Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire. – Hebrews 12:28-29
For many Christians, this powerful statement about worshiping God brings fear. It is not because of a lack of desire to worship, nor is it a lack of trying; it is fear caused by falling short in the reverential attitude one should have in approaching the throne of God. A flitting, easily distracted mind is the enemy of the one who truly wants to worship God, so the faithful pray for God’s grace and mercy in these times of unintended failure. They also work even harder to remember the great blessing of worship as they attempt to harness their focus and attention on God.
Public worship is a time (or at least should be) of joy and enthusiasm as fellow saints join in praise to God. It is also a time to remember to love one’s neighbor and practice the golden rule. Since most Christians would admit to the challenge of staying focused, worshipers should consider one another and do everything possible to promote a reverential spirit in this time together. Every worshiper should seek to refrain from unspoken words that distract others. In this vein, consider the following ways of helping fellow worshipers.
Getting Up and Going Out during a period of worship is sometimes a necessity. However, it is important to realize the impact this has on fellow worshipers; at least momentarily, concentration is broken for all those within eyeshot. This is especially the case during preaching or teaching; the speaker’s words will be lost during the time of distraction. While health emergencies often do not give warning, most traffic during worship could be minimized or avoided. It is especially important for parents to teach this to their children. When a child grows up with the knowledge that leaving a period of worship is an exception rather than the rule, a helpful quality is instilled.
Crying Babies are a wonderful sound in an assembly. While no one is happy the baby is upset or that a frazzled mother or father is having to deal with a discontent tot, it is the sound of life. It echoes the potential that another generation is being raised to serve the Lord. However, there are times when parents will have to leave the assembly; sometimes a baby simply cannot be contented otherwise. Parents should always be aware of this and not allow prolonged crying. Fellow worshipers should also exercise great patience and sympathy for parents. This includes allowing parents with babies or young children to sit where it is easy to make a quick departure.
Electronic Devices are now a way of life. More and more Christians are choosing to use Bibles on a phone or iPad instead of traditional paper copies. This poses both blessing and problem. Those who opt for electronics must exercise self-control and not become distracted by incoming texts or emails. They must also resist the urge to “research” a topic while a teacher or preacher is presenting. This is a significant challenge for younger worshipers and parents should be aware of this. It might be a good family practice to simply declare public worship a “no electronics zone.” With parents setting the example of using paper Bibles, their children can follow and be freed from the temptation to use devices for other reasons.
Talking is of obvious importance in communicating with one another and sometimes is needed during the assembly. This might be a spouse asking for a cough drop, a parent correcting a child, or a message delivered to someone leading worship. Though there are good reasons, talking should be primarily reserved to speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Again, parents play an important role in this. Attention span in children is in the development stage and needs loving guidance. Parents should work to discourage their children from talking during the assembly and discuss how quiet attention shows respect.
Sleeping is often something that becomes more elusive the older we grow. The still, solemn, and quiet atmosphere of public worship may pose a significant challenge if the previous night yielded little sleep. Still, there is a message conveyed by nodding off during worship or the preaching or teaching of God’s word. To fellow participants, it can indicate a lack of seriousness for the matters at hand. While sometimes it cannot be helped, every worshiper should try to be well rested, with the mental focus to join in praise and study.
There are times when every worshiper will face the challenges described above or others that could have been included. In these times, patience and grace should be extended by other participants. However, every worshiper should approach times of public assembly with the goal of reverential awe-filled worship. When all are committed to this, worship will glorify God.
