Wednesday, March 26, 2014

So what is worship?


“Worship is not about music; worship is an expression of the heart. It’s an outward working of an inward stance” Dennis Merry.

We parked on the M25 yesterday, a lorry had broken down and so like the clogging of an over worked artery part of greater London was forced to grind to a halt as breakdown services were called. As we approached the flashing signs and gradually slowed to a standstill Elton John’s ‘Our Song’ came on the radio. The words describe how a lover would use their talents to show their love and this got me thinking about my own expression of love to my first love – Jesus.  Traffic Jams are a great place to think deep thoughts, to reflect on life where you've been, what you’re doing and where you’re going. I was thinking about the different ways us humans show love and how that out works on a personal level. I wonder about that inner stance of my heart; I wonder because when all is said and done it is this inner stance that will delight or grieve the Spirit.

I concluded that real expressions of love cost. It costs because human beings are messy. Relationships are complex and there’s a process, a journey in the working it all out (ness) of it all. Something beautiful is produced through the desire to connect deeply and cherish another person. We are often so wrapped up in ourselves we fail to recognise the sacrifice of love or worse we gloss over or belittle the cost another pays. Iyou've ever loved you’ll know the cost.. the searing vulnerability, the risk taken to offer love in the hope it will be returned. Great masterpieces, entrancing poetry, captivating sculptures or magnificent buildings take huge effort and resources willingly given. Freely given - energy, money and time just to offer an insight, a hope an expression of love from the depth of one soul to another and all without guarantee of love in return.

In psalm 42:7-8 ‘Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. By day the Lord directs His love at night His song is with me I lift up a prayer to the God of my life’. 

So how do we worship? – Beloved we do whatever it takes. We overlook our frustrations, our misunderstanding, our self-focus or our impatience with God. We press through all our junk because we love. Helpless in gratitude because He first loved us. We chose to love other’s because He first loved us.


Jesus this is my blog... and this one's for you.

Love Ruth x



1 comment:

  1. Love this, Ruth - it's good to be reminded that real worship comes from the heart. It's far too easy to get caught up in debates about external expressions of worship, and forget who it's all for. Thanks, Fiona

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