"Passionate Worship"

Some thoughts from this weeks sermon {9/6} and some that were not in it.
Text: Psalm 84
Pages quoted from: Bishop Robert Schnase’s book “Five Practices of a Fruitful Congregation”,

“Worship describes those times we gather deliberately seeking an encounter with God in Christ. We cultivate our relationship with God and with one another as the people of God. God uses worship to transform lives, heal wounded souls, renew hope, shape decisions, provoke change, inspire compassion, and bind people to one another. Through worship, God actively seeks a relationship with us, pardons sins, restores relationships, and changes lives.” p .33-34
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“Passionate describes an intense desire, an ardent spirit, strong feelings, and the sense of heightened importance. Passionate speaks of a connection that goes beyond intellectual consent. It connotes eagerness, anticipation, expectancy, deep commitment, and belief.” (p.37)
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“Passionate Worship means worship that connects people to God, worship that people enter into with expectancy, and with the anticipation that God desires to speak to them and connect to them. Whether traditional, blended, or contemporary, Passionate Worship is authentic, connecting, and sustaining.” (p.)
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Passionate worship implies worship that is: engaging, transforming, healing, and that sends us forth in service to God.
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Joel LeMon reflecting on Psalm 84:3 -- "With a striking juxtaposition of images, he recalls delicate swallows finding shelter for their chicks near the altars of Yahweh, where the very fire of God consumes sacrifices. Even these tiny creatures receive Yahweh's protection and blessing."
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Bishop Schnase writes, “The regular practice of Passionate Worship gives people an interpretive lens through which to view the world, helping them see events, relationships and issues through God’s eyes. Among the competing interpretive consumerism, intense nationalism, political partisanship, hopeless negativism, or naïve optimism, worship helps people perceive themselves, their world, their relationships, and their responsibilities in ways that INCLUDE GOD’S REVELATION IN CHRIST.”
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Quote of John Wesley’s that talks about “passion”:
“catch on fire with enthusiasm,” he said, “and people will come for miles to watch you burn.”
What do you ‘burn’ for?
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“Worship is the encounter we have with God and the consequences that result from that encounter. When we worship passionately, we see God and understand who God is differently than we ever have before. We open ourselves up to God, discovering in the process that God is opening us. We allow ourselves to be open, and we see differently. We see the world and the needs of the world differently. We see the needs of our neighbors differently. We see those who are in our community but who are not our immediate neighbors differently. We see those who are different differently. We don’t see race or gender or age.
“When we see differently, we worship passionately; and it stirs our very souls. We encounter God and come to know how much God loves us. And we wait to see what God is going to do in our lives.” From sermon by: Gary D. Bullock, “Seeing With New Eyes” - New Covenant United Methodist Church, The Villages, Florida
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‘Passionate worship is truly experiencing God and God’s love-- to know it, to feel it, and to do something because of it!'
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Another good Scripture passage to read on worship is Isaiah 6: 1-8. This is the basis and format of [all] worship services. Praise, Confession, Proclamation, Response. Read it through and see the various components and reflect on how you can live this out in your life.