Worship is not a strange or outdated ritual, but a deeply human response to the longing for meaning, significance, and satisfaction that is hardwired into every one of us. Everyone worships something—whether it’s career, family, success, or even our own ideals. Yet, when we place the full weight of our identity and hope on anything less than God, those things inevitably crumble under the pressure, leaving us disappointed and searching for more. The Christian claim is that we were made for a relationship with our Creator, and that only God is able to bear the full weight of our worship. He alone is worthy, not because He demands it out of fear, but because He has already shown us steadfast love and forgiveness.

True worship is not about groveling before a distant deity, but about responding in awe, gratitude, and love to the God who has rescued us. Just as someone instinctively cries out in thanks after being saved from disaster, so our worship should overflow from the realization that Jesus has caught us when we were falling, offering forgiveness and new life. This is not just a Sunday activity, but a way of life. The Hebrew word for “work” and “worship” is the same, reminding us that every part of our lives—our jobs, our parenting, our daily routines—can become acts of worship when offered to God.

Singing together in church is not an arbitrary tradition, but a powerful, God-designed way to express our love and gratitude. Music uniquely engages our whole being—mind, heart, and body—and helps us remember God’s faithfulness, especially in times of sorrow or struggle. When we sing, we not only build up our own faith, but we encourage those around us, showing them what it looks like to trust God in every season. Most importantly, our worship in song is for God Himself. He is not after our performance, but our hearts. Just as He sings over us with love, He invites us to bring Him our love songs—not out of obligation, but as a free and joyful gift.

Ultimately, worship is the most natural thing in the world, and yet, uniquely, we are given the choice to offer it. All creation declares God’s glory, but only we can choose to bless His heart with our love. The invitation is to move beyond going through the motions and to bring God something real—an offering of love, gratitude, and joy that delights Him.

---

**Key Takeaways**

- **Everyone Worships Something**
Worship is not exclusive to religious people; it is a universal human impulse. We all center our lives around something we hope will give us meaning, but only God can truly satisfy the deepest longings of our hearts. When we worship created things, they eventually fail us, but God alone is able to bear the weight of our hopes and identity. [24:06]

- **Worship Flows from Rescue, Not Obligation**
True worship is a spontaneous response to being saved, not a forced duty. Just as gratitude pours out naturally when someone saves our life, so our praise should overflow from the realization that Jesus has rescued us from spiritual ruin. This gratitude is not rooted in fear, but in awe of God’s steadfast love and forgiveness. [30:29]

- **Worship is a Way of Life, Not Just a Song**
The biblical vision of worship encompasses all of life, not just what happens on Sundays. The same word in Hebrew for “work” and “worship” reminds us that every task, no matter how mundane, can be an act of worship when done for God. This breaks down the false divide between sacred and secular, infusing every moment with purpose and possibility. [33:10]

- **Singing Builds Up Both the Individual and the Church**
Singing praise to God is a powerful spiritual discipline that shapes our hearts and strengthens our faith, especially in times of sorrow or struggle. When we sing together, we also encourage and bless others, making visible the reality of God’s work in our lives. Our vulnerability in worship can be a profound encouragement to those around us, reminding them that God is worthy in every season. [38:32]

- **God Desires Our Hearts, Not Just Our Songs**
God is not interested in empty rituals or mere performance; He longs for our genuine love and devotion. Just as He sings over us with joy, He invites us to bring Him our love songs—not out of fear or obligation, but as a free and joyful gift. Our worship has the unique power to move God’s heart, and we alone have the choice to offer it. [45:04]

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**Youtube Chapters**

[00:00] - Welcome
[22:17] - Feeling Like an Outsider: Baseball and Church
[24:06] - The Universal Human Need to Worship
[25:42] - The Futility of Worshiping Created Things
[27:10] - What Does It Mean to Fear God?
[29:00] - Awe, Not Terror: The Heart of Worship
[30:29] - A Story of Rescue: Vince’s Fall and God’s Grace
[33:10] - Worship as a Way of Life
[35:14] - Why Singing Matters: The Power of Music
[37:08] - Worship in Sorrow: Songs in the Darkest Times
[38:32] - Vulnerability and Community in Worship
[41:09] - The Blessing of Corporate Worship
[43:00] - Worship is for God Alone
[45:04] - God Sings Over Us: The Invitation to Love
[46:37] - The Unique Power of Human Worship
[47:32] - An Invitation to Respond

**Bible Study Discussion Guide: Worship—A Way of Life**

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### Bible Reading

- **Ephesians 5:19-20**
"Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

- **Psalm 147:11**
"The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love."

