When you go to the community gathering for worship at your church, do you feel a sense of expectancy? Is something out of the ordinary going to happen? Or, is it pretty much the same week to week? Richard Foster, in his book Celebration of Discipline, warns us about going through the motions of church worship.
“Just as worship begins in holy expectancy, it ends in holy obedience. If worship does not propel us into greater obedience, it has not been worship. To stand before the Holy One of eternity is to change. Resentments cannot be held with the same tenacity when we enter His gracious light. As Jesus says, we need to leave our gift at the altar and go set the matter straight. (Matthew 5)…to worship is to change. Holy obedience saves worship from becoming an opiate, an escape from the pressing needs of the world.”
To put it in the condensed version: If you don’t expect anything from worship, you get what you expect. Not open to change…no change. No anticipation of hearing the whisper of the Spirit…no sound. And, as important as “holy expectancy” is, it is to be matched by “holy obedience.” The Spirit moves through a congregation waiting to hear the words “here I am, Lord. Send me.” Holy expectancy on one end, holy obedience on the other. Stand by! That’s worship!
Shining Spirit 
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