Joy in Wonder | Wired for Wonder | Menlo Church Sunday Live Stream

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
1. **Habakkuk 3:17-19 (ESV)**
> "Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places."

2. **Job 38:1-7 (ESV)**
> "Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: 'Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?'"

#### Observation Questions
1. What does Habakkuk express in Habakkuk 3:17-19 about his attitude towards God despite difficult circumstances?
2. In Job 38:1-7, how does God respond to Job's complaints and what does this reveal about God's nature?
3. According to the sermon, what are some examples of how we can experience awe and wonder in our daily lives? [03:11]
4. How does the pastor describe the difference between first-class and coach experiences in relation to our faith journey? [05:54]

#### Interpretation Questions
1. What does Habakkuk's declaration in Habakkuk 3:17-19 teach us about finding joy in God despite our circumstances?
2. How does God's response to Job in Job 38:1-7 challenge our understanding of God's power and our place in His creation?
3. The pastor mentioned that worship is more than just singing; it’s about how we live our entire lives. How can this broader understanding of worship change our daily actions and attitudes? [07:30]
4. The sermon suggests that our worship can become routine and lose its sense of wonder. What are some practical steps we can take to prevent this from happening? [06:25]

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you felt awe and wonder in your life. How can you cultivate more moments like this to enhance your worship of God? [02:36]
2. Habakkuk chose to rejoice in the Lord despite severe hardships. What are some specific challenges you are facing right now, and how can you choose to find joy in God amidst them? [19:55]
3. The pastor mentioned that worship is a weapon for a worrying world at war. How can you use worship to combat anxiety and stress in your life this week? [16:29]
4. Think about your daily routine. How can you integrate worship into your everyday activities, not just during church services? [14:58]
5. The sermon highlighted the importance of corporate worship. How can you be more engaged and present during worship services, even if you don’t feel like it? [28:27]
6. The pastor asked if we are users of God or lovers of God. Reflect on your relationship with God—do you worship Him for who He is or for what He can do for you? How can you shift your focus to worshiping God for His character? [18:13]
7. The sermon mentioned that sometimes we wait for God to act before we worship. What is one area in your life where you can start worshiping God now, even as you wait for His intervention? [29:33]

Day 1: Worship as Devoted Lifestyle
Worship is not confined to the songs sung within the walls of a church; it is the very essence of a believer's life, expressed through every action and interaction. It is an acknowledgment of God's grandeur and a demonstration of love that should seamlessly integrate into the daily rhythm of life. This lifestyle of worship means seeing every task, conversation, and decision as an opportunity to honor God. Whether one is at work, at home, or in the community, each moment presents a chance to live out one's faith in tangible ways. Worship in this sense becomes a continuous outpouring of reverence and adoration for the Creator, shaping one's identity and purpose. [07:58]

"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

Reflection: How can you transform a routine task this week into an act of worship to God?

Day 2: Corporate Worship as Spiritual Empowerment
Gathering for corporate worship is often seen as a mere tradition or obligation, yet its true purpose is far more impactful. It is a time when believers come together to collectively experience God's presence, which in turn energizes and equips them for the spiritual battles they face. This communal act of worship is not just about singing hymns or listening to a message; it is about aligning with God's power and gaining a renewed perspective for the week ahead. As the body of Christ unites in worship, there is a powerful exchange—weakness for strength, fear for faith, and turmoil for peace. [17:04]

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." - Hebrews 10:24-25

Reflection: What specific aspect of your life do you need to bring into the light of corporate worship for transformation?

Day 3: Choosing Joy in Worship
Joy in worship is a conscious decision, not a spontaneous feeling that arises only in favorable conditions. It is a choice to find contentment and happiness in God's salvation and strength, even when faced with daunting challenges. This decision is a testament to one's unwavering trust in God's sovereignty and goodness. By choosing joy, believers affirm their faith that God's plans are perfect, even when they are beyond human understanding. This joy is not superficial but is rooted deeply in the belief that God is present and active, regardless of the surrounding circumstances. [22:44]

"Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation." - Habakkuk 3:17-18

Reflection: Can you identify a situation where you can choose joy over despair today, trusting in God's faithfulness?

