“Do you love Jesus today?” is a pretty common way for me to open a worship service. It usually catches some people off guard, and I get a mumbled, indiscernible response. So I usually ask again, a little louder, “Do you love Jesus today?” The second time there are usually a few more people who perk up and respond with “Yes!” or “Amen!” Quite often I’ll ask a third time, “Do you love Jesus today?!?” Almost always, the third response is loudest and clearest: some sort of shout of affirmation.
Now I realize that I could probably just as well go out and say three times “Would you like some free doughnuts?” and there would be a similar response (although I doubt anyone would shout “Amen!”) But I’m not giving away doughnuts. I’m not giving away or selling anything. I’m leading worship. I’m trying to take a group of flawed, burdened, easily-distracted people from here to there.
So where is here? Here is the livingroom, the sanctuary, the chapel, the fireside, the classroom in which the people have gathered. Here is an earthly confine. Here is where our minds are full of worry and strife. Here is where our arthritic knees ache, our noses run, our children fidget and our bills pile up. Here is the battleground. You see, ultimately, worship is a Heavenly activity–a spiritual thing. Worship is what the elders, the angels, the entire Heavenly host and all the redeemed will do forever in the very presence of God Himself. Our earthly worship is but a foreshadowing of the worship to come… when we get… there. There is the presence of God. There is the Holy of Holies, the most intimate place on Earth in which to meet with God.
In Old Testament times, the Holy of Holies was a physical place where the Spirit of God dwelt between the cherubim. Only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies, and only once a year. But Jesus’ death and resurrection resulted in the rending of the curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy place; the curtain was torn in two from top to bottom, representing the reconciliation of relationship between God and man. Jesus made the way for us! God no longer makes His dwelling in a building. He lives in the hearts of His children. And I believe that He manifests Himself in a special, powerful way when we as the Body gather together to worship Him in unity.
When I lead worship I have the mindset of a tour bus driver. It is my job to get the Body from here to there. I may point out some landmarks and make some comments along the way, but my primary goal is to get them to their destination: into the presence of God. I realize that God is omnipresent. He is all places at all times, so one may argue that I don’t have to take the people anywhere because God is already with us. Good point. My job is not to move God. God is already here with us, waiting for us to worship Him and enter into intimate fellowship with Him. God doesn’t need to move. We are the ones who need to move, to draw near to Him. It is my job as the worship leader to load the congregation onto the bus and take them to be with God. Along the way we’re going to speak, sing, pray, shout, dance, read scripture, seek, be still, be silent, etc. But our ultimate destination is to get there. Because there we find, peace, healing, wholeness, rest, victory, forgiveness, belonging, security in the presence of the Almighty God of the Universe.
There’s nothing wrong with starting a worship service with “Good morning!” But “Do you love Jesus today?” helps me get people on the bus. It’s almost like saying “All aboard!”
Do you love Jesus today?
Scott Jasmin
