At New Hope Church in State College, PA, we begin every church service with worship of our God.
The purpose of worship is to glorify God, please Him, and exhort our fellow man to do the same. God is worthy of worship as our King and our Creator. He truly is Great and Marvelous. A study of the Names of God is a great place to start in getting to know why God is worthy of our praise. And the about the last time someone acted in a particularly thoughtful and generous way toward you: didn’t you want to thank her profusely? When she said, “Don’t mention it,” weren’t you thinking to yourself, “How could I not mention it! You were so amazing I’ve got to go on mentioning it!” So it is with God. He has given us such incredible salvation from the most unendurable pain: of course we’re going to praise Him for it!
When do we worship?
You can worship any time, all the time! As you walk down the street, while you daydream on the porch, when you play in the park, as your taste buds dwell in the deliciousness of a pepperoni pizza topped with freshly chopped garlic and basil leaves with copious sprinkles of Parmesan cheese…
There is something even more special about worshiping together. I think it comes from the way we were created relationally. Right from the beginning we were told “It is not good for man to be alone,” and God Himself wanted to spend time with us, to share with us His creation and His wonder. We have been given the gift of sharing, and what better thing to share with each other than our love and worship of Jesus Christ!This is why any time you meet a fellow Christian, wherever in the world, whatever the socio-ethno-linguistic barriers, you feel an immediate deep connection. We as Christians, as brothers and sisters adopted into the family of God, love to share our lives with each other.
And so we worship together! We join our hearts and align our voices in praise of the Most High God, the Beauty of Holiness, the King of Kings, The Beginning and the End. Together, we make beautiful music, music that is far deeper in meaning than ever it could be in quality of sound (though we try to make that good, as well!)
by Robbie Parks