Day 4: Recognizing Our Need for God in Worship
The depth of one's worship is directly influenced by the recognition of personal sinfulness and the need for God's salvation. When individuals minimize their own shortcomings or fail to grasp the full extent of God's holiness, their worship can become shallow and lack potency. True worship arises from a heart that understands the gravity of sin and the magnitude of grace that God extends. It is in this place of humility and gratitude that worship becomes a genuine outpouring of love and reverence for the Savior. [30:09]

"For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: 'I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.'" - Isaiah 57:15

Reflection: Reflect on an area of your life where you may have minimized your need for God. How can you approach God with a contrite heart in that area today?

Day 5: Worship While Waiting
Worship is not dependent on receiving answers to prayers or the resolution of problems. It is an active stance of acknowledging God's worthiness, regardless of life's uncertainties. By choosing to worship while waiting, believers demonstrate a profound faith and obedience. This act of worship is not passive; it is a weapon that can bring about transformation in one's circumstances, perspectives, and relationships. It is through worship that individuals can maintain hope and strength during times of waiting, trusting that God is at work even when the evidence is not yet visible. [31:22]

"I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning." - Psalm 130:5-6

Reflection: What are you currently waiting on God for, and how can you actively worship Him in this period of waiting?

Well, hey, good morning, Menlo Church! So glad that you are with us today. What a cute video! I cannot, however, co-sign on all the theology that was present in that video, but cuteness factor on full.

Welcome to really our elaborate pregame party for the 49ers' continued Super Bowl run. We're so glad that you made it, right? We really, really look forward to a fun experience together this afternoon.

But actually, why we're here is we are beginning our year by focusing on and thinking about this idea that God has actually built you; he's wired you for wonder. As we experience God in a bigger sense of who he is, it can help us with whatever we face today.

I want to give a special welcome to all of our Bay Area campuses today in San Mateo, Mountain View, Menlo Park, and Saratoga. We're so glad that you're here, and a special welcome to all of you joining us online from wherever you're joining us from. I think that our time together can help all of us face the challenges, the opportunities, and the obstacles that we will face this week. We love that we get to do this.

Now, this week in particular, we are going to focus on the practice of worship—not just musically and singing, but it includes that too. We're going to talk about how we thank God for his kindness and his grace throughout our whole lives.

Habakkuk, this Jewish prophet from thousands of years ago that we've been learning from, he models it so well. Now, I know that for some of you, that may ring hollow. You don't feel like worshiping God at all; you're not sure why you should worship God at all. And, you know, the thing is, we'll get into all that over the next few minutes together. But I hope by the time we're finished, whether you call yourself a Christian or a person of faith or not, that you see worship in a new light in your life, even just a little bit today.

Now, before we begin, I'm going to pray for us. And if you've never been here before or never heard me speak, I pray kneeling. And the reason that I do that is this expression of worship to God that I want to remind myself and remind all of us together that God calls us to continuously and humbly offer our lives to him.

So would you pray with me as we begin?

God, thank you so much. Thank you for this unique moment in the midst of our day as we begin our week that we can gather together. And God, there's no participation award for our time together; we really do want to meet with you. We really do want to do more than just show up.

And so, God, would you help us? Would you help us to engage with what it is you want to say to each and every one of us today? It's in Jesus' name, amen.

So I wonder, what is the last thing that impressed you—like really impressed you? I don't mean faster internet than you expected or better customer service than usual at that place of business. I mean, when was the last time that you had an inspiring moment that you weren't processing, critiquing, or reviewing in your mind?

Think about it for a second. I can think of times since we began at Menlo over the course of the last year that were so special—from beautiful bike rides with friends to perfect nights hanging out in our backyard with friends. Or maybe even this is exciting; this is a fun way to start. If you're like, "Is this stressful for him?" No, I love it! It's my absolute favorite thing.

I can think of times in our backyard with friends or even sipping wine in Napa, where I have no microphone problems. It's delightful! We live in a pretty special place, and if we're looking for it, we can be impressed if we are willing to be in our lives.

It's been several years now, but I remember the first time in my life that I ever flew first class. Now, I know that for some of you, that's hard to hear because there are no times in your life that you don't fly first class. And I just want you to know, like, all of us judge you for that.

