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Making Our Collective Worship More Meaningful

Comedian and actor Woody Allen once observed that “ninety percent of life is just showing up.” Unfortunately, many Christians take this approach to worship. They figure that if they simply “show up” at the appointed hour and occupy a pew until the last “Amen” is spoken, they have fulfilled their obligation to worship God.

Because of this spiritual problem, let’s give some thought to the following suggestions we can implement in order to make our collective worship more meaningful.

1) Preparing our mind — By the time we arrive at the meeting place, each of us should be firmly focused upon the worship activities in which we are about to participate. Knowing that our Lord is with us (Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5), shouldn’t we come mentally prepared to worship “in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24 – NKJV)?

2) Being ready to participate — Every Christian man should enter the worship ready to serve if called upon. Those who lead in singing should select appropriate songs prior to the start of the service. Those who may be asked to lead prayer should consider what they will say if appointed, such as: Who is ill in the congregation? Who is away traveling? Who may have other needs that need to be made known publicly? Considering what we will pray for beforehand helps us avoid “empty phrases” or “vain repetitions” (Matthew 6:7 – NKJV). Those who serve at the Lord’s table need to carefully consider the words they will use in directing the minds of the congregation regarding our Lord’s sacrifice on the cross.

3) Singing with our spirits and minds — Not everyone is blessed with a melodious voice, and that’s okay because there is no command in Scripture that states, “Sing beautifully.” When we sing praises to God, let’s remember to sing out! Our singing should stir the thoughts, i.e., “teaching and admonishing one another” (Colossians 3:16 – NKJV), and “making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:18-19 – NKJV). Let’s also consider the meaning of the lyrics as we sing them. When we do, we are spiritually building up those around us as we sing (1 Corinthians 14:26 – NKJV; Hebrews 10:25 – NKJV), so let’s give it our all!

4) Praying with our spirits and minds — Public prayer is not a spectator activity. Although the individual leading the congregation in prayer usually prays out loud, all worshipers should be praying, allowing the words of the one leading to direct their minds to those things worthy of petition before God. It is not a time to permit our focus to wander to worldly things — after all, how can we say “Amen” to the prayer if we don’t know what the leader of the prayer has said (1 Corinthians 14:16 – NKJV)?

5) Examining ourselves — Let’s reflect upon the gravity of the task set before us in observing the Lord’s supper. Paul exhorts us:

“But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body” (1 Corinthians 11:28-29).

These serious words of warning should cause us to think carefully and reverently when we reach the portion of the service when the Lord’s supper is served.

6) Giving attention to the sermon — For various reasons, some members of the church have short attention spans. For them, it’s a chore to sit and listen for forty solid minutes. To remedy this problem, we need to recognize that Jesus Christ is the Word of God (John 1: 1-5; John 1:14), and that it is by Him that God speaks to us today (Hebrews 1:2 – NKJV). Therefore, when the gospel is preached, we are standing on holy ground. Let’s consider the inspired words that God speaks to us and note them so that we can study them and meditate upon them through the week (Psalm 1:2 – NKJV).

Yes, we should and can accomplish more during our worship time than just “showing up.” Let’s all genuinely participate in the worship of God, with the measure and means appointed to us. By putting into practice the above six suggestions, we can make our collective worship more meaningful.