{"id":1257,"date":"2010-09-19T01:35:17","date_gmt":"2010-09-19T01:35:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2010\/09\/sunday-inspiration-from-the-high-calling-the-antidote-to-worship-crankiness.html"},"modified":"2010-09-19T01:35:17","modified_gmt":"2010-09-19T01:35:17","slug":"sunday-inspiration-from-the-high-calling-the-antidote-to-worship-crankiness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/09\/sunday-inspiration-from-the-high-calling-the-antidote-to-worship-crankiness.html","title":{"rendered":"Sunday Inspiration from The High Calling<\/em>: The Antidote to Worship Crankiness"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Antidote to Worship Crankiness<\/h3>\n
READ Psalm 150:1-6<\/a><\/div>\n
 <\/div>\n

\nPraise him with the tambourine and dancing;
     praise him with strings and flutes!
\n<\/p>\n

Psalm 150:4<\/a><\/div>\n

\nWorship crankiness. As a pastor, I’ve dealt with it for years. As a worshiper, I struggle with it.<\/p>\n

What
\nis worship crankiness? It’s engaging in worship that is meant for God’s
\nglory but getting stuck in grumpiness. It’s when the choir is off-key,
\nthe sermon is under par, the praise music is too loud, and you just get
\ngrouchy. Rather than focusing on God, you end up worrying about the
\nthings that bug you in the worship service. Instead of giving yourself
\nto God in humble worship, you end up preoccupied by yourself and your
\nfrustrations.<\/p>\n

You know you’re infected with worship crankiness
\nif you continually find yourself bothered by things in worship that, in
\nthe end, really aren’t that important. Or you know you’ve got the bug
\nif your comments after a worship service tend to be critical rather
\nthan reflective of your relationship with God. <\/p>\n

In my
\nexperience, worship crankiness often has to do with music. Some folks
\nget bugged when musical quality is low. Many become irritable when the
\ngenre of worship music is not to their liking. If you’re a hymn person,
\nyou get cranky when you’re supposed to sing praise songs. If you prefer
\ncontemporary music, you want to fold your arms and frown if you have to
\nsing hymns led by an organ. And so it goes, week in, week out. <\/p>\n

In
\nmy own life of worship, I struggle with worship crankiness all the
\ntime. I think pastors, who are responsible for the content and quality
\nof worship, are particularly prone to this ailment. The problem is that
\nwhen I start focusing on what I don’t like in a worship service, I stop
\nworshiping. I end up sitting in the seat of scoffers: criticizing,
\njudging, and doing just about anything other than offering myself to
\nGod in worship.<\/p>\n

Psalm 150 supplies a powerful antidote to
\nworship crankiness. It calls for worship with everything we’ve got. It
\nmentions a wide variety of instruments to be used in the praise of God.
\nWith a little cultural imagination, it wouldn’t be hard to paraphrase
\nPsalm 150 like this:<\/p>\n

    Praise the Lord!
    Praise the Lord with organs and pianos;
        praise him with guitars and keyboards.
    Praise him with hymns and anthems;
        praise him with worship songs and chants.
    Praise him with drums and cymbals.
        praise him with clapping and silence.
    Praise the Lord!<\/p>\n

The
\nmore we seek God’s glory, the less we will be focused on our personal
\nlikes and dislikes in worship. The more we focus on giving ourselves to
\nGod, the less we will be preoccupied with ourselves and our feelings.
\nThe more we remember God’s greatness, the more we will want him to be
\npraised with every instrument, every voice, every genre, and every
\nperson. The more we allow Psalm 150 to call us to worship, the less
\nwe’ll be weighed down with worship crankiness.<\/p>\n

    Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord!
    Praise the Lord!<\/p>\n

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION<\/strong>:
\nDo you ever struggle with worship crankiness? When? What, if anything,
\nhelps you to get out of it? What helps you to focus on glorifying God
\nin worship, rather than on your preferences and feelings? <\/p>\n

PRAYER<\/strong>: Gracious Lord, you alone are
\nworthy of worship. You are worthy of praise and thanks, of submission
\nand commitment, of adoration and love. Thank you for the extraordinary
\nprivilege and honor of being able to worship you.<\/p>\n

Forgive me,
\nLord, when I get so caught up in my own preferences and desires in
\nworship. You know how easy it is for me to be critical because I don’t
\nlike the music, or because it isn’t done with excellence, or because
\nsomebody changed a word in a hymn, or . . .  Once I become a critic, I
\nstop worshiping. I fail to give you what you deserve and desire from
\nme. My heart grows hard and resistant to your Spirit. Forgive me, Lord.<\/p>\n

Give
\nme, I pray, a generous and open heart when I gather with your people in
\nworship. Help me to praise you even if the genre isn’t my preference,
\neven if the songs are so familiar as to be boring or so new that I can
\nhardly sing them. By your grace and through your Spirit, may I focus so
\nmuch on you that I’m just not impressed with my preferences and
\njudgments. <\/p>\n

When I gather with your people for worship, Lord,
\nmay I learn to praise you with all that I am, no matter the styles or
\nforms or instruments or setting. May I learn when gathered with your
\npeople how to worship you, not just in the gathering, but in every
\nmoment of life.<\/p>\n

All praise be to you, O God! Amen<\/em>.<\/p>\n

_________________________________________________<\/p>\n

\"high-calling-screenshot-4.jpg\"<\/span>Would you like to receive a Daily Reflection like this one in your email inbox each morning?  <\/strong><\/p>\n

Here’s how . . . .<\/em><\/strong>
\nThis devotional comes from The High Calling of Our Daily Work <\/em>(www.thehighcalling.org<\/a>), a wonderful website about work and God<\/em>. You can read my Daily Reflections<\/a> there, or sign up to have them sent to your email inbox<\/a> each day. This website contains lots of encouragement for people who are trying to live out their faith in the workplace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Antidote to Worship Crankiness READ Psalm 150:1-6   Praise him with the tambourine and dancing;     praise him with strings and flutes! Psalm 150:4 Worship crankiness. As a pastor, I’ve dealt with it for years. As a worshiper, I struggle with it. What is worship crankiness? It’s engaging in worship that is meant for God’s glory…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sunday-inspiration"],"yoast_head":"\nSunday Inspiration from The High Calling: The Antidote to Worship Crankiness - Mark D. 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Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1257","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1257"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1257\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1257"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}