Chapter 17

Worship was once the habit of the majority of Americans. On any given Sunday, this majority would attend worship in some church. Of course, as we can observe, that has changed dramatically since the 1970s. Worship attendance has dropped considerably in both numbers and frequency. One problem is that we tend to approach worship as consumers. Christians believe that the Triune God is the source and center of life, not the self. Worship is the discipline we practice as a community of believers that enables us to keep turning toward God, and thus orient our lives around and order our lives under one fact: God is God, and we are not! The Psalms have functioned as the worship book for the people of God, Jews as well as Christians, for millenia. You will be reading a number of Psalms for this chapter, especially the “Psalms of Ascent” (Psalms 120-136), which the people of Israel chanted to prepare for worship. Identify the two or three that most capture your attention. Why do they?

Psalm 24; Psalm 84; Psalm 121; Psalm 123; Psalm 124; Psalm 126; Psalm 127; Psalm 130; Psalm 131

Too often we enter worship distracted, haggard, rushed, and irritated. This is normal for everyone, by the way. No need for excessive guilt here! Still, there is need for discipline. Your spiritual exercise for this chapter involves two disciplines. First, try preparing for worship before you actually arrive. Ask God to meet you, speak to you, nurture your faith, convict you of sin, fill you with the Holy Spirit, and inspire you to obedience. When entering the space of worship, try being still. No chatter before worship begins! Try silence and prayer instead. And during worship try to avoid evaluating it as if you were a consumer. Instead, enter into it. Seek the face of God. Listen. Learn. Pray. Sing. Confess. Receive the sacrament of communion. Aspire to believe and obey. All of this should be directed toward God.

What did you learn about worship from the chapter, the biblical texts, and from the spiritual exercise? How did it help you understand worship? Did it change your view of worship? How can you begin to worship differently?

Psalm 84