The purpose behind worship

Written by: Shane Magness

Recently, as I sat in the college class at church on Wednesday night, I observed the following scenario unfold. The group was in the middle of singing a song, and one student in particular was really worshipping with all he had: eyes closed, head tilted upward, singing as loud as he could. As I sat there thinking about how few people really give themselves over to worship as this young man was doing, I noticed how others in the room were reacting. On the other side of the room, people with annoyed looks on their faces were craning their necks to see who was singing so loudly. Those on the row right in front of me glared at him and then put their heads together and began whispering and snickering while glancing over at him.

While all this was going on, I came to a sad realization. Too many people have lost sight of what worship is supposed to be. Churchgoers and church leaders alike have become too focused on the particulars of worship instead of the purpose. Worship services have become a checklist. I would even take it a step further by saying each component of the service has become its own checklist as well.

Far too often I have seen examples of this at the church I attend. One Sunday, the man who led communion took much longer than usual and included a scriptural pledge that he had the congregation repeat. In my mind his message was very effective, and it helped me focus more on communion. But as it went on, I noticed others in the congregation begin to murmur and become irritated at how long he was speaking. Our congregation has a decently short rotation of people who are the worship leaders. I have never seen that man lead anything in worship again.

Another instance was one Sunday when an elder in the congregation walked up on stage after the invitation song and scolded the congregation for not keeping in time with the song leader, and urged them to pay more attention. That kind of thinking is exactly where the worship service has been skewed. Should it really matter if the rhythm of the singing is off as long as the congregation is worshipping with all their heart? And about communion, it’s said that communion is the reason we gather on Sunday mornings—to partake of the Lord’s Supper and enjoy fellowship with our brothers and sisters. Why, when someone’s speech to focus the congregation is very practical but takes longer than normal, do we shy away from it?

The church needs to have a reality check. I once had a friend tell me that her church did not have a set end time for its services. They worshipped for as long as they pleased, sometimes for three or four hours. I’m not calling for churches to adopt that exact philosophy. I’m just asking them to take that principle in general and to be more open to authentic worship.

Shane Magness is a senior at Oklahoma Christian University

00