Called To Worship

Alright, for those of you who are you into sports? Who is your favorite team? Is it a basketball team, or a football team, baseball, or maybe hockey, Do you absolutely love to see a great play? Do you get excited and shout when you see a touch down, a home run, a goal, or a slam-dunk? Do you enjoy entering the gates of a ballpark, a hockey rink, or a stadium? Do you love the excitement? Then again, do you like going in and sitting down in front of the television and getting all psyched up for the "main event?” The Rose Bowl? The World Series? The Olympics etc.? Do you know all the names of the players on your favorite team along with their hits, errors, or fouls? Do you know the batting averages of five or more players? Do you vicariously bask in the glory of your team’s victory? Do you praise the wonders of your pitcher, your goalie, your quarterback? Do you love talking about them? Do you get excited?

There are different things that get us excited, that cause us to shout for joy. For me its Pac-Man, trains, seasonal sales at Express. For others it could be a new Ipod or cell phone, a new car, going to a party, buying a new C.D., or maybe even getting even or seeing someone get what’s coming to them. It could even be gossip, envy, talking behind someone’s back.

Let me ask you, are you excited about God? Do you love Him? Do you know all about Him? Do you enjoy entering His gates with praise? Do you shout for joy and praise His name with joyful songs?

It isn’t wrong to shout for a team, to support them, to talk about how great they are. But the question is, "Do you know that you are called to give the same, if not more, devotion and dedication to the Lord as you do to your favorite team?"

You are called to glorify the Lord, to spend the same kinds of energy on Him. In fact, He even tells you how to glorify Him. Did you know that you are called to glorify the Lord and that the Lord even tells you how to do it?

Just now we read Psalm 100. The first way you’ll see we are called to glorify the Lord is through the makings of a joyful noise! I’ll come back to joyful in a second but I want to take some time to help yall understand noise. Cause often that’s the question: do I have to praise him by clapping? Do I have to sing? Do I have to shout? Is dancing appropriate? The funny thing is the word noise comes from the Latin word nausea. Nausea means seasickness. Its caused by high seas! Its what sailors get when they are going through some rough channels and get uncomfortable, unsettling stomachs. Don’t we owe God noise?

Don’t we inconvenience him? He can’t sleep cause he’s too busy watching over us, keeping us out of harm’s way! He can’t hold onto anything nice cause he’s always pouring out blessings! The least we can do is step out of our comfort zone once in awhile when we worship! Your worship oughta be so intense that it almost makes you sick! Worship ain’t gotta be comfortable! Don’t sit up so straight! Don’t forsake moving just so you can stay cool and dry! I got bad knees but I can bow down and worship him! Its uncomfortable to wake up early on my day off, put on a hot suit and drive over where there’s no TV, no radio, no Twinkies, no pop, no snacks, so I can worship him! Its uncomfortable for me to give from the first of my earnings! Do I have to praise him with a shout? Do I have to sing? Do I have to clap? Do I have to dance? YES! GET UNCOMFORTABLE! Get nauseous! Make some NOISE!

Your comfort isn’t in you making noise! But it is in you making a joyful noise! After all, what is JOY but Jesus Over You! And with Jesus over me, I have a comforter. When I’m lonely, he gives me comfort! When I’m feeling sad, he cheers me! When I fall, he’s there to catch me! From a heart filled with joy, the mouth speaks!

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands! Black folk ain’t the only people called to worship! White folk ain’t the only people called to worship! Latinos no son la unica gente que tiene que alabarse al Dios! Toda la gente! All people! Toda la tierra! All the lands! We worship you Lord in English! Se alabamos senor en Espanol! Vir beten dich Lord in deutsch! Nous vous adoron seignor en francois! Li adoriamo signore en italiano! In the Upper Penninsula they say “we worship yous Lord!” In Boston they say “we wahshup ya Lawd!” In California its “like, we totally worship you Lordio!” In Texas its “we worship ya Lord yeehaw!” But all ye lands need to praise him!