" A Word from Your Pastor...
'They that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth' (John 4:24). This is what Jesus said to the woman at the well in regard to her question of where to worship. It seems so easy to get caught up in that kind of thinking. The question, 'Where do you worship?' is much more common than, 'Do you worship?' In fact, most people could answer the first question; but to the second, they would more than likely say, 'What do you mean?'
Jesus showed us that a spiritual dawn had occurred, the hour had come when true worshipers would worship Him with their whole hearts.
More than anything else, we know that our life as a congregation is built on the worship of God. Jesus has made it a dynamic and living part of this church! Yet we know that He will continue to make worship fresh and meaningful in our lives.
The word for worship in the verse referred to is proskuneo, 'to prostrate oneself in homage'. From this, we see that worship involves a total response on our part, a response of spirit, soul, and body. As we worship the Lord, we do so according to the scriptural responses which are given in the Bible.
Lifting Hands - 'Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord' (Psalm 134:2)
Speaking Praise - 'O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of His praise be heard' (Psalm 66:8)
Singing Hymns - 'Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord' (Ephesians 5:19)
Clapping Hands - 'O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph' (Psalm 47:1)
Speaking Amen - 'And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, "Amen, amen," with lifting up their hands; and they bowed their heads and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground' (Nehemiah 8:6)
As you study the Word, you will find more responses which follow the same pattern of being scriptural expressions of worship. Isaiah 54:1-3 speaks clearly of singing being the instrument through which barren places in our lives become healthy and fruit bearing.
We encourage you to pray this way: 'Father, teach me to worship you meaningfully. I open my heart to Your Spirit and set my will to adore Your Name.'
Ron Mehl"