Random Worship Thoughts (#3)

I love a good worship service. Now stop right there. You might have just said, “Me too.” But the “good worship service” we each thought of is probably drastically different. You know this dilemma. All this talk about worship. Worship is important. Worship should be improved. But no one can seem to agree on what a “good worship service” should be like. So we either fight, or we are unhappy or we get our way or we leave. We congregate with those who seem to have a similar notion of “good worship.”

This all seems to miss the point. And we all feel it. So what can we do? I’m not sure. But here are my ideas for what makes a “good worship service.”

1. Since we are worshipping God, maybe He should decide what makes a good worship service. After all, shouldn't a birthday bash be judged by the birthday boy?

2. Take a look around during the service. What does the crowd look like? I don’t mean numbers, but you can make some judgements about a worship service based on the crowd. Do they all look alike? Are they all the same color? Wearing the same style of clothes? If they are, this may not be that great of a worship service. Is there a homeless man sitting next to the president of the local bank? Is there an unwed teenage mom singing alongside an elder’s wife? Are there people of different races, colors and classes and capabilities worshipping together? If the answer to these questions is yes, it’s probably a great worship service.

3. Check out the guy on the corner. You know the one you pass every week as your head from church to your favorite restaurant. Are people from your worship service stopping to talk to him? Offering assistance? Inviting him to lunch? Do I even have to say what kind of answers a “good worship service” should produce?