I settled in my seat. I was dressed appropriately, had my Bible, was on time. I was clearly where I needed to be, quiet, respectful. Appearing ready for church. But the secret that gnawed at me was that I was not prepared to worship. It had been a hectic morning. I'd not had my quiet time. I'd not had the opportunity to pray as I sat in my seat. I was thinking of a dozen other things. My heart was not prepared to worship my King.
When we think about our weekly worship service, what comes to mind? Great music or an inspirational message? Reuniting with our Christian family after a long week of "doing life?" In our weekly Bible studies, do we look forward to learning something new? Maybe "sampling" some more of Miss Dierdre's apple crisp she always makes this time of year? Perhaps we can't wait to share with the group the progress missionaries are making in the Republic of Ecuador? What about our daily "quiet time" keeps us coming back morning after morning? Jesus, or the quiet and peace of our specially prepared space? Are we eager to please our Lord, or get that word --you know the one, the one that will get us through what could be the worst day ever?
Sure, there are benefits, byproducts of our relationship with the Lord and fellowship with the body. There are comfortable and uplifting ways in which we walk out this eternal life of ours. But if those things are not being practiced and lived out, first and foremost, for the glory of our King, if they are not being conducted with our Lord and Savior at the center, we are missing the point; we are not ready to engage or worship in the manner God intended. Fellowship is not the primary reason we go to church. Learning new fun facts about Jesus and His disciples is not the primary reason we study. Sharing the things God is doing in South America or South Jersey, even, is not the primary reason we attend prayer meeting. Silence, serenity, and the smell of a clean cotton candle is not the why of our time alone with Jesus. Jesus is the why; not only the Reason for the season, but the point of our life.
Imagine this: it's your birthday. Your best friend wants to throw you a big party. She asks for a list of people to invite --names, numbers. She discusses with you the menu, color scheme, and venue. She even tells you how much she longs to please you, to make this your best birthday ever. Then, she calls on Sunday evening and tells you what a great time everyone had at your party that day. WHAT?! HOW? Well, she'd thought of everything. Except you. She neglected the most important preparation: inviting you. Everything else was there; everything else was in order, but obviously, it was never really about you?
Thou shalt have no other gods before Me, right? Not the god of good intentions, or the god of squeezing in those last few moments of sleep, or the god of freshly brewed coffee, or even the god of socializing with our church family. As churchgoers and do-gooders and street corner preachers, we can have all the right accoutrements; but if we aren't prepped, if we've not made room in our perfect plans for the Guest of honor, all of our "worship" and our "good deeds" fall woefully flat. If we're feeding the hungry and clothing the poor, but haven't made room in our lives for Jesus, for whom are we performing? We can be in the right place at the right time, we can look the part, we can quote chapter and verse, but if Jesus isn't front and center, we've completely missed the point.
So, this Sunday morning, set the alarm a few minutes early, skip the coffee shop drive-thru, spend some time in God's Word, prepare your heart to worship Him, and arrive ready to worship a King, the King of kings! Be sure you've invited him to His party.
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