Rev. Jane-Elizabeth Brakhage Presents
'Spiritual Discipline'
Rev. Jane-Elizabeth Brakhage, Missouri West Conference UMC
(a good friend of Rev. Michael Lee Burgess, shared with permission).
Discipline of Worship
Our next corporate discipline is the Discipline of worship. Now you may be wondering
why worship is considered a Spiritual Discipline. Remember, the Disciplines are something
we do to bring us closer to God and worship "is an ordered way of acting and living that
sets us before God so he can transform us" (Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline, p. 166).
Think about how much personal discipline it takes to attend worship every Sunday and you might
see how worship is in many ways a Spiritual Discipline.
So let us think a moment about what worship is and what we do while in worship.
At its heart worship is the community gathering together to praise God. Foster
reminds us that "the first commandment of Jesus is, 'Love the Lord your God with all
your heart, and with all your sould, and with all your mind, and with all
your strength' (Mark 12:30)" (p. 161). This verse tells us that the worship of
God should be the top priority of our lives.
Now when we think of worship, the first thing that comes to mind may be the Sunday service.
But Foster suggests that we should prepare for Sunday worship by worshipping all week, both
alone and in small groups. It is his assertion that if we look for God during the week and
find Him, then we will come to worship on Sunday expecting to find God even more in
His Church.
Coming to worship with a "holy expectancy" (p. 161) is the first way Foster suggests
that we prepare ourselves to meet God on Sunday. When was the last time you came to
worship expecting God to do something in the service? When was the last time you came
to church expecting people to be healed and the spiritual gifts displayed? When was
the last time you came to church expecting God to touch your spirit with the
Holy Spirit? When we are aware of God's presence in our lives Monday through
Saturday, we come to Sunday worship expecting these things.
Foster suggests these activities to help cultivate a holy expectancy.
Practice hearing God's voice in you life throughout the week by seeking God's
guidance in your daily actions. Wake up in the morning and before getting up
out of bed, ask God to guide you in the work he has for you this day. Pray
about decisions you have to make. If you need to talk to a difficult person
in your life, pray for God's guidance of your words and tone of voice before
speaking. Listen to God's promptings.
Then on Sunday, "since you have heard his voice throughout the week, you know
that you will hear his voice as you gather for public worship. Enter the service
ten minutes early" (p. 163). Take some time to lift your heart in praise and
adoration to the creator of all the universe. Meditate on God's majesty and
glory as Isaiah did when he entered the temple (p. 163). "Next, lift into the
light of Christ the pastor and other worship leaders" (p. 163). Picture
God's Spirit shining forth from them. "Inwardly release them to speak the
truth boldly in the power of the Lord" (p. 163).
Take time to notice the other people in the sanctuary. For some of them, you
will know their joys and concerns and lift those up in prayer. You may notice
someone who enters looking frazzled and worried. Lift them up in prayer. Someone
may come in with drooping shoulders, also lift them up in prayer. Foster tells us
that "if only a few in any given congregation will do this, it will deepen the
worship experience of all" in the congregation (p. 163).
As with the other Disciplines, Foster gives us some guides to help us enter
more fully into worship. The first is one we have already discussed, practicing
daily seeking God's presence in our lives. Practice praying without
ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17). As our awareness of God's presence grows in our lives
Monday through Saturday, we cannot but help being aware of God's presence at
worship on Sunday morning.
Second, don't limit your worship experiences to Sunday morning.
"Have home groups not just for Bible study, but for the very experience
of worship itself" (p. 171). Also, worship God when you are alone.
"All of these little experiences of worship will empower and impact the
larger Sunday gatherings" (p. 171).
Third, Foster suggests that we "find ways to really prepare for"
worship on Sunday (p. 171). Some of the things that Foster suggests
are going to bed early on Saturday, reading the hymns and Scriptures
for the Sunday service, take time for a period of self-examination and
confession, and "letting go of inner distractions so that you can
really participate" (p. 171).
The fourth suggestion is that we come to worship with a willingness
"to be gathered in the power of the Lord. That is, as an individual I
must learn to let go of my agenda, my concern, of my being blessed, of
my hearing the word of God….There is a submission to the ways of God.
There is a submission to one another in the Christian fellowship." (p. 171).
Worship is a community experience, not just a set of individual experiences
in a common place.
The fifth way to prepare for worship on Sunday is to "cultivate holy dependency.
Holy dependency means that you are utterly and completely dependent upon God for
anything significant to happen" (p. 171). Whatever happens in worship, it is God's
doing not ours. We just need to be ready to receive whatever God has for each of us.
The sixth way to prepare for worship is to "absorb distractions with gratitude.
If there noise or distraction, rather than fussing and fuming about it learn to
take it in and conquer it" (p. 172). Foster suggestions that we "become willing
to relax with distractions - they may be a message from the Lord" (p. 172).
Foster remarks that he loves "to have babies and little children in the congregation
because sometimes they are the only ones that I can be sure are alive!"(p. 172).
He urges us to "simply receive whatever happens in a gathered worship experience,
rather than feeling that distractions somehow deter [us] from worshipping God" (p. 172).
The seventh, and final, suggestion to help prepare for Sunday worship is
to "learn to offer a sacrifice of worship" (p. 172). A sacrifice costs us
something. A sacrifice of worship costs us time and emotional energy. Some
days we will not feel like going to worship. The sacrifice comes when we go
any way. Foster says there may be times when we admit "I do not feel like
worshiping and I have to kneel down and say, 'Lord, I don't feel like worshiping,
but I desire to give you this time. It belongs to you. I will waste this
time for you.'" (p. 172).
If we practice these things, we can expect changes in our worship experience
for we ourselves will start to expect the changes. We will come to God's temple
expecting to see him and will not be disappointed. We will start feeling God's
presence not just on Sunday, but every day and most especially on Sunday. We
will gather on Sunday with a greater awareness of gathering as a community to
worship God, not just a bunch of individuals worshiping together.
May God bless your efforts to be more aware of the Holy presence in your life.
Our next corporate Discipline will be guidance.
Until next time, may the peace and grace of Christ be with you always.
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