action which expresses both the interior feelings of the person offering it, and God’s response to this prayer. It is rather like tha symbolic actions of the prophets. By sacrificial rites, the gift made the God is accepted, union with God is achieved and th eguilt of the man is taken away. But these effects are not achieved by magic, it is essential that the external action should express the trus inner feelings of man, and that it should be favourably received by God.”
Roland De Vaux – Ancient Israel, P451Now Go And Do It
A congregation turned up one Sunday morning to find the church barred and bolted at the normal service time. On the door of the church was pinned a note in the Vicar’s handwriting. It read “You have head about it long enough, now go and do it.”
Boy George
Singer Boy George said, “On Sunday I attended the christening of my year-old godson Michael, and he was as restless as everyone else. The priest was a lovely man with impeccable dress sense, but I was confused from the moment he took the pulpit. Most of us only ever go to church for weddings and funerals, so sticking to the Book is pointless…and what’s the point of rattling on about sin when most of us are doomed to eternal damnation? It doesn’t warm people to Christianity, it only makes them feel like hypocrites. Worse still are the utterly depressing hymns. I’d like to see live music, acoustic guitars, and percussion. Church should be a joyous and liberating experience–[it] badly needs a facelift because it is God’s theatre on earth, and he should be packing them in.”
Boy George, London’s Daily Mail, Feb. 23, 2000
The Perfect Church Service
The perfect church service would be one we were almost unaware of; our attention would have been on God.
C. S. Lewis
That’s My King
Great to use during a Sunday service or within a small group.
The late S.M. Lockridge once presented an incredible message, describing our God and who He is. Though God can’t be described with just words, this is as close as you can get this side of Heaven.