Worship Bible Study Intro.

I am attempting to write a Bible study about worship for our band to use in our journey group. We have a very limited amount of time to spend together at practice, so traditional 2 hour small group curriculum is not going to work for us. Basically, I am studying worship, and then blogging about it. We can then discuss it as a band and encourage one another to grow in God's Word and in our walk as musicians and worshipers. I have made the commitment to get out of bed 30 minutes early every morning to have time to write. The problem is that I need so much more time. As I begin to study and write, the words become like fire in my mind. They burn with an urgency to be released in writing. Please pray that I will be able to finish what I've started. I do not have to ever be officially published, it does not have to be the best thing ever, but I want it to be exactly what our band needs in this moment of our lives to help us to more effectively lead people into God's presence.

This morning I wrote my introduction. Or at least the rough draft. I will try to post some of the other stuff as I go, so that I have a way of being accountable that I am truly spending time writing.

Introduction:

What is worship? Defining worship is like trying to hold water in your hands. About the time you think you have a definitive grasp on it, it slips through your fingers. When we talk about worship, we are usually referencing our latest and greatest musical moments. Especially as musicians, we tend to equate worship with great songs that make us feel warm and fuzzy. While music does lead us into God’s presence and help us to shift our focus from ourselves to God, it is not a synonym for worship.

I have launched a quest to discover what worship is according to the Bible. In that journey, I have been amazed to discover that everything in our lives, everything around us, every circumstance that occurs, is part of creating in us a hunger for our God. Our sole purpose in the afterlife will be to worship God continually day and night. As a child, I pictured that as floating around on fluffy clouds strumming my harp and singing. What I am discovering is that worship is much, much more than I had ever imagined.

We will walk through some of the characteristics of worship in the next 10 weeks. I have a strong feeling that this is only the beginning of my study of worship. The more I study and investigate what the Bible says about worship, the more I am certain that 10 weeks will not adequately define or comprehensively explain worship. However, I am excited to be on this journey and look forward to seeing how my eyes are opened and my life is changed.

LaRissa