Worship Beyond Sunday: Turning Our Faces Toward God

Sep 26, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Fragrance at His Feet, Treasure Laid Bare

Mary’s act of pouring costly oil on Jesus’ feet wasn’t just extravagant—it was vulnerable. She surrendered both her savings and her dignity, trusting that proximity to Christ mattered more than practicality or reputation. True worship requires laying down what we cling to most tightly: our resources, our image, and our need for control. Like Mary, we’re invited to bring our “alabaster jars” to Jesus, not withholding even what culture says we should protect. Worship flourishes when we stop calculating cost and start pouring out. [01:06:00]

“Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.”
(John 12:3, ESV)

Reflection: What “alabaster jar” have you been clutching—finances, reputation, or control—that Jesus is inviting you to pour out at His feet this week? How might surrendering this deepen your worship?

Day 2: Divine Appointments in Lunchbox Moments

God’s call to worship isn’t limited to stages or sanctuaries. It echoes in sandwich-making, toddler tantrums, and midnight feedings. AJ’s kitchen revelation reminds us that obedience in small things—done with love—becomes incense. Worship isn’t about scale but surrender, turning daily drudgery into devotion when offered to Christ. The God who notices sparrows sees your hidden service. [01:10:51]

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”
(Colossians 3:23-24, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you dismissed “small” acts of service as insignificant? How could viewing your daily tasks as offerings shift your perspective this week?

Day 3: Face-Turning in the Midst of Chaos

Surrender isn’t a one-time pose but a thousand daily turnings. Like David seeking God’s face, we realign through split-second choices: closing our eyes in traffic, whispering thanks over burnt toast, or choosing grace when irritation flares. The torn veil means we can meet God’s gaze even in chaos. True worship begins when we stop demanding mountaintop experiences and start turning our face toward Him in the mess. [01:14:28]

“You have said, ‘Seek my face.’ My heart says to you, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek.’”
(Psalm 27:8, ESV)

Reflection: What chaotic moment today could become an opportunity to turn your face toward Christ? What practical reminder could help you pause and seek His gaze?

Day 4: Worship When the Music Fades

Emotional highs aren’t the measure of true worship. AJ’s “stoic face” moments reveal that authentic praise rests on Christ’s finished work, not our fluctuating feelings. Like Elijah discovering God in the whisper, we learn to worship beyond sensory experiences. The throne room isn’t a place we enter—it’s a reality we carry. Presence isn’t manufactured; it’s acknowledged. [01:23:18]

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
(2 Corinthians 5:7, ESV)

Reflection: When has relying on feelings hindered your worship? What truth about God’s constant presence can you cling to when emotions feel dry?

Day 5: Secret Places in Screaming Rooms

Becca’s midnight worship—Bible on dark mode, screaming baby in arms—shatters the myth that intimacy requires isolation. The “secret place” is a posture, not a location. It’s leaning into the unglamorous moments where faith meets flesh. True worship happens when we stop waiting for perfect conditions and start encountering God in the inconvenient, sleep-deprived now. [01:20:06]

“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
(Matthew 6:6, ESV)

Reflection: Where in your hectic routine could you create a “secret place” posture this week? How might God meet you in the noise you’ve been avoiding?

Sermon Summary

Worship is far more than a Sunday morning moment, a song, or an emotional high. Mary of Bethany shows worship poured out at the feet of Jesus, laying down both treasure and dignity because Jesus is worth it. David shows worship that costs something, refusing to offer God what costs him nothing. Christ, however, remains the point of every expression, because Jesus is the prize, not the music, lights, or moment.

Worship takes shape in the ordinary places where God has positioned His children. The sandwich becomes a divine appointment when God says, “I asked you to do it.” Motherhood becomes worship when a tired parent holds a crying child, reads Scripture in the dark, and stays present. Grace removes the pressure to conjure up a spiritual moment, because constant union with the Father has already been secured through Christ.

The surrendered life does not mean flawless performance. The Father invites ordinary people, in ordinary jobs and frustrating moments, to return again by turning their face toward Him. God’s face and God’s presence become the place of realignment, even after a bad reaction, a hard day, or a moment of failure. Jesus tore the veil, so shame no longer has the final word and access to the Father is no longer reserved for the impressive.

