Act Accordingly

This post was taken from Doug Wilson.

Worship is not to be thought of primarily as an experience, after which we can say that we felt worshipful. Rather, worship is an act, after which we can say, or not, that we were obedient.

When experience is sought after in worship, we destroy the very thing we mistakenly exalt. When obedience is rendered in worship, we do have an experience -- the experience of obeying.

When you shoot at a target, you look at it afterwards to see if you hit it. If after a worship service, you look at your heart to see if you "hit it," you are aiming, shooting, and checking in almost complete covenant confusion.

But this does not mean that you should receive nothing from the worship, or that you should try to worship like a Stoic. Much of what passes for Reformed "God-centered" worship is actually nothing more than a proud stoicism. This pride says, "I come to give glory to God, and not to receive. I expect to be promoted to the ranks of the seraphim any day now."

No. Worship is a service in which actions are exchanged -- God calls us, we come, we confess, He forgives, He teaches, we listen, He invites, we sit down and eat, He blesses, and we go forth. Should we feel good about this? Of course. Is feeling good the point? Of course not. Glad obedience to the Word is the point.