But someone used points to get me a plane ticket kind of last minute. I was caring for one of my parents in their later years, and as a part of that, they gave me a first-class upgrade on that ticket. I had heard about first class; I had seen first class; I had admired first class, but I had never experienced first class.

As a lifelong Southwest customer, honestly, I didn't even really understand how the mechanics of first class worked. Like, it didn't make sense to me. All of a sudden, as I was experiencing first class, it felt like they let us onto the plane before the crew. Before the plane even took off, they were offering us champagne, and I was like, "You're not giving this to the crew, right? Like, this is just for us?"

It was completely different than anything I had ever expected. And, you know, of course, in the midst of it, I'm trying the entire time to act like I've been there before. You know what I'm talking about? And so inside, every time they're doing something or offering something, you're just like, "Oh my gosh, this is amazing! What do I do with this towel?"

And you're kind of looking around to see, like, "Oh, this is how I lift the tray table up." It's different; like, everything is different in first class. I'm sure I did a poor job of kind of not revealing what this trip represented for me.

And I can tell you that because actually there was someone next to me who at one point looked over somewhere between our meal and dessert and just said, "First time in first class?" And at that moment, I felt seen and annoyed at the same time, if I'm honest with you.

The guy had clearly been in first class for a long time; like, he didn't live there, but he flew there all the time, and the shine had worn off. It was just another flight for him. He had passed on the champagne; he had passed on the towel; he had passed on the meal; he passed on the cookie. Can you believe it?

See, for him, he was riding in coach; it just happened to be in the front of the plane. Now, I say all that because I think the longer that we've been followers of Jesus—if you've been a follower of Jesus for a little while—the longer you've been a follower of Jesus, the more likely it can be that our faith moves from a first-class experience to coach in the front of the plane.

See, the wonder of who God is and what he's done for us has faded, and now our worship has gone from overwhelming gratitude to entitled and empty platitudes. We know the routine and the things we're supposed to do, the motions we're supposed to go through, but that's about all it is.

And in our study of Habakkuk, we've been introduced to a prophet of God who longed for justice but had forgotten who the judge was. He had decided that he could offer judgment to God, and as God revealed just a small portion of the plan to Habakkuk, his eyes were opened, and he was overwhelmed with worship.

Now, normally I give you kind of a one-line statement that I hope maybe God will bring to your mind this week—something that you can think about and encapsulate our time together with—and I'll get there. But first, I want to actually give you a framework that may reawaken, or for some of you, wake you up for the very first time to what worship is in your life.

Now, I do want to provide a definition of worship in case you've heard this word "worship" before. You've heard it as a verb, and if you don't normally come to church, you're like, "What is worship? Is that like the Christian karaoke thing we do at the top of a service?"

So let me just give you a definition. It's more than just about the words that we sing; it's more than what we do when we're gathered. As a matter of fact, it's how we live our entire lives if you're a person of faith.

As a matter of fact, the 20th-century author and pastor A.W. Tozer defines it this way: "Worship is to feel in your heart and express in some appropriate manner a humbling but delightful sense of admiring awe and astonishing wonder and overpowering love in the presence of that utmost ancient mystery, that majesty which philosophers called the first cause but which we call our Father which art in heaven."

See, I want to begin showing you the first part of worship actually outside of Habakkuk. Habakkuk and God have been in this conversation over the last few weeks that we've been studying about how Habakkuk wanted God to show up and meet his expectations within his timeline—something that none of us struggle with. But, you know, we try to be there for Habakkuk.

We heard a little bit of God's overwhelming response to Habakkuk. I want to show you one more of those because it illustrates something that I want to show you in the Book of Job, and it shows us really the first part of worship, which is usually the combination of our honest reflection and God's awesome perfection.

That we can be honest and sincere about what's going on in our life and experience God's awesome perfection at the same time. For a lot of us, especially if you've been a Christian for a while, it's easy to settle for only one of those or even just a small portion of the combination. But God wants an increasing sense and appreciation of both.

Job is a powerful story of God allowing his best servant, Job, to be tempted and tested by the enemy of our soul, Satan. It's likely the first book that was ever written down in Hebrew scriptures. Lots of scholarship and commentary has been written about the Book of Job.

We see Job finally let God know what he thinks about all this testing. If you want to go back to Job 31 this week, you can see Job finally tell God how frustrated he is and give God his defense for why he felt like it was time for God to just give him a break from all of these tests that you are placing in my life.

