Saturday, March 31, 2007

The Wonder of Worship


It seems like nothing impresses us anymore. I can remember the absolute wonder I felt while watching our astronauts go into space and return again. Today, space shuttles fly into space and return with no more fanfare than a commercial airplane flight. The wonder is gone. Familiarity with the spectacular has robbed us of the wonder of space flight.Worship has become the same way to many of us. We’ve heard the music and sung the hymns a million times. We have listened to hundreds sermons and even have our own favorite super-preacher. We have refined all the techniques of worship so that nothing is new. The wonder is gone.Recently, I was with some people that began to notice the shapes of the clouds overhead. As they imagined what the clouds looked like, I remembered how I used to do the same thing when I was younger. Children are impressed by the simple things around them. Perhaps this is what Jesus meant when He told His disciples to become as little children. Over the years I had gotten used to the clouds always being overhead—nothing special. What had changed? It wasn’t the clouds. They still had funny shapes that looked like one thing or another. It was me that had changed. I had just lost the wonder of it all until I was reminded by my friends.There is a marvelous wonder that accompanies true worship. Many of us, however, have come to depend so much on the props of worship that we’ve lost sight of the Person of worship. We need to return to Jesus, for He hasn’t changed. Come to Him, as a child, in worship and the wonder will never end. Jesus is the Wonder of Worship.

Audience of One

In a far country lived a band of minstrels who traveled from town to town presenting music to make a living. Business had been bad. Times were hard. They didn’t charge much, but people just didn’t have enough money to come and pay to hear the minstrels. Attendance had been falling off, so early one evening the group met to discuss their plight.

"I see no reason for opening tonight," one said. "To make things even worse, it is starting to snow. Who will venture out on a night like this?"

"I agree," another disheartened singer said. "Last night we performed for just a handful. Fewer will come tonight. Why not give back their meager fees and cancel the concert? No one can expect us to go on when just a few are in the audience."

"How can anyone do his best for so few?" a third inquired. Then he turned to an older minstrel sitting beside him. "What do you think?"

He looked straight at his troupe. "I know you are discouraged. I am too. But we have a responsibility to those who might come. We will go on. And we will do the best job of which we are capable. The few that do come should not be punished with less than the best we can give."

Heartened by his words, the minstrels went ahead with their show. They never performed better. When the show was over and the small audience gone, the old man called his troupe to him. In his hand was a note, handed to him by one of the audience just before the doors closed behind him. "Listen to this, my friends!"


Slowly the old man read: "Thank you for a beautiful performance." It was signed very simply--"Your King"!

Remember, every day your life only needs to please one Person. \O/

Copyright © 2005 Darril Deaton