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This is my final post in a series on youth worship services.

1. Approaching God
One of the aspects of worship that intrigued me in Romania was the way people approached God when they entered the church. When people walked into a church, they would kneel at the back pew, or they would take their seat and then pray a silent prayer before the service. There was reverence and anticipation in that act. The person was acknowledging that they were entering the house of God and coming to meet with Him. They were also asking for a word from God.

We have lost this reverence in most youth worship services. There is a fallacy out there that pits reverence up against fun, as if contemporary automatically assumes irreverent. I do not think this is the case. I believe that we can attend church in casual dress, can sing current, popular music styles, and adopt new cultural expressions in our worship. Casual attire, yes. But there is no such thing as casual worship. We do not approach God casually.

One way that some churches seek to instill this awe and reverence for God back into our worship is by beginning the worship service with a few minutes of silence. Bible passages appear on the screen, with some instrumental worship songs playing in the background. The stillness in the sanctuary, as those who enter realize they have stepped into God’s presence fosters an atmosphere in which students can see themselves in God’s house, and become aware of that reality.

Another aspect of worship used by some youth groups seeking to sense the awe and majesty of God is the inclusion of a time near the beginning of the worship service to ask for forgiveness. They do this through songs like Michael W. Smith’s “Lord, Have Mercy,” or the Newsboys’ “You Are My King,” or Matt Redman’s “The Heart of Worship.” There are many ways we can restore the awe to awesome when we worship. These are just some ideas.

2. Authenticity
During my time tutoring middle-school students from unchurched homes, I came to the realization that none of these kids had any expectation whatsoever from a worship service. When they visited churches, they didn’t expect to be entertained, to hear a stand-up comedian, or to hear the music they liked. (After all, some of them liked rap, and I haven’t ever been to a church that used Rap as their main style of worship). They were just curious. They wanted to know what a true Christian worship service is like. Why do we do what we do? Why do we pray at certain times? Why do we stand when we read the Word? Why do we sing? Why do we read Scripture? What are we doing with the bread and the wine?

Young people want to see what authentic Christian worship is all about. Young people inside and outside the church do not want a pre-packaged worship experience catered to their needs and desires. Instead, they are hungry for something transcendent – something bigger than themselves. They want to be a part of something big – a revolution, to know that their lives matter and that God has a marvelous plan for them.

Christian worship answers that question. Teenagers today want roots, something long-term that fills their need for authenticity. In Christian worship, we have two-thousand years of roots to choose from. Why not tell them stories of the Bible characters who inspire us even today? Why not glean inspiration from the heroic stories of the martyrs who gave everything for Christ? These young people are the next generation in a line of Christians who have been following Christ for two thousand years. We must never give them the impression through our innovation and creativity that we are the first (or most important) generation of believers.

written by Trevin Wax. © 2007 Kingdom People Blog

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