- **Zephaniah 3:17**
"The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing."

---

### Observation Questions

1. In Ephesians 5:19-20, what are believers instructed to do with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs? What attitude should accompany their singing?
2. According to Psalm 147:11, what kind of “fear” does the Lord take pleasure in, and how is it connected to hope and love?
3. In Zephaniah 3:17, what is God’s attitude toward his people, and how does he express it?
4. The sermon described how everyone worships something, even if it’s not God. What are some examples given of things people might worship instead? [[24:06]]

---

### Interpretation Questions

1. The sermon says that worship is a natural human impulse, but that only God can truly bear the weight of our worship. Why do other things “crumble” when we put our hope in them? [[25:42]]
2. The story of Vince’s rescue in Yosemite was used as a picture of worship flowing from being saved. How does this story help us understand the difference between worship out of obligation and worship out of gratitude? [[30:29]]
3. The Hebrew word “avodah” means both “work” and “worship.” What does this suggest about how God views our everyday activities? [[33:10]]
4. The sermon mentions that God sings over us (Zephaniah 3:17). What does it mean that God desires our hearts, not just our songs? [[45:04]]

---

### Application Questions

1. The sermon said, “Nobody gets out of life without worshiping something.” What is something in your life that you are tempted to put at the center instead of God? How can you shift your focus this week? [[24:06]]
2. Think about a time when you felt rescued or helped by God. Did gratitude and praise come naturally, or did you feel like you had to force it? How can you remind yourself of God’s rescue in your daily life? [[30:29]]
3. The idea that “work is worship” can change how we see our daily routines. What is one ordinary task you do this week that you could intentionally offer to God as worship? [[33:10]]
4. The sermon talked about singing together as a way to encourage others and build up the church. Is there a time when someone else’s worship encouraged you? How can your own vulnerability in worship help others? [[38:32]]
5. God is not after our performance, but our hearts. Are there ways you sometimes “go through the motions” in worship? What would it look like to bring God something real and heartfelt this week? [[45:04]]
6. The sermon said that only humans have the choice to worship God. What does it mean to you that your worship can actually “bless God’s heart”? How does that change your approach to worship? [[46:37]]
7. If you’re still figuring out what you believe, what would it look like to honestly ask God to show you his heart? If you are a Christian, what is one way you can make your worship more intentional and less routine this week? [[47:32]]

---

**Closing Prayer Suggestion:**
“Worthy God, we are here to worship you. Above all else, we want to bring you joy. Put a new song in our hearts this week, one that truly blesses your heart. We love you, Jesus. Amen.”

Day 1: To Live Is to Worship—Everyone Worships Something
Every human heart is wired for worship. Whether or not we realize it, we all center our lives around something or someone, seeking meaning, significance, and satisfaction. Often, we start with good things—our careers, families, or passions—but when we place the full weight of our identity and hope on them, they inevitably crumble under the pressure. The truth is, we cannot escape worship; the only choice we have is what or whom we worship.
When we worship anything less than God, it ultimately leaves us empty and disappointed. But when we recognize that our deepest desires were placed in us by a Creator who alone can bear the weight of our worship, we find the One who truly satisfies. Worship is not a strange or outdated practice; it is the most natural response to the One who is worthy and able to hold our lives together.
[25:42]

Romans 1:25
“They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.”

Reflection: What is one thing in your life that you tend to center your identity or hope around besides God? How might you begin to shift your focus back to worshiping the Creator rather than created things today?


