Yesterday morning as my son and I went for a run we chatted about, amongst other things, how he was experiencing worship. My son (16) is a good kid; he was baptized about 18 months ago, he does brilliantly reading his Bible, but I’ve noticed that in worship it all seems a bit meh. So I asked him, is he getting stuck?

After some while thinking about it he simply said, ‘I don’t usually feel it/anything.’ It all gets stuck there, there’s no emotional lift-off for him. Nothing happens to him and so nothing comes from him. Our services are mostly just two things: singing & a sermon. It would be a shame if half of what he does on a Sunday never connects with him.

My response came in three parts. I offered him some thoughts with an open-hand. He’s old enough to resist imposition or being treated like a kid. He needs the freedom to consider, test and work it out for himself.

1. Respond to truth not feeling
2. Action your response but don’t get stuck in it
3. You’ll get more out than you put in but you have to put in something

Respond to truth not feeling

This is the most important piece. We respond, first, to truth. We may respond with feeling. The truth & the response may produce feeling. When someone tells me they love me, I feel loved. But it is the statement of truth that I am responding to.

‘And as he stands in victory, sin’s curse has lost its grip on me’,
‘No guilt in life, no fear in death’,
‘Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven’
‘Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me’
‘The cross has spoken, I am forgiven, The King of kings calls me His own’.

Good theology and good music is supposed to evoke a response. It is an invitation to step closer to God, to open your heart in appropriate ways, to worship.

Action your response but don’t get stuck in it

Spot a truth and respond. Belt it out – that’s a good response. Lift your hands, that’s a good response. Fall to your knees, that’s a good response. Just standing there with your hands in your pockets is not.

But if you’re kneeling you can get up again. If you hands go up, you don’t have to keep them up. If you’re belting out the song, you don’t have to lose your voice every week. Respond to the truth, take a step and then just do the next thing.

You’ll get more out than you put in but you have to put in something

I believe that God more than repays those who fully and freely worship Him. The ability to enjoy worshipping the Saviour, is itself a means of strengthening. When Christ is glorified in our minds, hearts and bodies, when we bring ourselves fully into the act of praising our redeemer you won’t end up regretting it. You’ll enjoy it, it will do you much good.

He will not force anyone to worship Him because that is somewhat self-defeating. Worship not freely given is not worship. So while we will invariably get more out of worship than we put it, because God loves to multiply, we do have to put something in. It does require some effort, some level of engagement.

Let’s see how it goes.