| Worthy of Worship - article by Joel Hempel
Why do you come to church? To visit with friends? To eat Lisa’s baked goods? What do you get out of worship? Do you grow in faith? Become inspired to serve the Lord? Increase your knowledge of God’s Word? Those are all good reasons for making the trip. But there is one purpose I’m guessing you realize was not included among the reasons: To worship the One – the only One – who is worthy of worship! Corporate worship, from the invocation to the benediction, is first and foremost about recognizing who God is in all his magnificence and glory, what he sacrificed and completed in and through Jesus on the cross, and what he continues to give us through the Spirit of Christ who is beyond and yet within us. So, whether it is the hymns and songs we are singing, the creeds we are confessing, the lessons we are reading, the message we are hearing, the sacraments we are receiving, or the absolution we are needing – in ALL of it, we look for God’s action toward us: His saving grace, the richness of his mercy, and his never-ending love SO THAT we can then thank him, praise him, and give him all the glory that only He deserves (see 1 Chronicles 16:25; Psalm 8:1; Psalm 29:1-2; Psalm 95:1-6; 1 Timothy 1:17; Revelation 4:11). However, I’m guessing that most of you are like me in that we need a lot of help to worship in the manner described above. I am also guessing that you bring many distractions to church as do I: challenges at work and in our families, physical and mental health issues, disappointments and irritations, to name a few. On the one hand, we’d like to leave all of that at the entrance to the sanctuary, but it is not realistic to expect that of ourselves. So, if you are like me, we need help from all of the elements of worship named above to get us out of ourselves and into God and the glory we want to give him. That’s one of the reasons I loved the Hymn of the Month for June: Worthy of Worship. Thank you, Seth, for choosing it: Almighty Father, Master and Lord King of all kings and Redeemer Wonderful Counselor, Comforter, Friend Savior and Source of our life without end. Refrain: You are worthy Father Creator You are worthy Savior Sustainer You are worthy, worthy and wonderful Worthy of worship and praise. Of course, I’m confident you would agree God is worthy of worship not only when a community of believers decides to gather for worship, but at all times and in all places as we reflect on the greatness of God and His perfect love (see Colossians 3:16-17; Romans 12:1). But this article is about the people of God gathered to give glory and honor to the Only One deserving of such unrestrained praise. Spiritual and worship leaders: Thank you for all the effort and time you invest in helping the rest of us see God in all His greatness, and freeing us to explode with the joy of our salvation! | 
