Just a couple suggestions for you to do with your small group next wiiik. AS we explore the idea of worship this coming wiiik, it’s healthy to remember that at the heart of worship is the understanding that it’s not about us. I wonder how much it grieves God’s heart when we say things like “I just didn’t get that much out of the sermon” or “I didn’t really like the music that much today” or ”that service was kind of boring.” For sure, there are times when statements like this are a legitimate reflection of an ill-prepared Sunday service or a spiritually dead environment (never at West Side). But, I think more often it’s a reflection of a “Mi” spirit that’s getting in the way of what Sunday morning is all about - centering our focus and attention on God. If we don’t get much from a sermon or a set of songs, is it possible that our hearts aren’t quite right and our focus is on what we’re getting from worship instead of what we’re giving in worship? Even more, it is spiritually dangerous to think of worship as only what goes on in the church building on Sundy morning, or even worse, if we only think of it as the songs we sing. But worship is so much more than that! It’s gathering as a community of believers to praise and honor and glorify God through song, through listening, through hearing, through giving, through communing, through praying, through teaching, through going and sharing, and the list goes on…
So, as you look toward gathering with the community at the church building this coming wiiikend, it might be a good idea to try to coordinate with your small group going to the same service and sitting together. It could be a great exercise in community, and it could be a powerful experience to worship with one another. If worshipping together with your small group on Sunday morning doesn’t work for you, then maybe gathering together at the Monday night worship service on Oct. 12 will be a better option. But don’t let your worship experience stop at large group gatherings, or even at the small group gatherings. Offer the entirety of your life up to God as an act of worship, seeking to be who He would have you to be, doing what He would have you do, all the time. And my guess is that when you do this, you’ll find that it’s the best way to live.