Feelings cannot become the measure of worship. Christ remains present when emotions are flat, bodies are tired, and outward expressions look quiet or stoic. Elijah’s encounter reminds the heart that God is not only found in the big, loud, dramatic moments, but also in the still and quiet voice. Worship leaders and worshippers alike are called to ask whether God is being pleased and whether there has been obedience, rather than judging the room by appearances.

Corporate worship carries real weight because the gathered praise of God’s people lifts up Jesus together. God inhabits the praises of His people, and praise draws attention back to the One who has covered sin and opened the way to the throne room. The secret place is not merely a location or a formula, but a posture of turning toward a deeply personal God. The Father meets each person uniquely, patiently, kindly, and without the burden of performance.

Key Takeaways

1. Make the sandwich God assigned God’s call does not only arrive through big platforms or dramatic moments. The small task in front of a person can be the exact place God has appointed for love and obedience. Faithfulness becomes worship when it stops despising the ordinary. [70:51]
2. Turn your face toward God The surrendered life is often a continual return rather than one perfect achievement. God’s presence remains available in the middle of irritation, failure, and fatigue. The heart realigns by remembering that the Father’s face is open because Christ made the way. [75:43]
3. Jesus is the prize Emotional intensity cannot be the proof that worship is real. Christ remains present whether a person feels moved, distracted, tired, or quiet. The heart finds worship by beholding Jesus rather than chasing a particular atmosphere. [83:39]
4. Grace ends the performance pressure The cross means that no person brings a better sacrifice than the Son already gave. Obedience grows best from being loved, not from fearing rejection. The kindness of God turns repentance from panic into a response to a good Father. [96:33]
5. The secret place is a posture God does not hand every believer the same formula for closeness. The secret place can be a quiet room, a mountain run, a noisy nursery, or a workplace pause. Personal relationship means turning toward God in the life actually being lived.

## [99:19]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[65:17] - Worship as Surrender
[66:00] - Mary and David’s Costly Worship
[67:40] - Jesus Is the Focus of Worship
[69:36] - Make the Sandwich
[72:45] - Returning to the First Love
[78:32] - Worship in Tired and Ordinary Life
[81:56] - Worship Beyond Feelings
[85:12] - Success Means Obedience to God
[87:50] - Turning Back to God Daily
[91:04] - The Power of Corporate Worship
[95:28] - Grace Over Performance
[97:42] - The Secret Place as Posture
[101:50] - Invitation to Come Home to Jesus

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

1 Chronicles 21:24
“But King David said to Ornan, "No, but I will buy them for the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” [01:06:24]

John 12:3
“Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” [01:05:57]

1 Kings 19:11-12
“And he said, "Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.” [01:24:28]

Observation questions

In John 12:3, what actions does Mary take toward Jesus, and what does her response suggest about the value she places on Him? [01:06:00]
In 1 Chronicles 21:24, what does David refuse to do when he prepares to offer worship to God, and what does he choose instead? [01:06:37]
In 1 Kings 19:11–12, what dramatic events occur before Elijah recognizes where God is speaking?
What ordinary settings were described as places where worship can happen, and what made those moments worship rather than mere chores? [01:19:35]

Interpretation questions

Mary’s act in John 12:3 involved both costly perfume and public humility. What might her willingness to lay down treasure and dignity reveal about what Jesus meant to her? [01:06:12]
David refused to give God an offering that cost him nothing. Does costly worship always mean giving money or possessions, or can it include time, comfort, attention, forgiveness, or obedience? What might each look like in everyday life? [01:06:37]
Elijah looked for God in powerful and dramatic events, yet God met him differently. Why can people be tempted to measure God’s nearness by strong feelings, music, or visible responses? [01:24:28]
Because Jesus has opened access to the Father, how should a believer understand repentance after failure—not as hiding in shame, but as turning again toward God? [01:15:43]

Application questions

What is one “sandwich” in front of you right now—a small responsibility, repeated task, or unseen act of care—that you have been tempted to despise? How might doing it unto God change the way you approach it this week? [01:11:10]
When do you most often feel the gap between public worship and ordinary life—at work, in parenting, in traffic, in conflict, or when exhausted? What could it look like to turn your face toward God in that specific setting? [01:30:19]
Think of a recent moment when you reacted poorly or felt like you had failed. What messages of shame or performance pressure showed up, and how does Jesus’ finished work invite you to return to the Father instead? [01:29:20]
Do you tend to judge your worship by how emotional, energetic, or outwardly expressive you feel? What would help you keep Jesus as the prize when your emotions are flat or your body is tired? [01:23:26]
What helps your heart become quiet before God, even when your surroundings are noisy or demanding? Consider a simple practice that fits your actual life rather than someone else’s routine. [01:24:54]
How can the group encourage one another to see corporate worship as more than a personal experience—an opportunity to lift up Jesus together and remember the access to God that Christ has secured? [01:32:30]

