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Is Worship Important?

October 8, 2024


Hey Clawson Family!


Song:




Scripture:


Luke 7:36-50 New Living Translation


Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman


36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat.[a] 37 When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. 38 Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them


39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!”


40 Then Jesus answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.”

“Go ahead, Teacher,” Simon replied.

41 Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver[b] to one and 50 pieces to the other. 42 But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?”

43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.”

“That’s right,” Jesus said. 44 Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume.

47 “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” 48 Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”

49 The men at the table said among themselves, “Who is this man, that he goes around forgiving sins?”

50 And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”


Devotional:


How do we worship at Clawson, and is how we worship important?


Did you know churches have been split because of worship styles? Denominations have been formed because we cannot agree on how to worship or the style of music we want in our worship time. The Baptists typically prefer a more traditional style of worship, the church of Christ doesn’t want any instruments, the Pentecostals take a lot of pride in getting rowdy in worship, the black churches have the biggest parties, and the in their worship best drummers in their worship. And then you got Clawson, who mixes it all together and likes to Party.


How we worship is a huge ordeal for people. I wonder if it is a big ordeal for God. Let me tell you a funny story.


When I was in Onalaska, my worship leader was an older guy. He would play only older music like most of it was from the 1800s. To be honest, our worship services were terrible. Everyone would be sitting during the worship, then about halfway through the worship set he would start singing, “We are standing on Holy ground.” True story: everyone would stand up and sing that song. Lots of them would even raise their hands, and then when that song was over, they would sit back down for the rest of worship.


But after a Sunday service one time, I went up to him. I said, “Hey brother, I was wondering if you would be ok with me taking your notebook full of songs home and seeing if I could find some songs like The Old Rugged Cross or Amazing Grace that you could sing that some of the newer young people in the church would know and start adding some of them into the song list for Sunday mornings.”


 And he reached over and shut his notebook. He said, “Now, Josh, do I tell you how to do your job?” I said, “No sir, you don’t.” He said, “That's right, and you will not tell me how to do my job!” I said, “Well, that is where you are wrong right there because part of my job is to tell you how to do your job, and if you are going to lead worship here, then we will have to work together.” 


Two weeks later, he left our church and took about 30 people with him to start a church about 7 miles down the road. 


So, let me give you some wrong thoughts that I think we are sometimes tempted to have about our opinions of the worship service.


What will I get out of this worship service, rather than what can I give to God through my worship?


This song is not my style, or I don’t like it, rather than my worship of God during this song being acceptable to God. 


I come to worship service to have God pour into me when we should be coming to worship to pour ourselves out to God.


Journal: 


Make a list of situations that require God’s power. Bring your list to God in worship!


Training


Lord God,


 May we praise you always. May your glory be reflected in all we say and do. Keep us faith­ful in worshiping you, Lord. 


In Jesus name, Amen.


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