ABOVE ALL

I’m not one for complicating things. Just the opposite in fact. I mostly like to distill things to their simplest form. So when it comes to worship I tend to avoid complicated philosophies and practices. And I like to focus on what we do, not endure long discussions about what we don’t do, and why not.

Perpetual navel gazing, endless introspection and second guessing belong with do-it-yourself dentistry on my list of things to avoid.

That said, from time to time it is good to step back and look at why and how we do what we do. In our church, we use contemporary music, in the belief that it helps us to worship God. I really believe it does!

But in the middle of all the good times, good music and good feelings it is possible to lose sight of why, and Who, we worship.

Nehemiah says this (Chapter 9, verse 5):

“…blessed be Your glorious name and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.”

I think what Nehemiah is saying is this: let’s not become so in love with the way we worship, all the blessing and praise, that we accidentally exalt it above God Himself. Don’t just settle back and let the music and singing lift us up instead of the other way around. Sometimes we can forget why we started to worship in the first place. We started to worship because God is glorious, and worthy of the greatest praise we can conspire to offer. His glory is endless and His magnificence is immeasurable.

No song, regardless of it’s writer ever went close to fully expressing who He is. We just make do with the songs, the voices and instruments we have, knowing that when we get to heaven everything will change.

So when we come to church and someone says “It’s great to be in church today and it’s time to worship God”, let our first thoughts be not about the music or the presentation but about God Himself, the astonishing One who made us and loves us.

Nothing can ever take His place. His glorious name is exalted above all the blessing and praise.