Day 2: Worship Is Our Response to God’s Rescue
True worship flows from a heart that has been rescued. Just as someone instinctively cries out in gratitude after being saved from danger, so our praise to God should be the natural overflow of realizing what He has done for us in Christ. We were all on the brink, unable to save ourselves, but Jesus caught us—bearing the burden of our lives on the cross.
Worship is not about fear or obligation, but about awe and thanksgiving for the steadfast love and forgiveness God has shown us. When we put our hope in Him, He will not let us down. To worship God is to truly live, responding with joy and gratitude for the rescue we have received.
[30:29]

Psalm 130:3-4
“If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.”

Reflection: Think back to a time when you experienced God’s rescue or forgiveness. How can you let your worship today reflect the gratitude and awe of someone who has been saved?


Day 3: Worship Is a Way of Life, Not Just a Song
Worship is not confined to Sunday mornings or the songs we sing. In the biblical vision, all of life—our work, our daily routines, our relationships—can become acts of worship when offered to God. The Hebrew word “avodah” means both work and worship, reminding us that there is no divide between the sacred and the secular.
This means that every task, no matter how ordinary, can be filled with meaning and purpose when done with a heart open to God. When we live with this awareness, our entire lives become a testimony to God’s presence and goodness, and we invite Him into every moment.
[33:44]

Colossians 3:17
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Reflection: What is one ordinary task you will do today? How can you intentionally offer it to God as an act of worship, inviting Him into that moment?


Day 4: Worship in Song Builds Up the Church and Ourselves
Singing together is not just a tradition—it is a powerful way God has given us to express our love for Him and to encourage one another. Music uniquely engages our hearts, minds, and memories, helping us to remember God’s faithfulness and to process both joy and sorrow.
When we sing with others, we bless the whole church, showing what worship looks like in every season of life. Our vulnerability and authenticity in worship can encourage those around us, reminding them that God is worthy and present in every circumstance. By withholding ourselves, we withhold a blessing from others; by joining in, we build up the body of Christ.
[41:09]

Ephesians 5:19-20
“Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Reflection: Is there a way you can encourage someone else in your church family through worship this week—perhaps by sharing a song, a word of encouragement, or simply by being present and authentic in worship?


Day 5: God Desires Our Hearts—Worship as a Love Song
At its core, worship is not about performance or ritual, but about bringing our hearts to God. He is not after our songs alone, but our love. Just as God sings over us with joy and love, He invites us to respond with genuine affection and devotion.
We alone, among all creation, have the unique ability to choose to worship God—not because we must, but because we want to. This is a gift we can give Him that no one else can. When we come before God with the desire to bring Him joy, to move His heart, and to express our love, we fulfill the very purpose for which we were created.
[45:04]

Zephaniah 3:17
“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”

Reflection: Before you worship today, pause and pray: “God, I am here for you. Show me what would delight your heart.” What would it look like to offer God a true love song from your heart this week?

``It is hardwired into us to desire meaning, significance, satisfaction, and so we spend our days searching for that one elusive thing that will finally satisfy those deep desires that we have in us. And when we think that we finally found that thing, well, we put it right at the center of our lives as the source of ultimate meaning, and then we begin to revolve our lives around it. And when we're doing that, then we are worshiping. [00:24:46] (28 seconds) Edit Clip


This cycle usually starts out with a good thing, like a career or fitness or our children. But then what happens? Well, we place more and more pressure on that thing, hoping that it might be able to bear the weight of our identity and our meaning and our satisfaction, those deepest and heaviest of our longings. But then time and again, whatever we've asked to carry, this burden of worship winds up breaking under the weight of it. The job role that we worship comes to an end, and it feels like we died with it. [00:24:55] (35 seconds) Edit Clip


In the words of the American novelist, David Foster Wallace, himself an agnostic in the day -to -day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. [00:25:23] (17 seconds) Edit Clip


And while they waited for search and rescue to arrive, our friend then shared that he'd been planning on asking Vince when they got to the top if he felt closer to God in places like this, to which Vince answered, well, I think God already knew your question, and he answered it before you even had a chance to ask it. But you see, here's the thing. When Vince landed on that tree, he didn't have to grit his teeth to force out a thank you. You're quite the opposite. Praise just flew out of him. There was no stopping it, not because anyone told him to, but because that is the right natural and instinctive response when somebody has saved your life. [00:30:29] (41 seconds) Edit Clip


