“Worship is not a moment or a song. It’s a life of seeking to become the person God made you to be.”
Those of us who have spent significant time in worship services need to ask some questions. In worship, do we seek to become the person God wants us to be? Do we hope and desire that God use our worship experience to make us more like what we sing about, pray about, and hear in the sermon?
When it comes to the music in particular, I wonder if we’ve focused fully on the lyrics and how they challenge us to truly follow Christ. When we sing a hymn like “I Surrender All”, are we renewing our commitment to be Christ-like in word and deed? After Sunday is over, how do we ‘surrender all’ and how does that impact others along the way?
As a worship leader, I often think about how particular songs selected each week ‘overstate’ the truth of who I actually am and how I live my life. The song, “I Will Follow” says, “Where You go, I’ll go / Where You stay, I’ll stay / When You move, I’ll move / I will follow You; Who You love, I’ll love / How You serve, I’ll serve / If this life I lose / I will follow You”. I know this song is about striving to reach a higher level of worship and a deeper commitment to Christ. Yet, I have feelings of uneasiness, guilt, and regret; I know that what I’m singing doesn’t consistently line up with how I live.
Thankfully, becoming the person God made each of us to be is a process and a journey. So we must consider worship as more than what takes place on a Sunday morning. Worship happens in real time. It happens especially in relationship to others. Worship happens every time we step up and share Jesus’ love and compassion. The bottom line is, worship and service are inextricably linked. Both are to be passionate expressions of love. One energizes the other. (Aren’t the most obvious realizations the most difficult to live out?)
My wife, Vickie, thought about this considerably and lyrics emerged from her reflections. After she shared them with me, I took them to Jon, a friend and co-writer, and the result is the song “I Worship You”. You can access the song lyrics and audio recording here. Check it out to see how it relates to you. I hope it challenges you to experience the connection between worshipping God and serving others in Christ’s name.