God-focused Worship

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CONCLUDE

The lesson this week emphasizes the following: obedience to God is an essential requirement of worship; how we live our lives influences how we worship God; the center of Sabbath activities is the worship hour; and in every act of worship there should be a clear depiction of our grateful response to God’s love.

CONSIDER

• Diagramming a worship service that is familiar to you. Do this by mak­ing a list, designing a poster, creating a church service printed pro­gram, or making a diorama.

• Showing in this diagram where you think God would best be shown. Would you show God floating above the sanctuary or platform? Is God next to or behind the preacher? The choir? The choir director? The special music presenter? The pianist or organist? The person pray­ing? The person calling for the tithes and offering? The children’s storyteller? The deacons? The sound system technician? The person reading the Scripture texts? Is God seated with the congregation? Some of the above? All of the above?

• Showing where God would be shown if the worship service truly fo­cused on Him. (With that emphasis in mind, God would be in the area where the congregation would normally be seated. Worship is not a performance for those seated in the pews. It is a communal expression of thanks and praise to God. God then is the audience.)

• Using this illustration as part of the worship service by choosing con­gregants to represent the worship elements, asking them where they should stand on the platform to best represent their part of the service, and where God should be shown. It is a memorable activity to see the person representing God move from place to place then, at the direc­tion of the leader of this illustration.

• Reflecting on how a God-focused worship counters some people’s be­liefs that they are not good enough at anything to participate in the worship hour. With God as the focus, the pressure is off to “perform.” The results? All people who participate are valued regardless of their talent levels.

CONNECT

Luke 18:9–14.

Christ’s Object Lessons, “Two Worshipers,” pp. 150–163.

Written by: Rick Blondo, Clarksville, Maryland, U.S.A.