Total Worship

A group of Israelite worshippers is heading towards Jerusalem for one of the great feasts. As they approach the Temple they sing psalms including this one. They start with an encouragement to one another to praise God. They are to speak words of praise and they are to lift their hands. They are preparing to worship their God with all their heart, mind, soul and strength. It’s mental, emotional, spiritual and physical. How will we worship God today? How can we ensure that we are serious and that our whole personality is involved?

Then they evoke a blessing on other worshippers. We worship in community. We are not there just for what we get out of it as individuals but for what we put in. Our worship, our enjoyment of God, can lift the spirits of others, drawing them into a sense of God’s presence. This isn’t about worship style, it’s about attitude and about recognizing and honoring God and others.

Over Christmas we have been celebrating the God who has come to us in a new way in Jesus, born as one of us, living a human life and dying for us. Enjoy the truth that we can know God through Jesus in a way that these worshippers could not.