Time of Preparation
Begin by taking inventory of your surroundings. Are things in your vicinity conducive to a time of personal worship? Are there any changes or adjustments (turning off tech, making yourself comfortable) you need to make before you begin?
When you are ready, take some time to sit in silence and prepare your heart for worship. Ask God to clear away any distractions that might keep you from being truly present in this moment.
Encounter With God
In this first movement, we simply seek to see God for who He is: the One worthy of worship.
“Lift up your heads, you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
the Lord mighty in battle.”
—Psalm 24:7-8 (NIV)
Worship is a welcome. As we embrace the promise of Jesus to be wherever people gather in his name, we lift our voices in song as a word of welcome to the King of glory. It is our way of throwing open the gates of our hearts, of saying to him, “We are gathered here in your name. We are not here for ourselves. We are here for you.”
In our era of consumer-based worship it’s easy to make worship about ourselves. That’s why our very first act of worship is a moment of lifting our eyes to the One who alone is worthy. As we are reminded of the glory of God, we are invited to cast aside any false pretense or motive. The focus is on him and him alone.
Let this opening movement of encounter remind you why we worship in the first place. We do not offer praise in order to stir our emotions or to meet some felt need on our part. We worship only because God is worthy and deserving of our praise.
Let us welcome the King of glory.
SONG OF ENCOUNTER: Here For You (lyrics here)