Some of you, that's what you've been doing in your life. You've been letting God know, "God, do you know what I've been going through? Do you know what I've done for you? God, why are you letting these things happen in my life this way?"

For some of you, it's the timelines, like we talked about last week, where you think to yourself, "God, I thought this would be taken care of by now," or "God, I didn't think this would last this long." And for others of you, it's that you're going through and grieving the loss of something in your life.

Maybe you're grieving the loss of a loved one, or you're grieving the loss of an opportunity, or you're grieving the end to a season that you didn't see coming. God wants that honest reflection, absolutely. But sometimes I think we are so distracted that we don't listen or wait to experience God's awesome perfection.

It can be tender and kind; God can just whisper it to you in the quiet of your heart. But it can also be big and bold, and that's the way that God responds to Job. He gives one of the most powerful responses in all of scripture.

I'm going to give you just a portion—like not even a third—of God's response to Job. And if you aren't somebody that normally listens to or reads a lot of scripture, it may help you to focus to close your eyes, or you can look at the scriptures on the screen, or you can awkwardly stare at me, whatever you'd like.

But this is just a third—not even—of the Lord's response to Job. It says, "Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, 'Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know, or who stretched the line upon it? Or what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone? When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb? When I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors and said, 'Thus far shall you come and no further, and here shall your proud waves be stayed?'

Have you commanded the morning since your days began and caused the dawn to know its place, that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth and the wicked be shaken out of it? It is changed like clay under the seal, and its features stand out like a garment. From the wicked, their light is withheld, and their uplifted arm is broken. Have you entered into the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or have you seen the gates of deep darkness? Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? Declare, if you know all this.'"

Again, just like one small portion of God's response revealing this awesome perfection of God doesn't mean God doesn't want our honest reflection; he does. But he is going to share a sense of how big and how wonderful he is.

And I think sometimes we make God into this comfortable, cozy, small little best friend in our lives that we hope has enough power, but we're not sure. And it turns out he has more power than we could ever possibly comprehend. Amen?

No matter what you do for a living, no matter how much wealth or power you have accumulated, no matter how close your life appears to Pinterest, when we truly come before God, this is who we are talking to. This is the power and scale and wonder of our God.

We spent time in this series exploring the wonder of how big God is and how wonderful the power that he wields is. We have explored the importance of these ideas in the midst of our personal struggles and limitations. But have you sat in this kind of awe with God?

Have you wondered? Habakkuk and Job are both great books that actually are unique because they don't end with like a bow on them. They don't end with a happily ever after. There are unresolved problems; there is pain that remains. And for some of you, that is a gap in your worship too.

Whether it's how you sing or how you live, the reason your worship of God is stuck in coach is because you forget how big God is. He was really big a long time ago, and over time, without realizing it, you got bigger and God got smaller.

I've gotten to know a lot of you over the course of the last year, and it's been amazing. Many of you, you have this really special ability to communicate and to relate to people in very unassuming and kind ways. But then I see you in a different context. I see you in a work context, or I see you trying to solve a problem, and I see like this superpower come out of you.

And all of a sudden, your focus and your capacity and your ability is God-given. It's boldness that I see show up in your life, and I think it's really incredible because I think that for a lot of us, it reveals something that's true: that for a lot of us, we bring our best selves to our work.

And so that's really where we show up; it's really where we give our devotion; it's really where we worship. We can and should actually worship God in and through our vocation, through our job. It's not just singing and music.

And I would just challenge you that for you, if work has always been this area of your life that you've quarantined, that you've set aside, and you've never thought about God, "How do you want me to show up in this place? How do you want me to integrate what I believe with how I live?"

I would really highly recommend a book called "Every Good Endeavor" by Tim Keller. This book breaks down the powerful implication of letting God's work into our workplace. And if you've never thought about that intentionally, it's a very, very important and powerful principle.

But we can sometimes leave so much in our day-to-day life that there's no room left for our corporate worship together when we gather. And I think there's a core misunderstanding sometimes as to why. See, we think worship, especially corporate worship, sometimes all we think about is what it takes from us.

We think about, "I only have so much to give, and I've got these things coming the rest of the day, and I got this coming up in the week ahead of me. I just came, and all I need is just like, I just need to be a spectator for a minute. I just need to sit back."

