Why We Worship

People choose to attend worship for a variety of reasons, but most of us come to worship to encounter God and to experience something mysterious and transcendent. When we come to worship we are trying to meet God in some way. We hope to discover God in something that occurs in worship – the music, the prayers, the readings, the sermon, the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, or simply being with others who are also trying to encounter God.

Many people also come to worship to do this with others rather than alone. There is something that happens when we worship with others that doesn’t happen when we are off by ourselves. Worship at its best is about coming together with others to encounter God.

It is God who calls us to worship, whether we realize it or not. Worship is one of the core experiences in life that helps make us whole and fully human. In worship we reorient ourselves to God and to the things that are most important in life. Worship reminds us who God is and who we are – persons loved by God and created for a purpose.

If we think about this in terms of climbing a very high mountain, those who seek to climb to the summit have to spend time at “base camp” before they make their attempt to climb the mountain. If they do not get acclimated and prepare themselves first at base camp, they will not be able to make it up to the summit. Worship is like our base camp that prepares us to go out into the world and do whatever it is that God has created us to do. This is the rhythm of the spiritual life – coming and going. But, without that time of worship in “base camp,” we do not have the strength or reserves to go out and complete our mission in life.