Price check on worship, aisle 9!

"Call within the next ten minutes and receive 3 CD's packed with all of your favorite praise and worship songs - all for only $19.99!  But wait!  There's more..."  I overheard my television singing and seducing from the next room over.  I didn't realize it at the time, but this meager commercial would really begin to bother me as the days passed.

This advertisement struck me hard because it made me confront what worship has become for many people, including myself.  Over the past several years, I have seen worship of our Lord turned into a commodity, packaged with a little bow, and sitting only a Wal-Mart away.  For many, it has become a form of personal entertainment; bought, sold, and traded in the pew.  Unfortunately, the situation is reminiscent of the state of the Jewish Temple before Jesus cleansed it (John 2:12-17).  There people were selling animals for sacrifice and collecting money, probably with good intentions.  However, they were taking something holy and using it for their own profit.  That's what I often see when I look at the state of worship in today's world.  In general, it's easy for us as Christians to forget what it truly is.

Now, at this point, some may be upset with the implications I've made and before I continue I need to make a few things clear.  First of all, I'm writing this as a warning to all Christians, not as a pointed, personal attack.  Secondly, I am not belittling or rebuking contemporary worship as a whole.  I tend to prefer that worship style to the traditional, liturgical style.  However, I've come to realize that it does bring with it certain risks.  Finally, I need to say that in general I don't doubt the good intentions or the zeal of those who "sell" worship - in most cases they're solid Christians with a true heart for God.

With all this in mind, my warning to fellow Christians is this: we must guard worship so that it doesn't become another form of entertainment.  Unfortunately, in many cases, worship services have become more of a concert than anything else.  People attend with the expectation of being entertained, and the worship leaders feel compelled to entertain.  I have witnessed it in my own heart on many occasions.  For several years now I have played in a praise band, and doing so is a constant struggle between God's Spirit and my human emotions.  Humanly, I often feel like a performer - I long for the acceptance and praise of the congregation and hope that there's hearty congratulations waiting for me at the end of the service.  This attitude betrays a complete misunderstanding of true worship and, luckily, I have begun feel God's Spirit curbing me, saying "Hey dummy, this isn't about you."  Worship leaders need to remember what their job is.  Praise is not ours to sell.

A similar statement can be made for the congregation.  We as brothers and sisters need to make sure that our priorities are sound, and that we're not dragged away by the "entertainment factor".  One of the purest examples of worship is the angel chorus around God's throne singing "Holy, Holy, Holy." We join in their song when we praise our God and their selfless worship should be a model for our own.  We must make sure that we're not selfishly expecting to be entertained; though it should be personally gratifying, worship is about giving, not getting.

These risks should not be overlooked, and combating them is the job of the congregation as a whole.  Pastors can help by reminding parishioners of the true focus of worship, and these parishioners can combat this selfishness personally by focusing on the words they are singing.  In the end, though, all solutions need to be tailored to specific situations with care toward the congregation.

Christ's church is the securest company on earth and I believe that, with attention to these risks, worship of the Lord can soon reach amazing levels of societal influence and personal significance.  With God's guidance and blessing, I pray that His people as a whole can throw off these yokes and praise Him with selfless purity, love, and commitment and (in the words of a well known song) "come back to the heart of worship."