And here's the thing about corporate worship: it will take your focus, but not only does corporate worship provide energy if we engage in it together, but pouring our hearts out to God is actually preparation for the work and the week ahead.

See, the way that I think about corporate worship, and specifically singing together, is that worship is our weapon for a worrying world at war. A lot of us, we head into a week unarmed because we come into a week un-worshiped. We have not given God the credit that he has always deserved.

Now, before it gets too weird, let me just remind you or share with you for the first time that you are in a day-to-day struggle not against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities, forces of good and forces of evil, even in the unseen realm. And I bet even if you're not a Christian, even if you're not a person of faith, you know that to be true; you feel that to be true.

And worship is a weapon to realign our souls together to the true power of God, to the true perspective we need for the week ahead. We want to not just live for him but also live with him and each other. No matter what comes our way, no matter how impressive you are, God is infinitely more.

And the awe-inspiring reality for Job can still impact us today. That God that spoke to Job through the whirlwind thousands of years ago is the same God that speaks to us today.

Now, my natural instinct—I don't know about you—my natural instinct is to worship God when I get what I want. It's my version of sort of giving God a tip of praise for a good week, for coming through in something I needed him to. And God loves that worship; he does.

But even just what we've seen here in Job's honest reflection and God's awesome perfection, we know that's not enough. We should be able to worship God for who he is. If God never did anything for you, he deserves worship because he's God.

As a matter of fact, if all we do is worship God for what he does, you have to ask yourself, do you really love God, or do you just love the thing he did for you? Do you really want God, or do you just want what God can do for you?

Do you know what we call people who love other people only for what they can do for them? We call them users. Are we users of God or lovers of God? How we worship, even in the midst of difficult circumstances, often reveals which.

So if your worship begins with this kind of honest reflection and God's awesome perfection, then this final piece that we see in biblical worship through Habakkuk at the very end of this book is that it brings sincere affection.

And hopefully, at this point, you know I'm not advocating for kind of a superficial triumphalism or faking it till you make it, but in affection for a God we can trust even when our circumstances are beyond our understanding. That's the kind of worship that God loves to experience and see in us.

It's exactly what we see in Habakkuk. Now, he didn't have to keep secret what God had shown him, what God had revealed to him, but he was going to walk out the rest of his life living in this difficult tension and reality of knowing what was coming—of knowing that the ending of the status quo and the deliverance of God for his people and that the justice that he was praying for was going to carry deep pain, and he was just waiting for it.

Now, after all the plans that God had revealed to Habakkuk, it's really a snapshot of sincere affection even in the midst of pain and difficulty. When Habakkuk responds this way, he says, "Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit beyond the vines, the produce of the olive fail, and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the deers; he makes me tread on my high places."

Now, Habakkuk, he's giving this escalating picture of the kind of pain and challenges that would come from least severe to most severe. And your list would probably include other things, right? Although for some of you, grapes and wine might be on your list, right? But for you, it's maybe connected to your work, or it's connected to your family, or it's connected to key relationships, or it's connected to milestones that you were hoping to achieve.

You have a list like this. For Habakkuk, he's listing things that early on were just inconveniences that would have been inconvenient to think about. But by the end of the list, he's listing things that are so difficult they would have been inconceivable to live without.

And that scale—from, you know, things like figs that were just a delicacy or grapes that were a luxury for wine—from there, the rest of the list becomes more and more painful. And some of you, that's the experience you've had with God. When life was inconvenient, you were thinking to yourself, "All right, God, as long as it doesn't get too rough."

And it got more difficult. And for them, he's talking about the tools to cook, to stay warm, to prepare the land. They were all going to be subject to the judgment that God was going to bring. And any of these things by themselves would have been possible to be endured, but all of them together would have been insurmountable.

And Habakkuk, having seen the plan, chose worship anyway. He knew that this pain wasn't permanent, that God's plan would deliver Israel. And even though he didn't have the full picture yet, what God was showing Habakkuk that is so important is the same thing that God wants to show you and me, which was that the part of this plan that allowed for this pain was actually so that Jesus, the savior of the world, could come through Israel and save the world—offer salvation to each and every one of us—a rescue mission.

