Over the years, my concept of what worship in a church looks like has changed. I grew up in a time where contemporary Christian music and praise bands were becoming more popular. But through that transition, the atmosphere began to change. Churches began dimming the lights, and we were encouraged to tune out those around us and focus on God.
When I started out as the music director, I approached worship the same way. I tried to tune everyone out, and really focus on the words I was singing, seeking a deep and meaningful time of worship. And, of course, none of that was wrong, exactly, but I was missing out on an essential part of corporate worship. I wasn’t there to be alone but to worship alongside my church family.
In the book Corporate Worship by Matt Merker, he gives a great analogy for this concept as he describes dinner time with his family.
“Who we are as a family shapes what we do. Then what we do when we gather around the family table shapes who we are. Our meal flows from and reinforces our family identity.
It’s different when I eat dinner alone. If the rest of my family is sick or away on a trip, I can consume the same nutrients while watching television and listening to heavy metal. There are fewer dishes and spilled peas to clean up. But – and it’s an important “but” – I don’t come away with the same wonderful afterglow. The meal may feed my belly, but it doesn’t bind me to the people I love most.
Worshiping God together as a church is like a family dinner. Christians are called to offer God our whole individual lives as worshipful sacrifices. But when we gather as a congregation, something unique happens: we enjoy Christ, exalt God, and edify one another together as his covenant people.”
I have come to realize that knowing your church family is a key part to corporate worship: investing in their lives, sharing in their struggles, and praying for them. Then, as you praise the Lord for his faithfulness in your own life, you are also able to praise him for his faithfulness in their lives as well.
~~ Leslie Hoyle