Overflowing Worship

When it comes to DIY, I tend to be a bit more DI-why? There are two DIY jobs that I avoid at all costs (actually, if you speak to Alison she may point you to more than that) because of the increased capacity for disaster they hold. Electrical and plumbing jobs fill my heart with dread. I fear what would happen if, in the process off working on a plumbing project on our first floor bathroom, a leak occurred. I doubt that the consequences of such a leak would be a water feature downstairs that would add value to our property. there is something about such an overflow which makes me nervous.

Also, I had the experience the other day of running the bath for the kids and coming back downstairs to shepherd them upstairs for bath and bed. In the process I got sidetracked by another job... until- the bath! The sprint upstairs averted disaster- but you can be sure that I wanted to act quickly to prevent an overflow of any sort.

We touched on this over the past couple of Sundays, as we have looked at the example of Stephen, what does overflow look like in our worship of God? Acts 6: 15 says that 'all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.' Elsewhere we find other references to an abundance of thanksgiving and joy which is demonstrated outwardly and tangibly.

2 Corinthians 9: 12 says of the tangible testimony to God grace in the Corinthian church that, 'the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.' Surely a chief mark of a deeper grasp of the grace of God is a directing of gratitude to God. We should be careful in case our resounding requests are followed by tepid thanks. Thanksgiving should be expressed in testimony- 'hear what the Lord has done for me.'

In a similar vein, Psalm 45: 1 says, 'My heart overflows with a pleasing theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.' This is the Spirit and truth worship of Jesus that John 4:24 speaks about and which we use as the basis of our worship pillar here at Harvest Glasgow. Overflowing means not over-thinking (we're not up for mindless worship but nor should we be satisfied with mind-numbing worship), it is found in a readiness to sing, speak and state the greatness of the king.

It is that if our worship is an overflow of what God is doing in our hearts - where does it appear? If our hearts are filled where does the overflow demonstrate itself? Often we find it comfortable and safe and our church culture too often finds the idea of being demonstrative disastrous. We are so concerned with what other people might think about us that we miss the opportunity to express as fully as we are able all that we think about God. We make ourselves like sane people in straight jackets - we are so nervous that we might do something crazy in worship of Jesus that we tie ourselves in knots. We get like my DIY-phobia and get too nervous to do anything, or act quickly to prevent any kind of overflow. The thing is that our definition of crazy is some way removed from what the Bible calls as out of bounds. Consider these instructions from God's Word as you think about how we worship who we worship:

1 Timothy 2: 8 'I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling.' I read someone on Twitter recently who said that whether it is bank robbers, police officers or worship leaders- when they ask you to lift your hands, it is a good idea to do it. God's Word say it is desirable that as we engage with God in prayer (and I don't think it is a jump as seeing this as relevant to worship too) to have our hands raised in acknowledgement of who He is and surrender to how He is at work in us.

Psalm 47 is worth checking out as an exhortation to worship in general, but here is a taster from verses 1-2. 'Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth.' This doesn't sound too optional to me, and when God's Word says all it doesn't generally mean some (and by generally I mean EVER). Why not clap your hands? God's Word instructs it. But I don't have a sense of rhythm- do you think God cares about that? He wants your overflow- sold out, sung out, standing up towards Him and for Him.

And in case you didn't know you are already playing catch up on this. Isaiah 55: 12 says 'For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.' Here's a hint- Don't get shown up by the plants.

Ultimately this is a call to a level of self-forgetfulness in worship, forged in thankfulness and rooted in Biblical faithfulness. It is a call to not allow our response to all that God is and all that He has done to be hindered or hampered by pride or defined and derailed by culture. It is a call to bear clearly in mind the directions that we receive for worship so as to demonstrate the freedom we have in and through Jesus to worship - it is a call to worship according to God's Word. As such, we should not be nervous about making too much of Him- because it simply isn't possible to make too much of Him.