You know, what Vince experienced that day wasn't unique to him. The central claim of Christianity is that this is the state of every one of us, that the ground that we thought was solid has crumbled beneath us. It wasn't strong enough to bear the weight of our life. And so we wake up each day feeling like we're spinning out of control. We're just tumbling down the hill, waiting for the next hit, and painfully aware there is just nothing I can do to break my fall. [00:31:24] (27 seconds) Edit Clip


It's not enough that we just intellectually believe in Him and keep messy emotion out of it. Rather, Jesus teaches that God's greatest commandment is for us to love Him with everything within us—heart, soul, mind, and strength. [00:35:51] (17 seconds) Edit Clip


But, you know, when we build up these habits of singing praise to God, starting very young, we are investing in an inner treasure trove of worship, which the Holy Spirit can then draw upon to comfort or convict us in times of need. You know, I don't think I realized how significant this deposit of worship would turn out to be until about five years ago when I miscarried a child. And in the months that followed that, grief would just strike at the most inconvenient times, usually when I was driving our car to work and I just had to do it through this blur of tears. [00:37:18] (35 seconds) Edit Clip


Part of what makes prayers like that so precious to God is because they're a gift that only we have the ability to give him. All creation worships. Far from being weird, worship is the most natural thing in the world. I learned just the other day that gravitational waves actually create a background hum to the universe. And I thought, wow, there really is this symphony of worship going on all around us all the time. The heavens declare the glory of God. The trees clap their hands. The rocks cry out. The angels proclaim before God's throne, holy, holy, holy. Everything else in all creation is all about worshiping God and declaring his glory. [00:45:55] (42 seconds) Edit Clip

Thank you. Hi, everyone. Oh, wow. Thank you. Good morning, Menlo Church. And hello to Mountain View and San Mateo and Saratoga and anybody else who's joining us online this morning. I'm really excited to get to spend these three weeks with you, although I'm not sure how to feel that I'll forever be known by your church as the weird church lady. I guess I've been called worse.

But as we start out this morning, I want you to picture this scene with me. You walk into a venue filled with a large crowd of people, unsure what to expect, and so you nervously take a seat in one of the rows, and there's this kind of buzz of excitement in the air. Music starts blasting out of loudspeakers, and all of a sudden, the crowd gets to their feet. They raise their hands in the air in a synchronized motion, and they all burst into infused song. And from that point on, you just have no idea what is going on. All eyes are fixed on this team that are up at the front, and the audience keeps getting up and down and bursting into song and getting strangely emotional about what is happening while confusing information is flashing across these big screens behind you. And then random people start walking up and down the aisles, handing out oddly shaped pieces of bread and mysterious drinks in plastic cups.

Now, if that sounds familiar to any of you this morning, then yes, you guessed right. I'm talking about baseball. My husband, Vince, who's from New Jersey, he is a huge New York Yankees fan, and he's tried so hard—sorry if that offends anyone—he has tried so hard to indoctrinate me into the great American game. But as a British person, I just can't get past why everybody is getting so riled up about grown men running around in circles wearing pajamas.

Perhaps this morning, there are some of you here who feel about church the way that I do about baseball. Maybe it's your first time visiting a church today, and you haven't got a clue what is going on and why people are singing loudly at you, and you're just sitting there wondering, like, how long is it going to take for somebody to come by and pass the pretzels? Sorry, not happening any time soon.

Others of you, maybe you've grown up around church, but you still have a lot of questions about aspects of Christian faith and practice that just seem really weird to you. Well, wherever you're coming from today, my prayer for our next few weeks together is not only that we could clear up some of the confusion, but that God would help us to see both the beauty behind the beliefs and the purpose in the practices that have been handed down to us from the very first-century church.

Worship is a good place for us to start this series because many of us are accustomed to singing in church every week, and so it's never really even occurred to us to wonder, well, hold on a second. I give up free time every weekend to sing into the back of somebody else's head. Why am I doing this? And isn't there something even more deeply wrong here? Something inherently feudalistic and kind of demeaning about bowing down before the throne of some invisible God? I mean, why would any modern, educated person willingly submit to that when they could just live free? Why would anybody want to worship at all?

