Coffee & Gummy Worms & (Good) Socks

A Road Trip for Intentional Worship

May 10, 2024

Sunday mornings are like… going on a road trip.

Do you remember those? Maybe it was racing through the Mojave desert, or climbing up the Rocky Mountains of Colorado or chugging along in the sweet, sweaty heat of the Alabaman South on your way to a shrimp boil. The destination was the essential thing necessitating that drive, but the allure of the occasion held more than that. It wasn’t just the warm hugs or cicadas buzzing or delicious food or the wedding party waiting at the end of the road. There’s something about the road. You probably know what I mean.

Elation.

A good road trip just makes us feel something.

Another thing about a road trip you likely remember is that you had to prepare for one.

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For some of you, that meant going to the local tire store and checking the tread. Topping off all your fluid and oil levels. Maybe you stocked up on gummy worms and your favorite cold brew coffee. If you’re a mom with kids, you prepped the suitcase. Moms have an intrinsic ability to Tetris the heck out of every cubic inch of space at their disposal. (How do you do it?)

All in all, the point is, you prepared. The moment quickened you to get ready.

One Mosaic (pun intended) picture of worship we get from the book of Exodus comes to mind. Israel has been delivered from Egypt. They’ve traipsed through the chaotic waters of the Sea as one People, born anew by Yahweh. Miracle after miracle has followed them as cosmic clouds and supernatural obelisks of divine fire lead them onward.1 The deathly threats of Pharoah and his empire have been escaped forever so they could come and be Yahweh’s own nation. And they make it. The Destination is just ahead.

The Mountain.

Moses is instructed to get the people ready. Make the arrangements. Set the stage. Clean things up. Air up the tires and pack all the (good) socks.

Why?

Because God wanted to meet with them and make them His.

“So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.”
— Exodus 19:16-17

So intense. The Creator of all Reality often is.

You read that and think, “Man, that sounds amazing! I wish God would do that today!”

Would you like to know the saddest part of this story?

God came down. Moses did his job. Yahweh wanted to have His human family experience His power and majesty and gentle goodness and protection and wonder.

And the people were not ready.

Trembling with fear, the Israelites were so terrified of God’s Presence that they stood far off, spectating, but not engaging the LORD directly. They just watched while Moses did it for them.2

Hmmm. Sounds familiar.

Again, Sunday mornings feel like prepping for a road trip. For me, at least.

As a worship pastor, Sunday mornings usually mean waking up early and unlocking doors and lugging gear and vocal warmups and cables and connecting and tuning and rehearsing and music directing and several corresponding things. But these mornings pack so much more “luggage.”

These times require that I prepare to meet with God.

That’s the end goal. The Destination. The Mountain.

And the journey is wonderful, filled with turns and heavenly soundscapes and melodies, and sometimes stories of the miracles Christ has done, or prayers offered in earnest as a congregation. Worship is wonderful. It’s the thing we were made for. A.W. Tozer put it so simply it’s nearly haunting: “We must never rest until everything inside us worships God.”3

I can tell you, what discourages and saddens me most is seeing those who take these precious and unique moments and yet choose to do what Israel did. Yes, the shoes are on. The hair is combed and the aftershave is working (a little too strong). They made it on time for their favorite seat in pew no. 4. Prepared? Seemingly.

But ready to encounter and glorify the Living God? No.

Because true preparation to worship Jesus happens in the heart of humanity.

The author of Psalm 84 declares “How blessed is the man whose strength is in You, In whose heart are the highways to Zion!”

Honestly, I get it. “Worship,” in the church-y, colloquial sense, is my job. And like you at your job, some days I feel more… “inclined” to give it my all than others. That’s because I haven’t prepared. I’m not ready.

I haven’t primed myself for the road trip. To go Somewhere. To Someone.

If you’re like me and have fought this before, consider these words about what our adoration to God should really be composed of:

“Worship is only worship if it pleases God. It doesn’t matter if it sounds like worship, or if it’s labeled as “worship,” or if it’s in every “inspirational” category on iTunes; it doesn’t even matter if it’s taken up and sung by every worship leader in every worship service around the globe...
If God doesn’t like it...it’s not worship.”4
— Jeremy Riddle

Per usual, it’s not about us. Big shocker.

Does God like it? My attitude, the words I sing? The way I talk to my kids in the backseat on the drive back home? How I spend the treasured minutes I have the rest of my day?

PRACTICAL QUESTION: Is God pleased?

If the answer is no, odds are we haven’t done the heart work. We haven’t prepared to meet with God. We stand far off, spectating through life, watching other people or worship leaders or pastors or spouses or parents do it for us, thinking that will be enough.

And candidly? It’s gut-churning. (Worship leaders: we’re totally guilty here.)

So let’s get real:

What can I do to gear up to meet with God?

I can think of four things I would urge you to consider doing on Sunday morning (or whatever day you are preparing to gather and worship the King together) to intentionally prepare yourself to meet with God:

Orient your soul to God the moment you wake up.
Breathe deeply. Think about Who God is. Don’t rush. What does He want for you today? Pray to Him in humility, reckon His holiness; the Lord’s Prayer is a master-framework.5 Do all this before your feet touch the floor.
Read a passage of the Bible and ask for the Spirit’s illumination.
This is a spiritual muscle, and muscles need flexing. DISCLAIMER: It’s not a minister’s job to force-feed you the Scriptures. At some point, you need to learn to feed yourself. It’s not hard.
Make a commitment to honor God by being on time and serving.
The West is a procrastinating culture, but late is not a fashion. Show up before the gathering. Be ready to engage and glorify the LORD; it’s Him you’re there for. Volunteer to bring the dish. Lead a small group. Set up chairs. In a family dinner, everyone has a role to play. God’s Family is no different.
Celebrate Jesus’ victory and get as close to God as your spirit can handle. The Savior paid for every drop of gratitude we can give. Don’t hold back. Engage God with lifted voice, hands, souls in unison as His pure and expectant Bride. Learn to long for Jesus and praise Him. It’s wonderful.

Don’t miss out on the grandeur and the awe and the sublime honor of encountering God together with His Body. Come prepared for the excursion. Come surrendered. Come ready to pray and sing and lift hands and cry and laugh and exult and lament and bless and repent. The LORD is worthy of it.

He is the Destination. Take the highway. Get to Zion.