Trip to Regina

It’s been quite a week. I went to Regina on Saturday to preach at the Apostolic Church. They have three services – one on Saturday night and two on Sunday morning. The Saturday night service is crafted for a younger crowd. By young I mean that I have neck ties in my closet that are older than most of the people at the service. And the music was a little louder than I am used to. The church is situated across the street from a cemetery. Had the music been any louder some of the permanent residents may have sought alternate accommodations.

The first service on Sunday began at 9:00 AM and carries the moniker “Classic Worship” which means that some of the songs have been around so long that Martin Luther may have complained about them being old and out of date. At 11:00 the contemporary service began. Now this was more in my comfort zone. Pastor Chris led the worship team and I got tired just looking at him. What an amazing amount of energy!

Three worship services and three entirely different styles of worship. Which one was the right one and which were wrong? And what exactly is the purpose of worship services anyway? I’ve spent some time thinking about those questions. It’s the sort of thing you think about after the varied worship events I had experienced.

One of the conclusions that I arrived at was that worship is not really about me. It’s not about what kind of music I like and the volume that I find comfortable. In fact the question we often ask our fellow worshipers is probably off target – “So what did you think of the worship service?” The real question is not about my opinions; it’s about whether or not the people in attendance connected with God. In each of the three services I believe there were people who came face to face with the God who created us and who has offered us redemption.

So if I go to a worship service and don’t experience God’s presence, why exactly is that? I have discovered it has a lot to do with my expectations. Did I expect to encounter God or was I daring the worship leaders to engage me in an event that captured my emotions. The reality is that whatever expectations I bring in to a worship will be realized. When I expect to encounter God I will, and when I don’t I won’t.

So, in each of the three services there were people who encountered God and those who didn’t. I chose to expect God to show up and He did, in all three services.

Now for the really big question – how does my friend Pastor Rick do this every weekend and not turn into a raving schizophrenic?