Well, here's the thing. Nobody gets out of life without worshiping something. It is hardwired into us to desire meaning, significance, satisfaction, and so we spend our days searching for that one elusive thing that will finally satisfy those deep desires that we have in us. And when we think that we finally found that thing, well, we put it right at the center of our lives as the source of ultimate meaning, and then we begin to revolve our lives around it. And when we're doing that, then we are worshiping.

This cycle usually starts out with a good thing, like a career or fitness or our children. But then what happens? Well, we place more and more pressure on that thing, hoping that it might be able to bear the weight of our identity and our meaning and our satisfaction, those deepest and heaviest of our longings. But then, time and again, whatever we've asked to carry—this burden of worship—winds up breaking under the weight of it. The job role that we worship comes to an end, and it feels like we died with it. Our bodies that we worship start aging on us, and we experience this crisis of self-worth. Our children that we worship to leave home and start pouring themselves into other relationships, and we feel bereft and betrayed.

In the words of the American novelist David Foster Wallace, himself an agnostic in the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And an outstanding reason for choosing some sort of God or spiritual type thing to worship is that pretty much anything else that you worship... will eat you alive.

It's not weird that we worship—that comes naturally to us. You might even say that to live is to worship. What's weird is that we're forever worshiping things that don't satisfy. The 20th-century Oxford professor and prolific author CS Lewis put it this way: "If I find in myself desires that nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical conclusion is that I was made for another world." It could be that you have desires within you that cannot be met by created things because they were put there by a creator who made you for himself. What if there is one you can actually bear the full weight of being worshiped? Because that's who he is, by nature. And worship is simply our rightful response to him—on account of both who he is and what he has done.

God has shown himself to be the only object in the universe who is actually worthy of our praise. And that's what the word means—worship. It comes from the Old English "worship," a God who's worthy of that role of being right at the center of our lives and carrying the full burden of life. And not merely because he has the power to zap us if we don't get in line.

Now, I've met many people who've struggled to differentiate worshiping God from fearing God. And indeed, Proverbs 9:10 says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," or Psalm 147:11, "The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him." You know, if that is your definition of worship, no wonder you flinch from it. But these scriptures are a primary example of why translation and context really matter when it comes to reading the Bible. Because when the biblical authors write about fearing the Lord, this is how they frame it: "The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love." But with you, God, there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. I just think about that for a second—steadfast love and forgiveness don't typically leave us trembling with dread on the floor. And that is because, in Hebrew, this command to fear God has a much fuller meaning than just to be afraid. Instead, it's usually intended to convey awe, reverence, wonder, respect, amazement. To fear God is not a command to be terrified because God might do something bad to you. Rather, it's to be awed by the fact that he has already been so, so good to you.

Three years ago, Vince and I took a trip to Yosemite National Park with our kids and another couple. And right at the end of the day, Vince suggested that he and his friend go for a hike up to the bottom of the El Capitan cliff face. And once they got there, Vince was walking across a large granite boulder when his foot slipped, and he went sliding over the edge. And then he flew over the head of our friend who was standing beneath him and said it looked like he just supermanned over him. And then, when Vince hit the ground, he actually didn't stop, but he started bouncing down this steep cliff face like a boulder in a children's cartoon, picking up speed as he went. He was going so fast that he actually didn't know which way was up or down. He said he couldn't even reach out to grab hold of anything.

He was just waiting for his bones to break or to black out on a sharp piece of rock. And worst of all, he was sliding down towards this cliff edge that was about 50 feet beneath him. And once he went over it, it was just a sheer drop down. But you know, it just so happened that there was one humble little tree growing out of the edge of the cliff. And right before Vince sailed over the precipice, by some miracle, he rolled straight into it. It caught him perfectly. He said it cupped him like a baseball glove—whatever that means—as he landed with his back up against it. And at that point, he immediately began yelling out, "Thank you, Jesus! Thank you, Jesus! Thank you, Jesus!"