Sermon Clips

50s

#WorshipInEverydayLife

“yeah. Yeah. You just that is worship. Yeah. Cool. Well, can I encourage you and encourage the room? Because, you know, the beautiful thing about grace is this thing of constant union. You know, we're in constant union with the father. eternally as close as I will ever be to God. And so it doesn't look like striving. It doesn't look like, oh, I have to do this. I have to get into my quiet time and tick the boxes. It looks like I'm as close to God now as I'll ever be. And so worship is my life unto God. In the mundane moments, the Monday morning, the Tuesday morning, the 2AM, when it's unto God is worshipped.”

39s

#LovedNotFearful

“the sin thing. Right? Before I understood how good the father was, I thought, I don't wanna sin because God will be angry with me. And now I feel I don't wanna sin because I wanna please my father because he loves me. See the complete flip there? One is from a place of fear. The other one is from a place of knowing that I'm loved.”

33s

#JesusIsThePrize

“I love church and this is a this is beautiful, but we at Harmony have said his presence is our priority. Right? Jesus is the prize, not the fancy worship, the bright lights, the teleprompter. Jesus is the prize. Look at me. As Aaron was saying before, look at my face. When you behold something as magnificent as Christ, your emotions will get in line.”

40s

#SurrenderedWorship

“surrendered life, that doing it every day thing where most of us, we're pretty ordinary. I'm very ordinary. I've got a very ordinary job. I go and do the stuff I do. That surrendered thing is all about, for me, noticing the moments where he is inviting me to turn my face towards him. And when when I turn my face towards him, can't respond any other way than to feel worship for him.”

56s

#ShameCovered

“Because worship is well, for me, worship is a response to him, like, because he is so good. He's so kind. He's so loving. Jesus died to cover my shame, my sin. So when I look at his face, I've got parts of me that are like, oh, Aaron, you did that. You were such an egg. You shouldn't have done that. And all these judgy parts that wanna give me a bit of a a butt kicking. But if I put those if I remind the parts of me that want to judge me that, actually, Jesus died so that so that that my shame could be covered, so that I don't have to carry any of that stuff.”

47s

#WorshipThroughObedience

“then we have to remind ourselves that it's not what it's about. It's not who it's for. It's for God. And we're not doing it to feel something. We're not doing it so that he'll speak to us even though sometimes he will, and that's awesome. But it is to give worship to him. It's it's not for us. It's not for you guys to be like, oh, okay. Great. They really liked that. It's it's for him. Is it pleasing to him? Yeah. But also where is yeah. So we talk about where is God leading us, and where we obedient. And I think that's what worship is all about is is being obedient to him, when we don't feel it or when we do.”

64s

#FindTheQuiet

“Learn to look at his face. Learn to realize that he is the prize. Don't get sidetracked by the emotional flurry of the of the the crescendos and the quiet moments. Look for Jesus. Where is he? He's in the still. In the quiet. Elijah had to be realigned back to the still and quiet. He was on the mountain top that afternoon, and God pulled him off that massive encounter where fire was falling down from heaven, and he took him to a cave. And Elijah was looking for him and all the big ones, the wind, the earthquake, and the other one, whatever it was. And he was realigned to the still and quiet voice. That's where God is. Find that quiet place. And a quiet place is not a literal quiet place. It's a quiet place. Do you understand? It's in here exactly what Bex was saying. She was in a loud room, but her heart was quiet before the lord.”

40s

#TurnYourFaceToGod

“And and so he's giving us this idea of and so I looked at what the face of god means, and, that word face and the word presence can be translated very similarly. So we're seeking the presence of god. But I love this idea that at any moment during the day, I can return to him because all it is is, once again, turning my face towards him. So you can have a crappy ass moment. Someone can cut you off. You can, like, get in and say, cat or whatever. You have a you have a, you know, a moment where you don't do great parenting. You know, we we miss the mark because we aren't perfect.”

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