Do you go to Church to “get” or “give”?

The answer to that is, of course, yes. It's both.

However, usually we humans lean heavily, and sometimes too heavily, on the side of “getting.” We want to “get.” We want to “get something out of it.”

And that's good, because no matter what the worship and sermon and events of the service are like, we will always “get something” — we will always “get” God's love, grace, blessing, forgiveness, peace, joy, strength, courage, comfort... God is always in worship services to give so that we can receive (Thank you, God!)

However, the “heart of worship” also includes the component which is just as necessary — that we give to God our praise That we give to God our worship — that we declare from our hearts to God that He is the one who receives our honor, our glory. And our presence in worship give us the best time and place to do just that.

The word “worship” actually means “worth-ship” — so that when we worship we proclaim the “worth-ship/the worthiness” of God as supreme Lord of all — especially of us. Of me. Of you.

Watch out for the danger of singularly focusing on “getting” as you “go to church.” When your only perspective is “getting,” you can make up all kinds of excuses not to go to worship. You can decide you don't need it on a certain day. You can decide you don't feel like “getting it.” You can decide that other priorities take precedence over “getting it.” You can let other people and their words or ideas or mere presence keep you away. You can decide you're too busy, or too unworthy, or too emotional, or too whatever.

Watch out for the danger of all this. (Does any of it sound familiar?)

So, yes, go to worship to “get” the grace and goodness of God and “something out of it.” That will never fail.

But what I'm suggesting for us all — particularly this month — is that we go to worship primarily to give (Not money! Although that is always one good sign of giving our total worship!)

Go to your church this Sunday or, if you don't have one, go to any church and give your praise and worship to God. Go to be counted as a “worshipper” of the one, holy, and almighty God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!

Be a worshipper.

“Give” it up.

(Kollmeyer is senior pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Fayetteville, where opportunities to worship God are each Sunday with early worship at 8:15, contemporary worship at 9:45, and traditional pipe organ liturgical worship at 11 a.m. Those without a church home are invited and encouraged to attend.)

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