Our friend scrambled down after him, following this trail of blood, honestly afraid he was going to find him dead at the bottom—only to arrive at a bruised and bleeding, but thankfully unbroken Vince. Our friend wasn't a Christian, but in that moment, Vince said to him, "Man, I know it's not your normal practice, but I just need to pray." To which our shell-shocked friend immediately responded, "Absolutely, let's pray." And while they waited for search and rescue to arrive, our friend then shared that he'd been planning on asking Vince when they got to the top if he felt closer to God in places like this. To which Vince answered, "Well, I think God already knew your question, and he answered it before you even had a chance to ask it."

But you see, here's the thing. When Vince landed on that tree, he didn't have to grit his teeth to force out a thank you. You're quite the opposite—praise just flew out of him. There was no stopping it, not because anyone told him to, but because that is the right, natural, and instinctive response when somebody has saved your life. Even our friend, who wasn't a believer, experienced that same impulse—so much so that later that afternoon, he turned to his wife and said, "Now I know that God exists, because otherwise there is no way Vince should have survived that fall."

You know, what Vince experienced that day wasn't unique to him. The central claim of Christianity is that this is the state of every one of us—that the ground that we thought was solid has crumbled beneath us. It wasn't strong enough to bear the weight of our life. And so we wake up each day feeling like we're spinning out of control. We're just tumbling down the hill, waiting for the next hit, painfully aware that there is just nothing I can do to break my fall.

But then, right as we are heading towards the edge, we suddenly find ourselves caught. This time not by a tree, but by a humble figure on a tree—Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only one capable of bearing the burden of life because he himself was humble enough to live a human life. The only God worthy of bringing us to our knees because he himself fell on his knees when he was carrying that tree on his back. The only one for whom our arms should be outstretched in praise because he stretched out his arms to us on that cross.

And if you're here this morning because you're trying to figure out who or what to worship with your life, let me just say this: when you put your hope in the steadfast love of God, he will not let you down. With him, there is forgiveness. You know, to live is to worship, but to worship God is to really live. And if you're a Christian here today, then that already is your testimony. This is the story of every single one of us who has been saved by Jesus Christ.

My question for you this morning is this: does your worship reflect that rescue? Do we worship like people still afraid of falling off a cliff, or like people overjoyed to find ourselves already caught and held? And is that overflow of thanksgiving just as unstoppable in our midweek meeting as it is in our Sunday worship?

You know, I find it so heartening that right at the beginning of the Bible, in Genesis chapter 2, when human beings have been given their purpose, the same word in Hebrew that is used to describe our work—"avodah"—also translates as worship. You know what that tells us? That the Bible knows nothing of a sacred and secular divide, of compartmentalizing your work self from your worshipful self. And I find that such a dignifying and redemptive vision for life because it means that when we become Christians, it's not just that parts of our life get changed, but that everything we do—from the breakfast you made for your kids to the project you just completed for your company—becomes profoundly meaningful and potent with possibility when carried out with an attitude of worship and openness to how God might be at work in your life today.

But it does beg the question: if our worship of God extends so much further than the songs that we sing, if worship is a way of life, then why do we need to sing songs at all? Is this an opt-in, opt-out thing? Well, before we dismiss singing in church entirely, let's just take a look at an extract from a letter in the New Testament which the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus. This is Ephesians chapter 5, verses 19 to 20:

"Encourage each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord. Always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

When it comes to music, it would seem that our Creator has intentionally wired us to experience this phenomenon in a uniquely powerful way. Unlike other kinds of stimuli, hearing music lights up nearly every part of your brain, including regions that govern memory, emotion, pleasure, and motor function. It's why music therapy can be such a powerful tool for treating stroke survivors or those with dementia—because music unlocks memory and emotion in a way that little else can.

So, the fact that our Creator would give us such a powerful catalyst for expressing those deepest parts of ourselves reveals something significant about what matters to God. It's not enough that we just intellectually believe in Him and keep messy emotion out of it. Rather, Jesus teaches that God's greatest commandment is for us to love Him with everything within us—heart, soul, mind, and strength. And music is one of the blessings He's given us to help us do just that.

