And now for a time of...sleep?!

Lisa has just started reading Nick Page’s book ‘And now let’s move into a time of nonsense’. The book’s tag-line ‘why worship songs are failing the church’ leaves the reader in no doubt about the writer’s pretext. And it’s true to say that Lisa is already worried that she’ll never be able to sing some songs again! (But then that may not be a bad thing)

Anyway its one of those books that as you read you can’t help but share it, so last night (after my light had been switched off!) Lisa started to read (aloud!) some of what Mr Page had articulated…

‘It’s popular in many churches to talk of ‘times of worship’. ‘Now we’ll have a time of worship’, says the leader at the front, before introducing a series of songs which can last for anything from 15 minutes to 15 hours. Strange that. Because you might as well talk about having a ‘time of breathing’ or a ‘time of just being ourselves’. Worship – true worship – is not about singing songs, or holding up your hands or bouncing up and down or chanting Gregorian plainsong. It’s about how you live your life.’

I grunted by drowsy assent, but Lisa and Mr Page weren’t finished…

‘So you cannot separate off worship from the rest of the Christian life. The idea that ‘worship’ is something that only takes place in a church or at a conference – and then only in a ‘time of worship’ is profoundly unbiblical. Worship – showing God how we value him, how much he is worth to us – is an attitude of life. Worship, putting it simply, means showing Jesus what we think of him. And we do that not only by singing songs about him, but by changing our lives so that they reflect our new master.’

Ding, dong, some of us are trying to sleep! But there is more…

‘Real worship stems from a conscious decision to live our lives in God’s way. It’s not about singing; it’s about living.’

Too true, but I wonder if that extends to sleeping?!