On his own, a man can strive to climb the mountain heights, explore the ocean depths, and dig into the farthest corners of great theology. Yet he discovers he cannot easily sing a song, clap his hands, lift his hands, or more, in corporate worship, nor participate with simplicity of freedom and joy. Has he met the God he studies? The renewing of mind is not the retaining of information, and the conforming of heart is not the dispensing of that information.
Perhaps there is a more sure evidence of my spiritual maturing: rather than a stellar theological defense or a stunning explanation and exposition of Biblical truth, it is a child-like singing and a fool-like participation in corporate worship with others.
Corporate worship exposes my unwillingness to look foolish in the sight of men; it makes me feel silly, awkward, and undignified. It lowers my defenses, the ones I put up when I want to maintain an image, or guard the image I really worship. It uncovers my willingness to explain away, minimize or ignore what makes me feel uncomfortable, what I don't fully understand, or what I don't really like.
Corporate worship opens the door on my private worship. It shines a light on my passionate pursuit and keeping of private personal devotional time, while I shift my feet with wandering thoughts, a blank stare and sealed lips in Sunday's gathering. Corporate worship confronts my arrogance, which says, "Can we move on to the Bible, please? I don't need this." It betrays my ignorance, which says, "I know enough of God, thank you."
Corporate worship touches the exposed nerve of my self-sufficiency and heals it; unlocks the stranglehold of my self-righteousness and saves me; loosens the constricted passageways of my spiritual breathing, suffocating on self. It speaks to the crippled limbs of my joy, and praise begins to move, crawl, walk, run, jump, and dance.
Corporate worship teaches me that to have a heavenly Father is to be a child, and to be a child is to need others -- these around me, His family. It puts me face to face with, first of all, the anger and bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness I have in my heart towards others and, secondly, with the patience and love, faithfulness and forgiveness God has towards me.
Corporate worship rewards with delight the child-like faith that believes and participates, yet provokes skepticism and criticism within the heart that doesn’t want to be told what to do. Corporate worship brings me to be attentive before the living God, not before the god of preference or style; to be summoned, not to summon; to be fashioned, not to fashion; to receive, not to demand.
A man can easily sing a song, clap his hands, lift his hands, and more, in corporate worship and participate with simplicity and joy. Yet he discovers he struggles to climb the mountain heights, explore the ocean depths and dig into the farthest corners of great theology. But he has met the God he sings to!
We will never outgrow our need for corporate worship. We will never mature in wisdom beyond singing together, or singing loud enough to be heard. Corporate worship is foolish in the sight of the world, in the hearing of the wise, in the mind of the sophisticated. But we are sinners saved by grace and justified by faith. We are the weak, the broken, and the sick in heart and spirit; but we are also the ones being made new and whole by a God who loves us, draws near to us, and reveals Himself to us. This God is pleased with the child-like worshipper, the worshipper-become-child, the one who welcomes Him with open arms, open hands, open lips and open heart.
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