While Scripture provides plenty of reasons to sing to God, I want to home in on three this morning. Number one: worshiping through song builds us up. In Ephesians 5:20, the Apostle Paul instructs us to always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Personally, I’ve found that one of the best ways to cultivate a life of thanksgiving to God—who He is, what He's done, and what He's doing now—is by intentionally creating opportunities to sing praises to Him throughout the day.

My four-year-old son cheekily reminded me of this point a few months ago when he was resisting falling asleep one night, and so I asked him to be quiet, only for him to sing straight back at me, "I won't be quiet, my God is alive, how could I keep it inside?" Like, oh, come on. Seriously, how do you argue with that? Like, yeah, you're right. Yeah, God's alive. That is exciting. As you can imagine, it was a long night.

But, you know, when we build up these habits of singing praise to God, starting very young, we are investing in an inner treasure trove of worship, which the Holy Spirit can then draw upon to comfort or convict us in times of need. You know, I don't think I realized how significant this deposit of worship would turn out to be until about five years ago when I miscarried a child. And in the months that followed, grief would just strike at the most inconvenient times—usually when I was driving our car to work—and I just had to do it through this blur of tears.

I didn't realize it at first, but after a few times of it happening, I suddenly realized that every time I was crying in the car, I instinctively found myself with a song of praise on my lips. I hadn't consciously chosen it. You should only notice halfway through the song. You know, it was just pouring out of me. And even though it was one of the saddest times in my life, those drives to work also became one of the tenderest seasons I've experienced in my relationship with God. Because somehow, through the tears and the song, the Spirit of God met me right in my place of need, in that car. And I just knew that even in the heartache, He was with me.

Secondly, worshipping through song blesses the whole church. Back when I was in college, I was convicted during a church service that I needed to give up wearing makeup for an extended period of time. Back then, I was incredibly reliant upon cosmetics to mask some deep insecurities about the way that I looked. So much so that when this conviction came upon me, I burst into tears in the middle of the church service. I said to God, "Please, I'll do anything. Just not that. Don't ask me that." Looking back, it's insane, right? People are giving up their lives for the gospel, and I can't even lay down a mascara brush.

But in that moment, I sensed God pressing me to explain why not. And I was really shocked by what came out of me. I said, "Because I don't want people to see me." I don't want people to see me. At which point, I had the impression that the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, was gently rebuking me. But, Joe, if they can't see you, how will they ever see me? Obviously, God won that argument.

But you know, what surprised me most about that season that followed was that, of all the places I visited without wearing makeup, I found church to be the hardest one of all. I can remember walking in the door one Sunday only for a friend to comment, "Are you okay? You look really ill." I said, "Thanks. Actually, it's just my natural face." You know, I shared that this morning because I think that some of us face a similar struggle with letting our God down when it comes to worshipping God in a communal setting like this. And no wonder, right? I mean, worshipping God in song is one of the most intimate, vulnerable things that we can do because it requires coming as we are, not as we'd like to pretend to be. And that leaves us feeling strangely exposed. Because what if somebody sees me?

You know, what a loss it is, though, when we allow fear of being seen by others to keep us from fulfilling these instructions for the church in Ephesians 5:19—to encourage each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. We sometimes think it's no big deal whether we engage in song worship or not. You know, what we fail to realize is that by withholding ourselves, we're actually withholding a blessing from other people. We're denying them something. And that's not just because they need to hear the truths that we're proclaiming, although that is true. It's that they need to see those words being brought to life in the very lives of people surrounding them.

More and more these days, we tend toward individualistic expressions of worship. But that was never the totality of what God intended for worship to be. I mean, clearly, just look at the end of the Bible and the vision that the Apostle John has of where we are all headed—that is one packed-out throne room of worship. In Revelation chapter 4, it makes sense, right? Because, like any loving father, there is nothing that delights God more than when all of his children are not only gathered together but when they've come with a heart to bless and encourage one another. And the best way to do that is not by performing or just singing louder, but by coming in a spirit of truth. When you allow people to see what worship looks like in every season of your life—in joy or in sorrow, in smiles or in tears, in exuberant praise or in quiet reverence—you show them so much more than just yourself. You actually show them God at work in you—Christ in you, the hope of glory. And when they see how you love him, that is such a powerful reminder to them that he is worthy.