He knew that. See, joy is always a choice in our worship—always. He chooses this word "joy" very intentionally. And if we look at the word that Habakkuk uses for joy, written originally in the language of Hebrew, this word carries more than just an emotional state. Joy is a condition of our heart, not our circumstances.

It's more than just how I feel; it's what I choose to believe about God. And this word "joy" actually gets translated in other places to carry the sense of trembling. It's a joy in light of what we just read—God respond to Job with where we understand the awesome perfection of God in the midst and face of our honest reflections with God.

That's the kind of joy that we get to choose in worship. It's always a choice. It doesn't mean that we're always happy or that everything in our life is going the way we hope that it would, but we trust that God has a plan even when we don't get the details like Habakkuk or Job did.

There is deep sincerity in Habakkuk's worship in this short but weighty few lines. It underscores why. See, he acknowledges that God is his salvation, his strength, the provision throughout his life. And I think that's hard for some of us, even as Christians, to submit to.

I wonder, do you need salvation? Like, do you think you need it? Not just from the judgment of a broken world that it deserves, and we could all acknowledge, but like, do you think you deserve judgment? Do I deserve judgment? Because if we don't think that we do, then worship just sort of takes a step down, doesn't it?

Do you think God's provision is necessary for you or God's strength in your life? I think that for a lot of us, we kind of think, "God, I'll take care of things on my own. I don't really need your strength."

How long are you willing to be in this exhausting spin cycle of self-pursuit and self-improvement all by yourself? See, if we don't think that our joy comes from God and we don't think that our strength comes from God, then all of a sudden our worship is lower and lower.

Finally, the idea of provision—I think sometimes we think that's for somebody else. For me, I got it; I'm provided for. My bank account shows me every time I look at it, we're good. I don't need God's provision.

But no matter how you think about your joy, your strength, or your provision, whatever you think about your salvation, everything that you experience, every good and perfect gift in your life—even if you're not a person of faith—is a gift from God. And giving him credit fuels our worship even in the midst of difficult days, even in the midst of overwhelming seasons.

See, maybe a long time ago your experience with God was like first-class travel. You appreciated it; you loved it; you were overwhelmed with gratitude. But it's been a long time since then. You knew you couldn't measure up to God's awesome perfection, and because of that, there was a deep and sincere affection and gratitude for God.

But over time, you feel like you've graduated from your need for the gospel. You needed it to get out of hell, but you don't need it today. The good news of Jesus for your and my salvation is not just for heaven someday; it's for you and me today to experience an abundant life with God—to experience life and relationship with him and with people that follow him together.

Maybe for you, you see other people—less mature people, maybe more naive people—maybe who express themselves in worship with passion and enthusiasm because it looks like they need it. But you've been there; you've done that; you have the camp t-shirt now.

Now, I'm not suggesting that you have to go get streamers or flags or like we're clearing out some of our seating in different campuses so that we can have like a flag-waving section. I get it; I'm not asking you to throw your hands in the air like you just don't care.

But like, do you care? Do you express that to God in worship? As Presbyterians, sometimes we get this label, the "Frozen Chosen." If you ever heard of that phrase before? And you know why we get that label? Because that's how we look sometimes. You know, we're just like looking out there, and we're like, "This is it." That's as expressive as we can be sometimes.

And I know that for some of you, you are more cerebral, and worshiping God with your whole person can feel intimidating. But I actually think there's a place that gives us an example of what corporate worship can look like, where we lean in even if we don't feel super confident in it.

Now, I'm not a person who dances very often, and I know that's shocking to you. That laughter felt a little unnecessary and personal. But the one place that I usually get talked into dancing, especially by our kids, is at weddings.

See, weddings are these incredible events where, regardless of your past dancing experience or your inexperience, you can eventually just blend in. And the weirdest people are the people actually standing on the outside of the dance circle, right? Like, people in the middle got people that are really good at dancing; you got people that are kind of doing this, like, you know, you have the full spectrum of dancing people.

And then you have the people just kind of like out—or let's be honest, outside of the circle—and they're just standing there, and you're like, "That's weird, man! Like, we're all dancing; that's what we're doing here."

And I think worship can feel similar in a place where we all experience it together. We're not doing it to perform for the person around us; we're doing it to show God that we really do care, that we really do love him.

