Community worship enhances understanding

Over the years I have noticed that people like routine. We like to know what is coming next, and routines give us security and structure in our lives.

We have routines for how we get our day started, how we dress and even how we get ready for bed.

We eat our meals at the same time each day and I know that I find myself looking for food at 12:35 even if I am not hungry.

The ability to create routines goes beyond our personal needs. We also create routine in our worship of God.

It seems that every church has a certain way of carrying out a “worship” service, and they usually don’t vary far from the given format.

But it is not the routine of worship that is the reason we are in church every Sunday. We are there to actually worship our Lord and Savior and to pay homage to Him.

My lay leader told me, “Worship is not a spectator sport” and I totally agree. You need to actually participate in worship to grow as a Christian.

Now I am not talking about getting up and doing things in every service, although I personally try to include as many lay people in the Methodist service as I can because it brings those participants closer to God.

I am talking about actively seeking God and opening your heart to all the possibilities of communicating with Him during each and every service.

It is that willingness to lay yourself open and exposed before your Creator that makes worship meaningful and deepens your relationship with God.

You do not need to be inside a church to do this, but do remember that the worship of God is meant to be done in “community” with others.

Jesus didn’t come to this world to just save you. He came to seek and saved all those who are lost. This means we are to talk about God with others and to share all that Jesus has done for Christians everywhere.

In community with other Christians you can develop a deeper understanding of the scriptures and what they mean for your life. They are the blue prints for living God’s plan for you.

I invite you to attend worship and to give yourself a chance to meet your Lord in community with others.