Friday, April 5, 2013

Fruitful and acceptable worship begins before it begins. - Alexander MacLaren


Fruitful and acceptable worship begins before it begins.
Alexander MacLaren

Most of the Body of Christ gathers to worship corporately in song and praise for a good solid 30-50 minutes a week which equals to1560-2600 a year. There are 525,600 minutes in a year this makes the percentage of the Church gathering to worship together, 0.3957382039573821% of our year….[i]  Funny enough, if every Christian that’s the same percentage of our lives that we worship God together in our lives. Does it seem weird when we do something once a week, but we look at the numbers it is so little?
            This isn’t a shame on you essay. It’s a thought essay. I want to find out what I’m doing as a young Christian. This is my way of taking inventory, if you will, relating it to myself; and, understanding my walk with Christ. I don’t intend on presenting a problem, harp on said problem then not offer a solution to the problem. I digress.(did I use that right? “I digress” is a phrase I have always wanted to use but have never used it right. Just like the “when in Rome” scene in Anchorman, a grossly inappropriate movie.)
            Now my math may be way off. I did take a lot of math classes in High School, they were just remedial and repeats because I had initially failed the course. The percentages can be different based on denomination, occupation, residence etc… What if…(dun dun dun) the church gathered for at least 1% of the year and worshipped and sang to Jesus? That’s roughly two and a half times more than we do now. I understand that worship carries through out the day. But there is something to be said for coming together as a body and praising Jesus through song. Right?
            There used to be a church on the interstate between Austin and Dallas that had a banner that plugged it’s 30 minute service. There are other churches that have plugged their streamlined easy experience services. I cannot tell you about the motives behind these practices, but I can ask the question again. Why don’t we spend even one percent as a church together in worship of our creator. 
            We all need to know that what we do during the day can be fragrant to God.[ii] But there is something to be said for gathering together as a family, as a bride, as a body to worship Jesus. This intent isn’t to call anyone out, or to shame anyone into raising their hands during worship; but, rather, to talk it through.
            Is it realistic? Is it conventional? Or even do able? I don’t know. But what if? What if admiration and worshipping the Creator of everything took precedence in everything we did? Altering how we even do the smallest business? Our careers, our lives our plans all revolved around Jesus and whether or not we’re fragrant in our public and personal lives?[iii]



[i] Taking the average time a year, which would be 2,080 minutes.
[ii] Read a book called Praise Habit by David Crowder.
[iii] For the record, that’s how our lives are supposed to be…..

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