And it doesn't mean that you have to raise your hands in worship, but you could. It doesn't mean you have to raise your voices, but you could. It doesn't mean you have to clap, but you could to show gratitude to God. Maybe even just like a holy spirit sway.

Like, maybe for you, you've grown up Presbyterian; you think like God might smite me if I do just this. But just try it! Just try anything, right?

I know that for so many of you, you are so incredibly thoughtful about how you live your lives, about how you really do live in light of who Jesus is and integrate your personal faith into your personal life. It's incredible—our everyday, ordinary lives.

But I want to just acknowledge this really important tension: it's a lot harder to worship God with our lives on Monday if we haven't worshiped him with God's people on Sunday. Amen?

And that's not like a shot to be like, "Keep coming to services." That's not what I'm trying to say. I'm saying like being physically present is not the same thing as worshiping together. Show up; we'd love to have you and sing and worship.

For some people, services on screens through COVID felt no different from their in-person experience. That's a problem. Now, don't get me wrong; I'm so thankful that we had that option and that we have that option. For many, it's their only option.

But gathered worship in person is so important. Being able to worship together is more than about what we want or what we feel. Worship is not an act of our emotions; it's an act of our obedience. God's people have been worshiping from the very beginning.

Now, let me tell you, for some of you, you're waiting. You're waiting for a miracle, waiting for circumstances to change, waiting for God to answer a question or a prayer before you worship. But what if we didn't wait to worship, but we worshiped while we waited?

Can I just—maybe you're saying, "God, if you will deliver me from this, if you will show up here, if you will bring healing, then I'll worship you." I just wonder if sometimes God's going, "I'm waiting for you to worship first."

That's what God's people have done forever. Now, one last thing: just like Job and Habakkuk, the smaller that our view of our problems are, the smaller our view of God becomes. The less bad we think we are, the less we need salvation, the less good we think God is, and all of that fuels our worship.

Jesus did not give you and me medicine for the disease of sin; he brought us back from the death of rebellion against God. The cross didn't just guarantee you and me access to countercultural teaching; it secured eternity for us in undeserving people.

And if we will simply confess our inability to experience that on our own and turn to God for our hope and salvation, look, I don't know what you're waiting for, but let's worship the God that did that for us—not just because he did that, but because that's who he is.

Whatever you're waiting for, God says the weapon I've given you while you wait is worship.

Can I pray for you?

God, I know that for some of us, this is very uncomfortable. For some of us, we think about the obstacles that are in front of us this week, and worshiping you feels like the last thing that's helpful for that problem.

But God, you call us—you call us to lead first with worship in our waiting, and that, God, you can change our circumstances and change our perspective and change how we relate to you and one another if we will simply come before you and give you credit for who you are.

We were made to worship, God. Core to what it means to be wired for wonder, God, is that we're wired for worship. So God, as we sing to you, as we respond to who you have revealed yourself to be for thousands upon thousands of years—first to the Jewish people and then through your son to the entire world—would you give us a reminder that, God, you've not given up on us?

That whatever we face today, whatever our emotions are doing, God, help us to lead with obedience, that we would worship you for who you are. It's in Jesus' name, amen.

1) "The longer you've been a follower of Jesus, the more likely it can be that our faith moves from a first class experience to coach in the front of the plane." [06:25 ] (Download) 2) "Worship is our weapon for a worrying World at War...worship is a weapon to realign our souls together to the true power of God." [17:04 ] (Download) 3) "We should be able to worship God for who he is. If God never did anything for you, he deserves worship because he's God." [18:13 ] (Download) 4) "Joy is a condition of our heart not our circumstances. It's more than just how I feel; it's what I choose to believe about God." [22:44 ] (Download) 5) "If we don't think that our joy comes from God and we don't think that our strength comes from God, then all of a sudden our worship is lower and lower." [24:23 ] (Download) 6) "Worship is not an act of our emotions; it's an act of our obedience. God's people have been worshiping from the very beginning." [29:33 ] (Download) 7) "Jesus did not give you and me medicine for the disease of sin; he brought us back from the death of rebellion against God." [30:48 ] (Download) 8) "Whatever you're waiting for, God says the weapon I've given you while you wait is worship." [31:22 ] (Download)