Learning to worship

I used to be someone who went to worship to “fill up” spiritually for the week ahead. I wanted to have something to carry with me; wisdom from the sermon, a particular hymn, a prayer, something to guide me. My focus, sadly, was on myself—what I got out of worship. I worshiped to receive.

My experience of worship has changed over the years. Now it is not so much what I take away (although I take away plenty). Now for me worship is more about participation and being in God’s presence. I don’t mean that I was never in God’s presence before, of course I was. But my experience has tipped and shifted gradually over the years.

It occurs to me that, if I could watch myself during worship these days, I might appear sad or pensive or lost in thought. That is a good thing. Worship is the place where I can be who I am and put my public face away—for a bit. I bring myself, my real self, into God’s presence. That real self confesses and praises. That real self sings and prays.