Strange looks occasionally resulted when I would begin to speak English in the university student dorm in Zagreb, Croatia in 1993. "What is an American doing here?" some would ask curiously, but what followed was always some expression of Croatian hospitality. I had moved there with a team of recent college graduates to help start a Christian ministry for the university students. We had been warned that that young people in the former Yugoslavia might be disinterested in Christianity after their government being held for 50 years by secular, Communist leaders. Thankfully, this was not really the case. We found many students interested to learn about God, the Bible, and especially worship.
Worship can describe the excitement we feel in the presence of music hero or the awe we experience in the face of a huge natural phenomena. Part of what it means to be human is to respond to beauty, power, and wonder with feelings of respect and admiration. We are wired to worship. And history (on the grand scale and personal level) shows us that when we are not connected with a suitable object of worship something in us diminishes.
One the roles I serve as a pastor at many of our worship services is to stand before the congregation and give a call to worship. I usually try to connect with people on a personal or anecdotal level and make a connection to a theme in our service or a reason we should come together and worship God together. Then, we usually use a text from the ancient scriptures like Psalm 103,
"Praise the Lord, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, my should,
and forget not all his benefits --
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's"
Worship means to praise God mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Worship recognizes that God is holy, which means not only means that God is perfect but also extremely special. We are called to worship in response to real perceived and experienced benefits that come from knowing God. The true God forgives sins through Jesus Christ, he heals people, he gives satisfaction and joy, and he renews life. For these and 10,000 reasons we are called to praise and worship God.
That said, it is hard to remember what it means to worship. I quickly forget why I am called to worship God and what I am calling others to when I stand before the congregation and invite them to worship. Thankfully, God is gracious and invites to worship still.
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