I think there's honestly no greater encouragement that we could give to our church family on a Sunday than that.

Thirdly—and most significantly of all—worshiping in song is for God. Yes, there are many secondary benefits I've just named two, but at the end of the day, it is all for him. And if we forget that, and if we make it about anything else, then it is no longer worship at all. That's when it becomes karaoke.

You know, as I was preparing for this series, there was one sentence of Scripture that just stopped me in my tracks: Ephesians 5:19—"Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord." Elsewhere in Scripture, we're told to make a joyful noise or to make music to the Lord. But this time, the emphasis has shifted. It's as if God is saying to us: don't just make music—make it mean hits. It's not your songs I'm after; it is your heart. If you're going to sing me a song, make it a love song.

I wonder, when was the last time anybody asked you to sing them a love song? I can't actually even think of a time, although now I've said it—and Vince is sitting down there—I know when I get home, I will be asked later this evening. You know, there are people in my life to whom I say, "I love you," but I don't sing it to them. And yet, as is often the case with God, he's not asking anything of us that he hasn't already done for us. Did you know that, long before God ever asked you to sing to him, he was already singing over you? As the prophet Zephaniah told the people of God all the way back in the seventh century BC: "The Lord your God will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you with his love; he will exalt over you with loud singing."

You know, when it comes to worshiping God, some of us have been blinded by fear. Maybe you spend your life running around frantically serving and burning out, and then you come on a Sunday and you cower before him, just terrified that you still haven't done enough. But this morning, I just want to invite you to look again at his heart—to look at this Creator God who hums you to sleep like a mother soothes her child, and cheers you on like an embarrassingly loud dad on the sidelines of a sports pitch. You're the God who sings love songs to you and over you, and who says to you this morning: I'm not here to see you grovel. I'm here for your heart. I don't want you to fall back in fear. I just want you to sing me a love song.

How different would life be if you truly believed that? Wow. What God really wants from me is a love song. And how different would church be if, on a Sunday, instead of walking in and wondering about what we're going to experience that morning, we walked in the door completely consumed by the thought: what kind of experience am I going to give God this morning?

What if we came before him with these kinds of prayers in our hearts? God, I am here for you. I want to bring you joy today. Please show me what would delight your heart. I just want you to know how much I love you. I want to move you. I want to make you smile.

Part of what makes prayers like that so precious to God is that they're a gift that only we have the ability to give him. All creation worships. Far from being weird, worship is the most natural thing in the world. I learned just the other day that gravitational waves actually create a background hum to the universe. And I thought, wow, there really is this symphony of worship going on all around us all the time. The heavens declare the glory of God. The trees clap their hands. The rocks cry out. The angels proclaim before God's throne: "Holy, holy, holy." Everything else in all creation is about worshiping God and declaring his glory.

We are the weird ones because, uniquely amongst all creation, we are the only ones to whom God has given the choice of whether to worship him or not. Which means that we alone have the ability to move his heart in a way that no one else and nothing else can. To worship him not because we have to, but because we get to, because we long to, because he alone is worthy. Either we can grieve him with rejection, or we can bless him with our love songs. And the choice is ours this morning.

In just a minute, we're going to worship God again in song. But when the musicians start playing, I actually don't want you to rush to join in. Rather, I want you to take a minute to just pause and pray. And I know that some of you here are still figuring out what you believe, and that's great. There is no pressure to sing words that you're unsure of. But I would invite you to listen to those words that are sung, and as you do so, pray: God, if you're there, I would really like to know about it. Please show me your heart so that I can respond to you rightly.

And for those of you who are Christians here today, you too have an intentional choice to make—whether to just go through the motions or to bring God something real, something that will bless his heart. So take your time in that moment, just to sit and pray as the musicians begin worshiping. And then, when you feel ready to make your choice, feel free to stand up and worship God with the music that is in your heart this morning.

Let me just lead us into that time with a prayer.

Worthy God, we are here to worship you. Lord, above all else, we want to bring you joy. So, I pray that you would put a new song in our hearts this morning, one that would truly bless your heart. We love you, Jesus. Amen.