This past Sunday I challenged my family at Main Street to live as worshippers.  Worship begins when I offer my body to God as a living and holy sacrifice.  During the service, someone wrote asking for more specific ways to worship in “real life.”

Here is one “for example” list:

Before falling asleep, worship by thanking God for his attentiveness that day, plead forgiveness for specific sin of which you are aware and bless Him for allowing you to start the day by sleeping. [The Hebrew day begins at dusk, dawn is midway through…sorry about you second and third shift workers!]

When it is time to wake, thank God for rest and then worship by stewarding the body by doing some exercise, getting a little something to eat and a cup of coffee, if necessary.

Worship by talking to God about the concerns of the day, special people in life, obstacles that you cannot move or change. Worship by taking time to read the Bible.  [Currently I will read a Psalm (or portion thereof), a proverb and one of the gospels.  I am focusing particularly on what Jesus says.] 

Worship by saying something encouraging to each member of the household before they leave for the day.  Worship by greeting a neighbor on the way to work.

While at work worship by giving the employer the absolute best of your ability.  When others are slacking or falling into complaint, worship by being diligent and complimentary.

When a coworker remarks how life seems to be full of good luck, cheerfully share the source of every blessing is from your Lord and Savior.  When life is particularly harsh, openly share that God sustains you through every storm.

Worship by calling a loved one during the day just to say, “I love you and I am thinking about you.”

Worship by taking a moment before returning home to think of some way to make the drudgery of the day a little less oppressive.  Worship by deliberately exercising an act of kindness on some undeserving person (it’s called grace).

Worship by withholding the cross word and inserting encouragements which build up.  Worship by eating only what you need and not too much more.

Worship by shutting the television off and actually talking to someone else about their day.  Worship by talking about something witnessed on television.

Worship by holding a loved one in a hug or tender caress.  Worship by making sure the leftovers of the day are properly stored and the resources for tomorrow’s needs are prepared.

Skip Letterman’s Top Ten in order to spend a few minutes worshipping again before “beginning” the day.

Pretty much anything we do during a normal day can be done in worship, if it is the heart’s desire to honor God with our bodies.

Paul speaks to this notion of worship and purposeful life.

“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Don’t give offense to Jews or Gentiles or the church of God. I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved. ” (1 Corinthians 10:31–33, NLT)

My friends at Main Street will talk again about the importance of worship and I will add yet a little more to this completely insufficient list.