John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address in 1961 contained the historic words, “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” That is, it’s more about what Americans can do for the USA than what the USA can do for Americans.
As inspiring as those words were, Christian worship is the opposite.
Christian worship is not what we do for God, but our response to what God has done and is doing for us in Christ.
When we gather at church for corporate worship, it’s not to “enter God’s presence” based on the quality of the band or the amount of smoke coming out the smoke machine; nor to somehow access the throne of grace by the “worshipfulness” of the vocals; nor that God can feel good about himself because of our amazing singing; nor that God can be impressed about his great salvation work because of the sincerity of our prayers; nor even that God is glorified because of my sublime, expository preaching.
We gather for corporate worship not to do something for God, but to celebrate God for what God has done for us.
Michael Jensen helpfully writes:
It may be dangerously misleading if, by using the word worship, we imply (even accidently) that it is by our offerings of worship that we make ourselves acceptable to God. The Reformation insight was that this notion of worship was based on a horrifying self-delusion; for fallen human beings are, on their own merits, incapable of giving true worship to the one being who is worthy of that adoration. True worship is, in fact, opened up for Christian believers only by Jesus Christ’s worship of the Father. For Christians, then, worship engages with God only as a response to the prior grace he shows us in Jesus Christ.”
Reformation Anglican Worship, p19
On Sunday, when you go to church to gather for corporate worship, remember, first and foremostly, that it’s not about what you do for God, but about what God has done for you in Jesus.