It's easy to praise God when life is good, but how do we worship in times of hardship? Here’s Debbie, our Children and Families minister, with an encouragement!
Do you find it a challenge to worship when the rain is falling, the wind is blowing and when your own life storms are raging around you?
Is worship just meant for those sunny cheerful and happy days?
It is amazing to worship however and whenever we can. In big groups, in a small group and individually. Worship can be as varied and unique as we are. Loud, quiet, dancing, singing, the worship song “Big Family of God” comes to mind, as that is exactly what we are.
Jesus delights in us individually in all our differences.
I used to think worship was what we did collectively, but as I have walked with Jesus, I have learnt to Worship and look for glimpses of the kingdom in whatever I am doing or experiencing.
Without the rain the dams and reservoirs will not get filled and the plants will not grow. Rain can be like a symphony if we but open our minds and our ears to the beauty of the sound. It can be scary and loud too, it depends how we are listening. Our senses help us to experience all the joy available to us, through listening, seeing, tasting, smelling and touching. We can use these senses in worship too. God is our creator, and we are all creative in our own ways. Some of us play instruments and some of us sing. I have never thought of myself as a singer, but aspire to make a joyful noise, when worshipping and praising.
We all have preferences of worship too. There is no right or wrong way to worship and as C.S. Lewis wrote “There is no wrong service.” There are many varied services in Churches today. Not all of them will be to our taste, but that does not make them wrong, we just have our own thoughts on them. Hence the phrase 'taste and see that the Lord is good.'
This Saturday 5th March, we are holding a Worship Workshop, where young, old and those of us in between, can attend, to play, get to know each other and appreciate each other’s creative skills in our collective Worship.
Worship is freeing ourselves to experience God in all we do, so in the rain I try to dance, in the sunshine I try to sing and when my life experiences challenge me, I worship and rest in God.
So, whether you enjoy action songs or classical hymns, there is room enough for all our preferences in worship. So why not go wild with worship this week!
Blessings
Debbie
Children & Families Minister