We’ve been talking this summer about what “worship is…,” to borrow an idea from Charles Schulz. This is week seven and you can catch up on the series here.
Worship is freedom.
I’m going to stretch a little here and talk briefly about the relationship of freedom and worship, or rather, the place where freedom (from sin) and worship intersect.
Galatians 5:1
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Paul, in reference to being bound again to keeping the Old Testament law, told the Galatians not to submit again to a yoke of slavery. We are not slaves, but free in Christ – and that is the purpose for which he set us free.
In Romans 6:16, we find Paul telling us that as we submit to sin, we are its slave.
Romans 6:16
16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
And Jesus, in John 8:31-34 said that we are slave to the sin that we practice.
John 8:31-34
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” 34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.
So how does this pertain to worship?
Worship, private or corporate, is a place where we have opportunity to submit ourselves to God and His righteousness. Every day. Every week. We have the opportunity to say to the world and to the devil, and perhaps to ourselves, that we are going to choose freedom in righteousness. To submit ourselves to sin is to determine to be slaves again to that sin, which leads to death. We, however, are going to do things God’s way because we know that He is good and His way leads to life.
Worship brings freedom and freedom brings worship.
God is working to set captives free and worship is a place where that frequently happens. So as we come to worship this week (and all the other weeks), let’s take every opportunity to speak truth over our own lives as we declare Christ’s freedom together through our songs, hymns, creeds and prayers with our hearts full of faith in a very big God.
Jeremy Buzzard, Director of Music Ministries
Check out the songs we’ll be singing in Contemporary Worship (11:15am) this week: