Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire.’

Hebrews 12:28

Good morning, friends. What’s on my mind this morning is the opportunity for devotion and serenity and deep healing that is the heart of being in church on a Sunday morning.

Worship is not a consumer experience so much as one of community and of committing ourselves to enter into a focused awareness of God.

Church is not a consumer experience but one of community and of worship

By that I mean it is not appropriate to grade church in terms of how good the choir (or the band) is, how well the minister preaches, how to my taste the hymns are et cetera. All those elements are certainly things we enjoy when they are top-quality but that is not what church is about.

I was thinking about this during the prelude, when our organist played a beautiful meditative piece that helped me to take some deep breaths, center myself, and begin to both absorb and enter into the presence of the Holy.

I could not help but think about how easy it is to allow everything else about worship – the details and the personalities – take our attention away from God. Even the stuff that is really, really good.

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face. And the things of Earth will grow strangely dim. In the light of his glory and grace.”

Or Matt Redman’s classic praise song: “I’m coming back to the heart of worship… and it’s all about you, Jesus, it’s all about you…”

The choir helped this week. And the bell-choir too. All the concentration and the preparation, not to perform but to help the congregation by pointing the way – and our attention – to God.

Because it is all about Jesus. If it’s about anything else then it is not worship.

But here’s the twist. When it is all about God and our worship is genuine then God fills us up in every way. We are nourished, we are healed, we are empowered, we are equipped. Worship, it turns out, sustains us.

That fact alone should be enough to fill the sanctuary every Sunday. – DEREK

“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”

Saint Augustine